1 Corinthians 6

1 If one of you has a grievance against an opponent, does he dare to go to law before irreligious men and not before God's people?

[Now another matter]: When any of you [believers] accuses another believer about some matter, he takes that matter to judges who are not believers, [for them to decide the case], instead of asking God’s people [to decide it]. (That is disgusting!/Why do you do that?) [RHQ]

2 Do you not know that God's people will sit in judgement upon the world? And if you are the court before which the world is to be judged, are you unfit to deal with these petty matters?

[I want] you to know that [we who are] God’s people will [some day] judge those who are unbelievers. [RHQ] So, since you will be judging unbelievers, you certainly are capable of judging between [believers who disagree on] small matters! [RHQ]

3 Do you not know that we are to sit in judgement upon angels--to say nothing of things belonging to this life?

(You should keep in mind that we will even judge angels!/Do you not know that we will even judge angels?) [RHQ] So we certainly should be able to judge about [matters that relate to how we] conduct our lives here on earth!

4 If therefore you have things belonging to this life which need to be decided, is it men who are absolutely nothing in the Church--is it they whom you make your judges?

Therefore, when you [believers] have a dispute, you should certainly not choose as judges [to decide your case] people whom the congregation cannot respect [because those judges are not believers]! [RHQ]

5 I say this to put you to shame. Has it come to this, that there does not exist among you a single wise man competent to decide between a man and his brother,

I am saying this to make you ashamed. Surely there is someone among you who is wise enough to judge disputes between believers! [RHQ]

6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

But instead, some believers [among you] accuse other believers in a legal court. And what is worse, you let the cases be judged by unbelievers {unbelievers judge the cases}!

7 To say no more, then, it is altogether a defect in you that you have law-suits with one another. Why not rather endure injustice? Why not rather submit to being defrauded?

The fact that you have any lawsuits among you [shows that] you have completely failed [as Christians] (OR, [allowed Satan to] defeat you). You should [allow other believers] to wrong you [without taking them to court!]! [RHQ] You should not accuse them when [they] cheat you! [RHQ]

8 On the contrary you yourselves inflict injustice and fraud, and upon brethren too.

But [what is happening is that] some of you are cheating others and doing wrong to them. [That is bad]. But you are doing that to fellow believers, [and that is worse]!

9 Do you not know that unrighteous men will not inherit God's Kingdom? Cherish no delusion here. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor any who are guilty of unnatural crime,

(You should keep in mind that wicked people will not become [members of] the group over whom God will rule./Do you not know that wicked people will not become [members of] the group over whom God will rule?) [RHQ] Do not be deceived {Do not deceive yourselves} [by thinking wrongly about these matters]. People who are sexually immoral, or who worship idols, or who (commit adultery/have sex with someone to whom they are not married), or who happily allow others to commit homosexual acts with them, or who take the initiative in committing homosexual acts,

10 nor theives, nor avaricious people, nor any who are addicted to hard drinking, to abusive language or to greed of gain, will inherit God's Kingdom.

or who are thieves, or who desire and forcefully seize things that belong to others, or who are drunkards, or who slander others, or who are swindlers, will not enter the place where God rules.

11 And all this describes what some of you were. But now you have had every stain washed off: now you have been set apart as holy: now you have been pronounced free from guilt; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.

Some of you previously did things like that. But [God] has freed/cleansed you [MET] [from your sinful behavior]. [He] has set you apart for himself. [He] has erased the record of your sins [because you trusted] [MTY] in the Lord Jesus Christ and because of what the Spirit of our God [has done for you].

12 Everything is allowable to me, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable to me, but to nothing will I become a slave.

[Some of you may say], “God allows us to do anything [that he does not forbid].” But [I would reply], “[That is true], but not everything that God permits us to do helps us.” [Yes, as some of you say], God permits us to do anything [that he does not forbid]. But as for me, I will not let anything make me [its slave; that is, I will not do anything that will gain control over me in such a way that I will not be able to stop doing it].

13 Food of all kinds is meant for the stomach, and the stomach is meant for food, and God will cause both of them to perish. Yet the body does not exist for the purpose of fornication, but for the Master's service, and the Master exists for the body;

[Some of you may also say], “Food is just for [us to put in] the stomach, and the stomach is just for [us to put] food [in]. And since God will do away with food and stomachs [when he gives us our new bodies, what we do with our bodies sexually does not affect us any more than eating food does.” But what you have concluded is wrong, because] the Lord does not [want us to use] our bodies to do sexually immoral things. Instead, the Lord [wants us to use our bodies in ways that please him]. Also, the Lord [wants us to do what is good] for our bodies.

14 and as God by His power raised the Master to life, so He will also raise us up.

God, by his power, caused the Lord [Jesus] to live again after he died, and he will cause us to live again after we die, [which shows that he is very concerned about our bodies].

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them the members of a prostitute? No, indeed.

You should keep in mind that your bodies belong to Christ. [RHQ] So, should I [or any other believer] [RHQ] take our body, which belongs to Christ, and join it [sexually] to a prostitute? No, certainly not!

16 Or do you not know that a man who has to do with a prostitute is one with her in body? For God says, "The two shall become one."

When a man has sexual relations [EUP] with a prostitute, [it is as though] their two bodies become one body. (You should never forget that!/Do you not know that?) [RHQ] What [Moses] wrote [about people who join together sexually is], “The two of them will become [as though they are] one body.”

17 But he who is in union with the Master is one with Him in spirit.

But anyone who is united {who joins himself} to the Lord becomes one with him spiritually.

18 Flee from fornication. Any other sin that a human being commits lies outside the body; but he who commits fornication sins against his own body.

Always (run away from/avoid) committing sexually immoral acts. Other sins that people commit do not affect their bodies, but those who commit sexually immoral acts sin against their own bodies.

19 Or do you not know that your bodies are a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is within you--the Spirit whom you have from God?

(Keep in mind that your bodies are [like] [MET] temples of the Holy Spirit./Do you not know that your bodies are [like] [MET] temples of the Holy Spirit?) [RHQ] The Spirit, whom God gave you, lives within you. You do not belong to yourselves. You belong to God,

20 And you are not your own, for you have been redeemed at infinite cost. Therefore glorify God in your bodies.

[because when his Son died for you it was as though] [MET] [God] paid a price for you. So honor God by [how you use] your bodies!