基督徒的自由

基督释放了我们,是要我们得自由。所以,要站稳了,不要再被奴仆的轭辖制。

听着!我保罗郑重地告诉你们,如果你们接受割礼,基督对你们就毫无益处。 我再次警告所有接受割礼的人,他们必须遵守全部的律法。 你们若想靠遵行律法而被称为义人,就与基督隔绝了,并且离开了上帝的恩典。 但我们要靠着圣灵,凭信心热切等候所盼望的义。 我们既然已经在基督耶稣里,受不受割礼根本无关紧要,借着爱表现出来的信心才至关重要。

你们本来在信心的路上一直跑得很好。现在是谁拦阻了你们,叫你们不再信从真理呢? 当然不是呼召你们的上帝! “一点面酵能使整团面发起来。” 10 我在主里深信你们不会有二心,但无论谁搅扰你们,都必受审判。

11 弟兄姊妹,如果我仍旧主张行割礼,怎么还会受迫害呢?如果是那样,十字架冒犯人的地方就被消除了。 12 我恨不得那些搅扰你们的人把自己阉了[a]

13 弟兄姊妹,你们蒙召得了自由,但不要以自由为借口来放纵情欲,要本着爱心互相服侍, 14 因为全部的律法可以总结成一句话:“要爱邻如己”。 15 你们要谨慎,如果你们相咬相吞,恐怕会同归于尽。

顺从圣灵而行

16 因此,我劝你们行事为人要顺从圣灵的引导,这样就不会放纵罪恶本性的私欲。 17 因为人罪恶本性的私欲与圣灵作对,圣灵也与罪恶本性的私欲作对,两者势不两立,使你们不能做自己想做的事。 18 但你们如果顺从圣灵的引导,就不再受律法的约束。 19 顺从罪恶本性而行的事显而易见,如淫乱、污秽、邪荡、 20 拜偶像、行邪术、仇恨、争吵、忌恨、恼怒、纷争、冲突、分裂[b] 21 嫉妒、凶杀、醉酒和荒宴无度等。我从前警告过你们,现在再一次警告你们:行这些事的人必不能承受上帝的国。

22 但圣灵所结的果子是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、 23 温柔、节制。没有律法会禁止这些事。 24 那些属基督的人已经把罪恶的本性和本性里的邪情私欲都钉在十字架上了。 25 如果我们是靠圣灵生活,就当凡事顺从圣灵的引导。 26 我们不要自高自大,彼此惹气,互相嫉妒。

Footnotes

  1. 5:12 把自己阉了”或作“与你们隔离”。
  2. 5:20 分裂”或译“异端”。

Christ Gives Freedom

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.

I, Paul, promise you that Christ won't do you any good if you get circumcised. If you do, you must obey the whole Law. And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his gift of undeserved grace. But the Spirit makes us sure God will accept us because of our faith in Christ. 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.

You were doing so well until someone made you turn from the truth. And that person was certainly not sent by the one who chose you. (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.

Freedom in Christ

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)

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. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.(E) You who are trying to be justified by the law(F) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.(G) For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.(H) 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)

You were running a good race.(L) Who cut in on you(M) to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.(N) “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.

Footnotes

  1. 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.
  2. Galatians 5:14 Lev. 19:18
  3. Galatians 5:17 Or you do not do what