Galatians 5

Preserve Your Freedom

1 Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.
2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, it means that Christ is of no use to you at all. 3 Once more I warn any man who allows himself to be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the whole Law. 4 Those of you who try to be put right with God by obeying the Law have cut yourselves off from Christ. You are outside God's grace. 5 As for us, our hope is that God will put us right with him; and this is what we wait for by the power of God's Spirit working through our faith.

6 For when we are in union with Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor the lack of it makes any difference at all; what matters is faith that works through love.
7 You were doing so well! Who made you stop obeying the truth? How did he persuade you? 8 It was not done by God, who calls you. 9 “It takes only a little yeast to make the whole batch of dough rise,” as they say.

10 But I still feel confident about you. Our life in union with the Lord makes me confident that you will not take a different view and that whoever is upsetting you will be punished by God.
11 But as for me, my friends, if I continue to preach that circumcision is necessary, why am I still being persecuted? If that were true, then my preaching about the cross of Christ would cause no trouble.

12 I wish that the people who are upsetting you would go all the way; let them go on and castrate themselves!
13 As for you, my friends, you were called to be free. But do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you. Instead, let love make you serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is summed up in one commandment: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

15 But if you act like wild animals, hurting and harming each other, then watch out, or you will completely destroy one another.

The Spirit and Human Nature

16 What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. 17 For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.

18 If the Spirit leads you, then you are not subject to the Law.
19 What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; 20 in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups;

21 they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires. 25 The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives.

26 We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another.

Galatians 5

1 For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing.3 Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.4 Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace.5 For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness.6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love.7 Ye were running well; who hindered you that ye should not obey the truth?8 This persuasion came not of him that calleth you.9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.10 I have confidence to you-ward in the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? then hath the stumbling-block of the cross been done away.12 I would that they that unsettle you would even go beyond circumcision.13 For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another.14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.18 But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties,21 envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.25 If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk.26 Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.