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Galatians 5

5
Keep Your Freedom
1We have freedom now because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law. 2Listen! I am Paul. I tell you that if you go back to the law by being circumcised, then Christ is no good for you. 3Again, I warn every man: If you allow yourselves to be circumcised, then you must follow all the law. 4If you try to be made right with God through the law, then your life with Christ is over—you have left God’s grace. 5But we hope to be made right with God through faith, and we wait for this hope anxiously with the Spirit’s help. 6When we are in Christ Jesus, it is not important if we are circumcised or not. The important thing is faith—the kind of faith that works through love.
7You were running a good race. You were obeying the truth. Who stopped you from following the true way? 8Whatever way he used did not come from the One who chose you. 9Be careful! “Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” 10But I trust in the Lord that you will not believe those different ideas. Someone is confusing you with such ideas. And he will be punished, whoever he is.
11My brothers, I do not teach that a man must be circumcised. If I teach circumcision, then why am I still being treated badly? If I still taught circumcision, my preaching about the cross would not be a problem. 12I wish the people who are bothering you would castrate# To cut off part of the male sex organ. Paul uses this word because it is similar to “circumcision.” Paul wanted to show that he is very upset with the false teachers. themselves!
13My brothers, God called you to be free. But do not use your freedom as an excuse to do the things that please your sinful self. Serve each other with love. 14The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”# Quotation from Leviticus 19:18. 15If you go on hurting each other and tearing each other apart, be careful! You will completely destroy each other.
The Spirit and Human Nature
16So I tell you: Live by following the Spirit. Then you will not do what your sinful selves want. 17Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit. The Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other. So you must not do just what you please. 18But if you let the Spirit lead you, you are not under the law.
19The result of sin’s control in our lives is clear. It includes sexual immorality, impurity and wild living, 20worshiping false gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, 21having envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not be in God’s kingdom. 22But the Spirit gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 25We get our new life from the Spirit. So we should follow the Spirit. 26We must not be proud. We must not make trouble with each other. And we must not be jealous of each other.

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Galatians 5: ICB

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