Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Parallel translations
- WEB Wake up righteously, and don’t sin, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
- BSB Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.
- NKJV Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
- NASB Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
- NLT Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.
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
Paul calls them to wake up to righteousness and stop sinning, shaming their ignorance of God. It matters because doctrinal error had moral and spiritual consequences.
Overview
Paul issues a sharp summons to sober, righteous living, rebuking the spiritual ignorance behind the resurrection error. That some among them had no real knowledge of God was to their shame. The verse links right belief about resurrection with a holy life that honors God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Cor 6:5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
- Rom 13:11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
- Heb 5:11–12Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
- Joel 1:5Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
- Eph 5:14Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
- 1 Cor 8:7Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
- Rom 1:28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
- John 8:11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
- John 5:14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
- Jonah 1:6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
- Ps 119:11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
- 1 Th 4:5Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
- Ps 4:4Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 15:34 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
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