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Galatians 5-6
Contemporary English Version
Galatians 5-6
Contemporary English Version
Christ Gives Freedom
5 Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.
2 I, Paul, promise you that Christ won't do you any good if you get circumcised. 3 If you do, you must obey the whole Law. 4 And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his gift of undeserved grace. 5 But the Spirit makes us sure God will accept us because of our faith in Christ. 6 If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.
7 You were doing so well until someone made you turn from the truth. 8 And that person was certainly not sent by the one who chose you. 9 (A) A little yeast can change a whole batch of dough, 10 but you belong to the Lord. This makes me certain you will do what I say, instead of what someone else tells you to do. Whoever is causing trouble for you will be punished.
11 My friends, if I still preach that people need to be circumcised, why am I in so much trouble? The message about the cross would no longer be a problem, if I told people to be circumcised. 12 I wish everyone who is upsetting you would not only get circumcised, but would cut off much more!
13 My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. 14 (B) All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. 15 But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.
God's Spirit and Our Own Desires
16 If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. 17 (C) The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. 18 But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.
19 People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. 20 They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are 21 envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.
22 God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. 24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. 25 God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. 26 But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.
Help Each Other
6 My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. 2 You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.
3 If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong. 4 Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. 5 We each must carry our own load.
6 Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.
7 You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. 8 If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. 9 Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. 10 We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.
Final Warnings
11 You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.
12 Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don't want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ. 13 They are circumcised, but they don't obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised. 14 But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.
15 It doesn't matter if you are circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person.
16 If you follow this rule, you will belong to God's true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace.
17 (D) On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don't want anyone to bother me anymore.
18 My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you! Amen.
Galatians 5-6
New International Version
Galatians 5-6
New International Version
Freedom in Christ
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.(A) Stand firm,(B) then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.(C)
2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,(D) Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.(E) 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law(F) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.(G) 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.(H) 6 For in Christ Jesus(I) neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.(J) The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.(K)
7 You were running a good race.(L) Who cut in on you(M) to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.(N) 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”(O) 10 I am confident(P) in the Lord that you will take no other view.(Q) The one who is throwing you into confusion,(R) whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?(S) In that case the offense(T) of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators,(U) I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Life by the Spirit
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.(V) But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a];(W) rather, serve one another(X) humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b](Y) 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit,(Z) and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.(AA) 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.(AB) They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want.(AC) 18 But if you are led by the Spirit,(AD) you are not under the law.(AE)
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,(AF) impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.(AG) I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.(AH)
22 But the fruit(AI) of the Spirit is love,(AJ) joy, peace,(AK) forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.(AL) Against such things there is no law.(AM) 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh(AN) with its passions and desires.(AO) 25 Since we live by the Spirit,(AP) let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,(AQ) provoking and envying each other.
Doing Good to All
6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit(AR) should restore(AS) that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.(AT) 3 If anyone thinks they are something(AU) when they are not, they deceive themselves.(AV) 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone,(AW) without comparing themselves to someone else,(AX) 5 for each one should carry their own load.(AY) 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.(AZ)
7 Do not be deceived:(BA) God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.(BB) 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh,(BC) from the flesh will reap destruction;(BD) whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.(BE) 9 Let us not become weary in doing good,(BF) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.(BG) 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good(BH) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family(BI) of believers.
Not Circumcision but the New Creation
11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!(BJ)
12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh(BK) are trying to compel you to be circumcised.(BL) The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted(BM) for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law,(BN) yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.(BO) 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,(BP) through which[d] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.(BQ) 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;(BR) what counts is the new creation.(BS) 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to[e] the Israel of God.
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks(BT) of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ(BU) be with your spirit,(BV) brothers and sisters. Amen.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:13 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verses 16, 17, 19 and 24; and in 6:8.
- Galatians 5:14 Lev. 19:18
- Galatians 5:17 Or you do not do what
- Galatians 6:14 Or whom
- Galatians 6:16 Or rule and to
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.