Galatians 5

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

¹³For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.

¹⁶Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

¹⁴For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered. “We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”

²For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.

⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. What matters is faith expressing itself through love.

¹Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

³Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

⁴This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

³¹but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

³²Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

¹¹Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

³Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

⁴You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

¹⁰All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

²⁵Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

¹⁰Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

¹¹For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

²⁶‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

²¹And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”

¹⁹If you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.

²⁰If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.

²¹It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.

³¹but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

³²Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

⁶And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

²¹I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

¹⁵See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

²⁰Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.

⁵I wait for the Lord; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.

¹⁰and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

⁵Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.

²³Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

²⁴For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?

¹³as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

⁸From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.

¹⁵For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. What counts is a new creation.

¹⁹Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what counts.

³and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

¹⁴For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

¹⁵Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.

¹O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.

²¹But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

²²Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

⁹And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him

⁶I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

²⁸And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

³³Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

¹⁵“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”

⁶Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?

⁷Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

¹In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²¹It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

⁶“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.”

¹²As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!

¹⁵All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.

⁷which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.

³I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be grieved by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.

⁶But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—those leaders added nothing to me.

²I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.

²³but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

¹²Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ.

²⁹At that time, however, the son born by the flesh persecuted the son born by the Spirit. It is the same now.

³Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

⁸and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

¹⁰I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.

¹³God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

¹⁴But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

¹⁵For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

²⁵“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the Lord will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.

³Tell them that for the generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the Lord.

¹⁶Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

¹⁹Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

⁹Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

¹We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

²Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

¹⁴The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

²¹Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

¹²In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

¹⁸Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

²Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

⁸Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

⁹The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

³⁴A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.

³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

³for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

¹⁴But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.

²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.

²⁰In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.

²⁰For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

²⁰They carve out what is on the right, but they are still hungry; they eat what is on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring.

²¹Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.

¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

⁸The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

¹⁹The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;

²⁰idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,

⁵Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.

⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

⁴so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

⁵Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

⁵Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

⁶The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,

⁶Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.

⁴¹“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

²⁰My soul is consumed with longing for Your judgments at all times.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹⁴For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not!

¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,

²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.

²⁷And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

⁵to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.

⁶And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

⁹Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,

¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

⁵Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.

⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.

¹⁹For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

²Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.

³For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.

⁸But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

³But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.

⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving.

¹⁰Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,

⁸But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

¹⁹And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.

¹⁹For you gladly put up with fools, since you are so wise.

⁹Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,

¹⁰and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.”

¹³So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance,

¹⁴and he failed to inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

⁹Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,

¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

¹¹But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

¹³Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

⁵I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

¹⁸Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

²He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

⁹for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

⁹We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers,

²⁵As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you.”

²Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.

⁸Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

²⁵Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.

⁶We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

¹⁴Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁶So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

¹⁷For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.

⁹You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

¹¹Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

¹⁶So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

⁴so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

⁵Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

²For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.

⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

⁶And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁶That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

¹⁴But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.

¹⁵Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

¹Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

¹⁶As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

⁷So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

¹⁰But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you.

¹⁵But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.