Galasiërs 5

1 Christus het julle vrygemaak. Daarom moet julle vry bly. Julle moenie dat ander mense julle weer slawe van wette maak nie.

Christene moenie besny word nie

6 As ons aan Christus Jesus behoort, dan maak dit nie saak of ons besny is of nie besny is nie. Wat is belangrik? Dit is belangrik dat ons moet glo en dat ons lief moet wees vir God en vir ander mense.
7 Julle het voorheen gedoen wat God wil hê, maar nou keer iemand vir julle en julle doen nie meer daardie dinge nie, die dinge wat mense doen wat die waarheid ken. 8 Dit is nie God wat vir julle keer nie. God het julle geroep, en julle is nou sy kinders. 9 Julle moet onthou ’n klein bietjie tsuurdeeg laat al die deeg rys.

10 Ek is seker julle sal dink soos ek dink, want julle behoort aan die Here. Maar God sal die man straf wat julle koppe deurmekaar maak. Dit maak nie saak wie daardie man is nie.
11 Vriende, daar is mense wat sê ek preek en sê tgelowiges moet hulle laat besny, maar dit is nie waar nie. Ek het vir gelowiges gesê hulle moet hulle nie laat besny nie, dit is hoekom party mense my laat swaarkry. Want as ek vir gelowiges gesê het hulle moet hulle laat besny, dan was my boodskap oor die tkruis van Christus nie vir party mense ’n probleem nie.

12 Ek wens al die mense daar by julle wat julle koppe deurmekaar maak en wat sê julle moet besny word, sny hulle eie geslagsorgane heeltemal af.

Die Heilige Gees wil gelowiges se lewens regeer

15 Maar julle doen dit nie. Julle is soos honde wat mekaar byt en hap. Julle moet oppas dat julle nie mekaar op-eet nie!
16 Ek sê vir julle: Die Heilige Gees moet julle lewens regeer. Dan sal julle nie die slegte dinge doen wat mense graag doen nie. 17 Want die slegte dinge binne-in julle harte wil altyd iets anders hê as wat die Heilige Gees wil hê. En die Heilige Gees wil iets anders hê as wat die slegte dinge in julle harte wil hê. Hulle is altyd teen mekaar. Daarom kan julle nie die dinge doen wat julle self wil doen nie.

18 En as die Heilige Gees julle lewens regeer, dan regeer die wette nie meer oor julle nie.
19 Almal weet wat die slegte dinge is wat mense graag doen: Hulle tlewe onsedelik, hulle slaap by mense met wie hulle nie getroud is nie, hulle doen wat hulle wil, 20 hulle dien tafgode, hulle ttoor, hulle is vyande van ander mense, hulle haat ander mense, hulle is jaloers, hulle word maklik kwaad, hulle stry met almal, hulle maak mense kwaad vir mekaar, hulle maak mense vyande van mekaar,

21 hulle wil nie hê ander mense moet meer hê as hulleself nie, hulle drink totdat hulle dronk is, hulle hou wilde partytjies, en hulle doen nog meer slegte dinge. Ek het voorheen vir julle gesê en ek sê nou weer: Mense wat hierdie dinge doen, sal nie die tewige lewe kry nie, die lewe by God, die Koning.
22 Maar as die Heilige Gees mense se lewens regeer, dan doen hulle goeie dinge: Hulle is lief vir ander mense, hulle is bly, hulle maak vrede, hulle is geduldig, vriendelik en goed, hulle doen wat hulle belowe, 23 hulle word nie maklik kwaad nie, hulle bly kalm. Die wette sê al hierdie dinge is goed. 24 Ja, die mense wat aan Christus Jesus behoort, het opgehou om slegte dinge te doen, hulle wil dit nie meer doen nie. 25 Die Heilige Gees het die ware lewe vir ons gegee. Daarom moet ons ook vir die Gees vra om ons lewe te regeer. 26 Ons moenie hoogmoedig wees nie en ons moenie mekaar terg en jaloers wees op mekaar nie.

Galatians 5

Christ Sets Us Free

1 Christ has set us free. He wants us to enjoy freedom. So stand firm. Don't let the chains of slavery hold you again.
2 Here is what I, Paul, say to you. Don't let yourselves be circumcised. If you do, Christ won't be of any value to you.3 I say it again. Every man who lets himself be circumcised must obey the whole law.
4 Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God's grace.
5 But we expect to be made completely holy because of our faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we wait in hope.6 Circumcision and uncircumcision aren't worth anything to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The only thing that really counts is faith that shows itself through love.
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?8 The One who chooses you does not keep you from obeying the truth.9 You should know that "just a little yeast works its way through the whole batch of dough."
10 The Lord makes me certain that you will not think in any other way. The one who has gotten you all mixed up will pay the price. It doesn't matter who that may be.
11 Brothers and sisters, I am not still preaching that people must be circumcised. If I were, why am I still being opposed? If that were what I preach, then the cross wouldn't upset anyone.
12 So then, what about troublemakers who try to get others to be circumcised? I wish they would go the whole way! I wish they would cut off everything that marks them as men!

Chosen to Be Free

13 My brothers and sisters, you were chosen to be free. But don't use your freedom as an excuse to live in sin. Instead, serve one another in love.14 The whole law can be found in a single command. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Leviticus 19:18)
15 You must not keep on biting each other. You must not keep eating each other up. Watch out! You might destroy each other.

Living by the Holy Spirit's Power

16 So I say, live by the Holy Spirit's power. Then you will not do what your sinful nature wants you to do.
17 The sinful nature does not want what the Spirit delights in. And the Spirit does not want what the sinful nature delights in. The two are at war with each other. That's what makes you do what you don't want to do.18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the authority of the law.
19 What the sinful nature does is clear. It enjoys sexual sins, impure acts and wild living.20 It worships statues of gods. It also worships evil powers. It is full of hatred and fighting. It is full of jealousy and fits of anger. It is interested only in getting ahead. It stirs up trouble. It separates people into their own little groups.21 It wants what others have. It gets drunk and takes part in wild parties. It does many things of that kind. I warn you now as I did before. People who live like that will not receive God's kingdom.
22 But the fruit the Holy Spirit produces is love, joy and peace. It is being patient, kind and good. It is being faithful23 and gentle and having control of oneself. There is no law against things of that kind.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed their sinful nature to his cross. They don't want what their sinful nature loves and longs for.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us march in step with the Spirit.26 Let us not become proud. Let us not make each other angry. Let us not want what belongs to others.