1 Korineto'bai 1 - MB & GNTD

Addictions come in many shapes and forms, whether it’s lust, alcohol, substances, gambling, gaming, or even excessive use of your mobile phone and social media. There is professional help to get as well as counselling from your priest or pastor.

Also, read the Bible and lay your addiction before God in prayer. Here are some passages from the Word of God to reflect upon.

James 1:14-15 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

We all have weaknesses within us that can make us fall and lead to an addiction. Acknowledging this, and admitting that you struggle with addiction is an important step to be free from it.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

Addictions don’t come from God, but from the world and our desires, lusts and pride. We can rely on God wanting us to be free from any addiction.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

You may feel that you can’t break your addiction. But the Bible tells us that God can. God will provide the way of escape. Turn to God, turn from your addiction. Let God fill you with his presence.

1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

Addiction is many times when something takes control over you. Those things that are not helpful in your life and dominate your thoughts and desires you may need to cut out of your life.

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Addictions come from this world and not from God. In the end, addictions replace God as the number one in our lives. It’s not just about addictions, but also about our souls.

Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Lay your struggles before God. Ask for God’s protection and deliverance.

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

This is the promise of Jesus Christ, that when he sets us free, it is real freedom.

This article is not intended as a replacement for medical or therapeutic help or treatment for addiction, but a complement and inspiration to those who battle addiction.

1 Ni Paulo, se äzite ole Lu rosi a'done lazo'ba Kristo Yesu ro resi, ago ni ädrupi amaro Sosetene resi.

2 Känisa Lu ro se orivoya Korineto ya ri, vona se cini äzite a'done lidri alokado Lu ro, se a'dote ndaro rumora ya Kristo Yesu be, troalo lidri cini vo cini yasi se kabe Opi amaro Yesu Kristo mätu, Opi ànyaro ago amaro.

3 Ka'do inye Lu Täpi amaro ago Opi Yesu Kristo ro kozo tai'dwero ndi taliatokpe be ämiri.

Äṛu Kristo ya

4 Ondoalo ma aro'boya oye Lu maro ri ta amiro ta tana ta tai'dwero se nda kozote ämiri Kristo Yesu si rota. 5 Tana rumora Kristo be si nya'dote ŋgadriamba be ŋga cini yasi, ata cini ndi tauni cini be. 6 Lazokado ta Kristo rota a'dote ŋgyiri ya amiro ya, 7 ago taepe ami kote ni äṛu alodi uruvoya oso nyàbe ruka'da Opi amaro Kristo Yesu ro ugu kotena ono ronye. 8 Nda ätina ami kpa ŋgyiri le äduna ya, tana 'dooko nya'dona 'da taenjiako tu Opi amaro Yesu Kristo ro rosi. 9 Beṛo ta oyine Lu ya, Lu se kuzi ami te a'done rudro'be be Ŋgwa ndaro Yesu Kristo, Opi amaro be ono.

Rulonyi Känisa ya

10 Drikaca Opi amaro Yesu Kristo ro rosi ma rulo'ba ami cini ri, ädrupii maro, tadriolene tase nyàbe atana be, tana rulonyi ka'do robe i'do ami lako. Nya'do kpeye rudro'bedro'bero, a'done toto tavousu alodi be ago ta alodi be. 11 Tana lidri rukä ni katidri Kuloe ro yasi itiyi tate märi ŋbelero, ädrupii maro, anjioko ekye kalaope orivoya ami lako. 12 Mi'ba miti tana te liti ono yasi, ami alo alo nyà ta toto ata. Alo ka ata ekye, “Ma oso Paulo vo;” aza ka ata ekye, “Ma oso Apolo vo;” aza ka ata ekye, “Ma oso Petero vo;” ago aza ka ata ekye, “Ma oso Kristo vo.” 13 Inye'do Kristo a'do ndi lonyilonyi ro gboko ro ya? Inye'do Paulo dra ni taka dri ta amiro ta ya? Inye'do abapatisi ami te taeri'bai Paulo ro roya?

14 Maye aro'boya Lu ri tana mabapatisi aza amiro ko e'be gialo Kurisepo ndi Gayo be ayani. 15 Ka'do inye, 'diaza unina ko atane ekye, abapatisi ami te taeri'bai maro ro. 16 (Aba owo! mabapatisi Setepano ndi katidri ndaro be kpa; oko mäni ko tana oyine kode mabapatisi 'diazaka kpa ndi.) 17 Kristo zo ma kote bapatisi oyene. Nda zo ma te Lazokado opene, ago tana itine ko kala tavouni lidri ro rosi, tana ukyi o'ba odra Kristo ro taka dri ana mbara na apa 'da.

Kristo ni Mbara ago Tavouni Lu ro owo

18 Tana lazo ta odra Kristo ro taka dri ro orivoya ta awi yi ànya se kujete ri; oko ama se apate ri anya orivoya mbara Lu ro yi. 19 Taegyi ka ata ekye:

“Meperena tavouni tavouni'bai ro 'da,

ago tauni tavotenyi'ba ro manana 'da.”

20 Ka'do inye, e'be tavouni'ba te eŋwaro ya? Kode tavotenyi'ba e'bete eŋwaro ya? Kode kaladiṛi'bai tauniekye 'bädri ono ro eŋwaro ya? Lu ka'date anjioko tavouni 'bädri ono ro orivoya amaama yi!

21 Tana Lu tavouni ndaro ya 'ba te rritiro lidri ri nda unine tavouni modo ànyaro rosi. Oko, ŋgase abe uzina lazo amama se mabe opena ono si, Lu ratate ànya se kabe taoma opaza. 22 Yudai leyi talaro ro tana ka'daza, ago Girikii kayi tavouni uṛi. 23 Oko ama, ma Kristo se otote ana ope, lazo se ono a'dote o'de toromoga ro Yudai ri ago ta awi ro Atrai ri; 24 oko ànya se Lu kuzite, Yudai ndi riti Atrai be ri, lazo ono orivoya ni Kristo, nda se orivoya ni mbara Lu ro ago tavouni Lu ro owo. 25 Tana ŋgase kabe landre oso amaama Lu ro orivoya tavouni ndra be ni tavouni lidri ro ri, ago ŋgase kabe landre oso mbaraako Lu ro orivoya mbara be ndrani mbara lidri ro ri.

26 Ka'do inye miyi a'do se nyà'do be tana, ädrupii maro, tuse Lu kuzi ami be si ana. Ŋgaondre lidri ro voro ami fere orivoya tavouniekye yi kode mbaraekye yi kode 'di'desi para yi. 27 Lu njite ŋgase 'bädri kabe tana o'ba ŋga amamaro ayani tana ko'ba tavouni'bai robe driupiro, ago nda njite ŋgase 'bädri kabe ondrena mbaraako ayani tana ko'ba mbara'bai robe driupi ro. 28 Nda njite ŋgase 'bädri kabe voondre driigye vuru ro ago kabe mawona ago kabe tana usu ta awi ro 'do ayani, tana kepere ŋgase 'bädri kabe tana o'ba tapara ro iyi robe. 29 Ta ono ro 'diaza unina ko driuŋgyine Lu kandra. 30 Oko Lu ezi ami te le rumora Kristo Yesu be ya, ago Lu 'ba Kristo te a'done tavouni amaro. Nda si a'ba ama te ŋgye Lu be; ma'dote lidri alokado Lu ro ago a'bate dritai ro. 31 Ka'do inye, oso taegyi kabe ata ronye ekye: “Nda se kolebe driuŋgyine beṛo ndäri driuŋgyine tase Opi koyete ya ayani.”

1 From Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes—

2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to all who are called to be God's holy people, who belong to him in union with Christ Jesus, together with all people everywhere who worship our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Blessings in Christ

4 I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace he has given you through Christ Jesus. 5 For in union with Christ you have become rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge. 6 The message about Christ has become so firmly established in you 7 that you have not failed to receive a single blessing, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be faultless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose. 11 For some people from Chloe's family have told me quite plainly, my friends, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Let me put it this way: each one of you says something different. One says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; and another, “I follow Christ.” 13 Christ has been divided into groups! Was it Paul who died on the cross for you? Were you baptized as Paul's disciples?

14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15 No one can say, then, that you were baptized as my disciples. ( 16 Oh yes, I also baptized Stephanas and his family; but I can't remember whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the Good News, and to tell it without using the language of human wisdom, in order to make sure that Christ's death on the cross is not robbed of its power.

Christ the Power and the Wisdom of God

18 For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God's power. 19 The scripture says,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

and set aside the understanding of the scholars.”

20 So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness!

21 For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe. 22 Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom. 23 As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; 24 but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

26 Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing. 27 God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful. 28 He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29 This means that no one can boast in God's presence. 30 But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God's holy people and are set free. 31 So then, as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done.”