But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way.
Parallel translations
- WEB Let all things be done decently and in order.
- KJV Let all things be done decently and in order.
- BSB But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.
- NKJV Let all things be done decently and in order.
- NLT But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All worship should be done fittingly and in order. It matters because God's character of peace shapes how His people gather.
Overview
This closing principle governs the whole discussion of gifts and worship: nothing chaotic or self-serving, but everything decent and orderly. Because God is not a God of confusion but of peace, His assemblies reflect that order. The verse remains a touchstone for ordering Christian worship to honor God and edify His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Col 2:5For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
- Titus 1:5I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you;
- 1 Cor 14:26–33What is it then, brothers? When you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has another language, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to build each other up.
- 1 Cor 11:34But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.
- Rom 13:13Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 14:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.