Galatians 1:10-3:20

New King James Version

¹⁰ For ^(A)do I now ^(B)persuade men, or God? Or ^(C)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Call to Apostleship^(D)

^11 (E)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For ^(F)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came ^(G)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how ^(H)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and ^(I)tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, ^(J)being more exceedingly zealous ^(K)for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵ But when it pleased God, ^(L)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, ^16 (M)to reveal His Son in me, that ^(N)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with ^(O)flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Contacts at Jerusalem^(P)

¹⁸ Then after three years ^(Q)I went up to Jerusalem to see ^[a]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But ^(R)I saw none of the other apostles except ^(S)James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

^21 (T)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which ^(U)were in Christ. ²³ But they were ^(V)hearing only, “He who formerly ^(W)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they ^(X)glorified God in me.

Defending the Gospel^(Y)

2 Then after fourteen years ^(Z)I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. ² And I went up ^[b]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but ^(AA)privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means ^(AB)I might run, or had run, in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ And this occurred because of ^(AC)false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our ^(AD)liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, ^(AE)that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that ^(AF)the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

⁶ But from those ^(AG)who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; ^(AH)God ^[c]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something ^(AI)added nothing to me. ⁷ But on the contrary, ^(AJ)when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised ^(AK)had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter ⁸ (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the ^(AL)circumcised ^(AM)also ^(AN)worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), ⁹ and when James, ^[d]Cephas, and John, who seemed to be ^(AO)pillars, perceived ^(AP)the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, ^(AQ)that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ They desired only that we should remember the poor, ^(AR)the very thing which I also was eager to do.

No Return to the Law

^11 (AS)Now when ^[e]Peter had come to Antioch, I ^[f]withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, ^(AT)he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing ^[g]those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about ^(AU)the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter ^(AV)before them all, ^(AW)“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, ^[h]why do you compel Gentiles to live as ^[i]Jews? ^15 (AX)We who are Jews by nature, and not ^(AY)sinners of the Gentiles, ^16 (AZ)knowing that a man is not ^[j]justified by the works of the law but ^(BA)by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not ^(BB)by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

¹⁷ “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found ^(BC)sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹ For I ^(BD)through the law ^(BE)died to the law that I might ^(BF)live to God. ²⁰ I have been ^(BG)crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh ^(BH)I live by faith in the Son of God, ^(BI)who loved me and gave Himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for ^(BJ)if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died ^[k]in vain.”

Justification by Faith^(BK)

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you ^[l]that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed ^[m]among you as crucified? ² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, ^(BL)or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are you so foolish? ^(BM)Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by ^(BN)the flesh? ^4 (BO)Have you suffered so ^[n]many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham ^(BP)“believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only ^(BQ)those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And ^(BR)the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ^(BS)“In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

The Law Brings a Curse

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ^(BT)“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹ But that no one is ^[o]justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ^(BU)“the just shall live by faith.” ¹² Yet ^(BV)the law is not of faith, but ^(BW)“the man who does them shall live by them.”

^13 (BX)Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ^(BY)“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ^14 (BZ)that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the ^(CA)Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive ^(CB)the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Changeless Promise^(CC)

¹⁵ Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: ^(CD)Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. ¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of ^(CE)one, ^(CF)“And to your Seed,” who is ^(CG)Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, ^(CH)which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God ^[p]in Christ, ^(CI)that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if ^(CJ)the inheritance is of the law, ^(CK)it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Purpose of the Law

¹⁹ What purpose then does the law serve? ^(CL)It was added because of transgressions, till the ^(CM)Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ^(CN)appointed through angels by the hand ^(CO)of a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, ^(CP)but God is one.