Final Warnings
13 xThis is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established yby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned zthose who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For ahe was crucified in weakness, but lives bby the power of God. For we also are cweak in him, but in dealing with you dwe will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. eTest yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is fin you?—gunless indeed you hfail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when iwe are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come jI may not have to be severe in my use of kthe authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers,1 rejoice. Aim for restoration, lcomfort one another,2 magree with one another, nlive in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 oGreet one another with a holy kiss. 13 pAll the saints greet you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the qfellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Galatians
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle—anot from men nor through man, bbut cthrough Jesus Christ and God the Father, dwho raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers1 who are with me,
To ethe churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who fgave himself gfor our sins to deliver us from the hpresent evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that iyou are so quickly deserting him who jcalled you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a kdifferent gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who ltrouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to mthe one we preached to you, let him be naccursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now oseeking the papproval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant2 of Christ.
Paul Called by God
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is qnot rman’s gospel.3 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I sreceived it through a trevelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in uJudaism, how I vpersecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And wI was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the xtraditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had yset me apart zbefore I was born,4 and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased ato reveal his Son to5 me, bin order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;6 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then cafter three years I went up to Jerusalem dto visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, ebefore God, fI do not lie!) 21 gThen I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to hthe churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And ithey glorified God because of me.
Paul Accepted by the Apostles
2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem jwith Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a krevelation and set before them (though privately before lthose who seemed influential) mthe gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run nin vain. 3 oBut even Titus, who was with me, pwas not qforced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers rsecretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our sfreedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might tbring us into uslavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the vtruth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God wshows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that xI had been yentrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who zworked through Peter for his aapostolic ministry to the circumcised bworked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived cthe grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to dremember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
Paul Opposes Peter
11 eBut when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, fhe was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing gthe circumcision party.1 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Justified by Faith
15 We ourselves are hJews by birth and not Gentile isinners; 16 yet we know that ja person is not justified2 by works of the law but kthrough lfaith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law mno one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law nI died to the law, so that I might olive to God. 20 I have been pcrucified with Christ. It is qno longer rI who live, sbut Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me tand gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness3 were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
By Faith, or by Works of the Law?
3 O foolish Galatians! uWho has bewitched you? It was vbefore your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you wreceive the Spirit by works of the law or by xhearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? yHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by1 the flesh? 4 Did you suffer2 so many things zin vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and aworks bmiracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham c“believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7 Know then that dit is ethose of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that fGod would justify3 the Gentiles by faith, gpreached the gospel hbeforehand to Abraham, saying, i“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
10 For all who rely on works of the law are junder a curse; for it is written, k“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by lall things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that mno one is justified before God by the law, for n“The righteous shall live by faith.”4 12 But the law is not of faith, rather o“The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ predeemed us from the curse of the law by qbecoming a curse for us—for it is written, r“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a stree”— 14 tso that in Christ Jesus the ublessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive vthe promised Spirit5 through faith.
The Law and the Promise
15 wTo give a human example, brothers:6 even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now xthe promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, y“And to your offspring,” zwho is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: athe law, which came b430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the cinheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why then the law? dIt was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was eput in place through angels fby an gintermediary. 20 Now an hintermediary implies more than one, but iGod is one.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then jrighteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture kimprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by lfaith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive munder the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian nuntil Christ came, in order that we might be ojustified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were pbaptized into Christ have qput on Christ. 28 There is rneither Jew nor Greek, there is sneither slave7 nor free, there is tno male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And uif you are vChrist’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Sons and Heirs
4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,1 though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is wunder guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were xenslaved to the yelementary principles2 of the world. 4 But when the zfullness of time had come, God asent forth his Son, bborn cof woman, born dunder the law, 5 to eredeem those who were funder the law, so that we might receive gadoption as sons. 6 And hbecause you are sons, God has sent the iSpirit of his Son jinto our hearts, crying, k“Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and lif a son, then an mheir through God.
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 nFormerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are onot gods. 9 pBut now that you have come to qknow God, or rather to be rknown by God, how can you turn back again to the sweak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 tYou observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you uin vain.
12 Brothers,3 I entreat you, vbecome as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a wbodily ailment that xI preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, yas Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your zeyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the atruth?4 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, bfor whom I am again cin the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed din you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
Example of Hagar and Sarah
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, eone by a slave woman and fone by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while gthe son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted hallegorically: these women are itwo covenants. jOne is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for kslavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;5 she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But lthe Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
m“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”
28 Now you,6 brothers, like Isaac, are nchildren of promise. 29 But just as at that time ohe who was born according to the flesh ppersecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, qso also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? r“Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but sof the free woman.
