Galatians 1–3

1Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—

2and all the brothers with me, To the churches of Galatia:

3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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—

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

8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!

9As 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 under a curse!

10Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11For I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.

12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.

14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased

16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,

17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

18Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.

19But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

20I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.

21Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

23They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

24And they glorified God because of me.

1Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also.

2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders, for fear that I was running or had already run in vain.

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.

5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

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.

7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.

8For the One who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles.

9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

10They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

11When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.

13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

14When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile “sinners”

16know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!

18If I rebuild what I have already torn down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker.

19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.

20I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

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

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

2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

3Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?

4Have you suffered so much for nothing, if it really was for nothing?

5Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?

6So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

7Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham.

8The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

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.”

11Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

12The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”

13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

14He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

15Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended.

16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.

17What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise.

18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God freely granted it to Abraham through a promise.

19Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.

20A mediator is unnecessary, however, for only one party; but God is one.

21Is the law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the law.

22But the Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.

23Before this faith came, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.

24So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.