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Galatians 2:16-18
King James Version
Galatians 2:16-18
King James Version
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
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Galatians 2:16-18
New International Version
Galatians 2:16-18
New International Version
16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,(A) but by faith in Jesus Christ.(B) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.(C)
17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,(D) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!(E) 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
Footnotes
- Galatians 2:16 Or but through the faithfulness of … justified on the basis of the faithfulness of
Galatians 2:16-18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Galatians 2:16-18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 (A)[yet] who know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.[a] 17 But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin?[b] Of course not! 18 But if I am building up again those things that I tore down, then I show myself to be a transgressor.[c]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2:16 No one will be justified: Ps 143:2 is reflected.
- 2:17 A minister of sin: literally, “a servant of sin” (cf. Rom 15:8), an agent of sin, one who promotes it. This is possibly a claim by opponents that justification on the basis of faith in Christ makes Christ an abettor of sin when Christians are found to be sinners. Paul denies the conclusion (cf. Rom 6:1–4).
- 2:18 To return to observance of the law as the means to salvation would entangle one not only in inevitable transgressions of it but also in the admission that it was wrong to have abandoned the law in the first place.
New International Version (NIV) 
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.