Galatians 5
5
Christ Has Set Us Free
1For #ver. 13; ch. 2:4; See James 1:25 freedom Christ has #See John 8:32 set us free; #See 1 Cor. 16:13 stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to #Acts 15:10 a yoke of #See ch. 2:4slavery.
2Look: I, Paul, say to you that #ver. 3, 11; Acts 15:1; 1 Cor. 7:18 if you accept circumcision, #See ch. 4:11Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that #Rom. 2:25he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4You are #Rom. 7:6 (Gk.) severed from Christ, #[ch. 2:21; 3:10; Rom. 9:31, 32] you who would be justified#5:4 Or counted righteous by the law; #[Heb. 12:15; 2 Pet. 3:17]you have fallen away from grace. 5For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly #See Rom. 8:23, 25wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus #ch. 6:15; 1 Cor. 7:19; Col. 3:11; See ch. 3:28 neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but #[Eph. 6:23; 1 Thess. 1:3; James 2:18, 20, 22]only faith working through love.
7 # See 1 Cor. 9:24 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying #See ch. 2:5the truth? 8This persuasion is not from #ch. 1:6him who calls you. 9#1 Cor. 5:6; [1 Cor. 15:33; Heb. 12:15]A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10#See 2 Cor. 2:3 I have confidence in the Lord that you will #[Phil. 3:15] take no other view, and #ch. 1:7; [ver. 12]the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11But if I, brothers,#5:11 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 13 still preach#5:11 Greek proclaim circumcision, #ch. 4:29; 6:12 why am I still being persecuted? In that case #1 Cor. 1:23; See 1 Pet. 2:8the offense of the cross has been removed. 12I wish #[ver. 10]; See ch. 2:4those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
13For you were called to freedom, brothers. #1 Pet. 2:16; Jude 4; [1 Cor. 8:9; 2 Pet. 2:19] Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love #1 Cor. 9:19serve one another. 14For #[Matt. 7:12; 22:40] the whole law is fulfilled in one word: #Cited from Lev. 19:18; [ver. 22; ch. 6:2]; See Matt. 19:19; John 13:34“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15But if you #[Phil. 3:2]bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Keep in Step with the Spirit
16But I say, #ver. 24, 25; Rom. 8:4; See Rom. 13:14 walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify #Eph. 2:3the desires of the flesh. 17For #Rom. 7:23; 8:5-7 the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, #Rom. 7:15, 18, 19to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18But if you are #Rom. 8:14 led by the Spirit, #See Rom. 7:4you are not under the law. 19Now #1 Cor. 3:3; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5; James 3:14, 15; [Matt. 15:18-20]the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, #1 Cor. 11:19divisions, 21envy,#5:21 Some manuscripts add murder drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that #[Col. 3:6]; See 1 Cor. 6:9those who do#5:21 Or make a practice of doing such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But #[Rom. 7:4; 8:5; Eph. 5:9] the fruit of the Spirit is #See Rom. 5:1-5; Col. 3:12-17 love, joy, peace, patience, #2 Cor. 6:6kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23#Eph. 4:2 gentleness, #Acts 24:25 self-control; #1 Tim. 1:9against such things there is no law. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus #[ver. 16]; See Rom. 6:6 have crucified the flesh with its #Rom. 7:5passions and desires.
25If we live by the Spirit, #[ver. 16]let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26#Phil. 2:3Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Galatians 5
5
Guided by the Spirit and love
Christ gives freedom
1Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.
2I, Paul, promise you that Christ won't do you any good if you get circumcised. 3If you do, you must obey the whole Law. 4And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his wonderful kindness. 5But the Spirit makes us sure that God will accept us because of our faith in Christ. 6If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.
7You were doing so well until someone made you turn from the truth. 8And that person was certainly not sent by the one who chose you. 9A little yeast can change a whole batch of dough,#1 Co 5.6. 10but you belong to the Lord. That makes me certain that you will do what I say, instead of what someone else tells you to do. Whoever is causing trouble for you will be punished.
11My friends, if I still preach that people need to be circumcised, why am I in so much trouble? The message about the cross would no longer be a problem, if I told people to be circumcised. 12I wish that everyone who is upsetting you would not only get circumcised, but would cut off much more!
13My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. 14All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.#Lv 19.18. 15But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.
God's Spirit and our own desires
16If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. 17The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should.#Ro 7.15-23. 18But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.
19People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. 20They worship idols, practise witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are 21envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: no one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.
22God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. 24And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. 25God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. 26But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012