¹⁸ Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.^(A)

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party^(A) of the Pharisees^(B) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”^(C)

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

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)

¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew,^(A) circumcised or uncircumcised,^(B) barbarian, Scythian, slave or free,^(C) but Christ is all,^(D) and is in all.

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people^(A) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:^(B) “Unless you are circumcised,^(C) according to the custom taught by Moses,^(D) you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem^(E) to see the apostles and elders^(F) about this question.