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Galatians 2
New Living Translation

The Apostles Accept Paul

2 Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. 3 And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.[a]

4 Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really[b]—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. 5 But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

6 And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 7 Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8 For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

9 In fact, James, Peter,[c] and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. 10 Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.

Paul Confronts Peter

11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”[d]

17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[e] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Footnotes

  1. 2:3 Greek a Greek.
  2. 2:4 Greek some false brothers.
  3. 2:9 Greek Cephas; also in 2:11, 14.
  4. 2:16 Some translators hold that the quotation extends through verse 14; others through verse 16; and still others through verse 21.
  5. 2:20 Some English translations put this sentence in verse 19.
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Galatians 2
New King James Version

Defending the Gospel(A)

2 Then after fourteen years (B)I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up [a]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but (C)privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means (D)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 (E)false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our (F)liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, (G)that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that (H)the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

6 But from those (I)who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; (J)God [b]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something (K)added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, (L)when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised (M)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 (N)circumcised (O)also (P)worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, [c]Cephas, and John, who seemed to be (Q)pillars, perceived (R)the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, (S)that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, (T)the very thing which I also was eager to do.

No Return to the Law

11 (U)Now when [d]Peter had come to Antioch, I [e]withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, (V)he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing [f]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 (W)the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter (X)before them all, (Y)“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, [g]why do you compel Gentiles to live as [h]Jews? 15 (Z)We who are Jews by nature, and not (AA)sinners of the Gentiles, 16 (AB)knowing that a man is not [i]justified by the works of the law but (AC)by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not (AD)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 (AE)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 (AF)through the law (AG)died to the law that I might (AH)live to God. 20 I have been (AI)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 (AJ)I live by faith in the Son of God, (AK)who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for (AL)if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died [j]in vain.”

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 2:2 because of
  2. Galatians 2:6 Lit. does not receive the face of a man
  3. Galatians 2:9 Peter
  4. Galatians 2:11 NU Cephas
  5. Galatians 2:11 opposed
  6. Galatians 2:12 Jewish Christians
  7. Galatians 2:14 NU how can you
  8. Galatians 2:14 Some interpreters stop the quotation here.
  9. Galatians 2:16 declared righteous
  10. Galatians 2:21 for nothing
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Galatians 2
Christian Standard Bible

Paul Defends His Gospel at Jerusalem

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again(A) to Jerusalem with Barnabas,(B) taking Titus(C) along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation(D) and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false brothers(E) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth(F) of the gospel would be preserved for you.

6 Now from those recognized as important (what they[a] once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism[b](G))—they added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised,(H) just as Peter(I) was for the circumcised, 8 since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James,(J) Cephas,[c](K) and John(L)—those recognized as pillars(M)—acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They asked only that we would remember the poor,(N) which I had made every effort to do.

Freedom from the Law

11 But when Cephas[d] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.[e] 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 Then the rest of the Jews(O) joined his hypocrisy,(P) so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas[f] in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile(Q) and not like a Jew,(R) how can you compel Gentiles to live(S) like Jews?” [g]

15 We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,” 16 and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law(T) but by faith in Jesus Christ,[h] even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ[i] and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will[j] be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ,(U) is Christ then a promoter[k](V) of sin? Absolutely not!(W) 18 If I rebuild(X) those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.(Y) 19 For through the law I died to the law,(Z) so that I might live for God.(AA) 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.(AB) The life I now live in the body,[l] I live by faith in the Son of God,(AC) who loved(AD) me(AE) and gave himself(AF) for me.(AG) 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law,(AH) then Christ died(AI) for nothing.

Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Lit the recognized ones
  2. 2:6 Or God is not a respecter of persons; lit God does not receive the face of man
  3. 2:9 Other mss read Peter
  4. 2:11 Other mss read Peter
  5. 2:11 Or he was in the wrong
  6. 2:14 Other mss read Peter
  7. 2:14 Some translations continue the quotation through v. 16 or v. 21.
  8. 2:16 Or by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ
  9. 2:16 Or by the faithfulness of Christ
  10. 2:16 Lit law all flesh will not
  11. 2:17 Or servant
  12. 2:20 Lit flesh
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Galatians 2
New International Version

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,(A) this time with Barnabas.(B) I took Titus(C) along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation(D) and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.(E) I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race(F) in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus,(G) who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.(H) 4 This matter arose because some false believers(I) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on(J) the freedom(K) we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel(L) might be preserved for you.

6 As for those who were held in high esteem(M)—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism(N)—they added nothing to my message.(O) 7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task(P) of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,[a](Q) just as Peter(R) had been to the circumcised.[b] 8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle(S) to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle(T) to the Gentiles. 9 James,(U) Cephas[c](V) and John, those esteemed as pillars,(W) gave me and Barnabas(X) the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.(Y) They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,(Z) and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,(AA) the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Paul Opposes Cephas

11 When Cephas(AB) came to Antioch,(AC) I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James,(AD) he used to eat with the Gentiles.(AE) But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.(AF) 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas(AG) was led astray.

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,(AH) I said to Cephas(AI) in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.(AJ) How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?(AK)

15 “We who are Jews by birth(AL) and not sinful Gentiles(AM) 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,(AN) but by faith in Jesus Christ.(AO) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[d] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.(AP)

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,(AQ) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!(AR) 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

19 “For through the law I died to the law(AS) so that I might live for God.(AT) 20 I have been crucified with Christ(AU) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.(AV) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,(AW) who loved me(AX) and gave himself for me.(AY) 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,(AZ) Christ died for nothing!”[e]

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 2:7 That is, Gentiles
  2. Galatians 2:7 That is, Jews; also in verses 8 and 9
  3. Galatians 2:9 That is, Peter; also in verses 11 and 14
  4. Galatians 2:16 Or but through the faithfulness of … justified on the basis of the faithfulness of
  5. Galatians 2:21 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 14.
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Galatians 2
The Voice

2 1-2 As a result of a revelation, I returned to Jerusalem 14 years later; and this time Barnabas and Titus accompanied me. When I arrived, I shared the exact gospel that I preach to the outsiders. I first shared God’s truth privately with those who were people of influence and leadership because I thought if they did not embrace the freedom of my good news, then any work I had done for Jesus here and any in the past would be spoiled.

One of the great stories in the Bible is the transformation of Saul, the Pharisee, from a persecutor of the church to the greatest missionary that history has ever witnessed. Seldom does Paul relate that story in his letters. He doesn’t need to because he usually does that in person when he is planting a church. But on this occasion, as he defends his call and the gospel, he retells a bit of his personal history to underscore the complete metamorphosis that has taken place in his life. In his former life, Paul admits—quite painfully, no doubt—that he tried to destroy this movement. Borrowing language from the prophets, Paul narrates how God unveiled to him the truth about Jesus. At just the right moment, even while Paul was an active enemy, God revealed His Son to Paul and called him to be heaven’s emissary to the nations. Paul immediately stopped his campaign against the church, which was just beginning to emerge from its Jewish roots and spread to the Gentile nations.

3 Listen carefully. None of the Jerusalem leaders insisted that Titus be circumcised, although he is Greek. 4 Some people who were pretending to be our brothers and sisters were brought in to spy on the freedom we enjoy in the Anointed One, Jesus—their agenda was clear: they wanted to enslave us. 5 But we didn’t give in to them. We didn’t entertain their thoughts for a minute! We resisted them so the true gospel—and not some counterfeit—would continue to be available to you.

6 It makes no difference to me (or to God for that matter) if people have power or influence. God doesn’t choose favorites among His children. Even the so-called pillars of the church didn’t contribute anything new to my understanding of the good news. 7 But it quickly became obvious to them what God was doing: He had entrusted me to carry the good news to the uncircumcised, just as Peter was called to preach to those who were circumcised. 8 God was at work in the ministry of Peter, as emissary[a] to the Jews, and was also moving and working with me in my ministry to the outsider nations.

9 When James, Cephas (whom you know as Peter), and John—three men purported to be pillars among the Jewish believers—saw that God’s favor was upon me to fulfill this calling, they welcomed and endorsed[b] both Barnabas and me. They agreed that our ministries would work as two hands, theirs advancing the mission of God among the Jews and ours toward the outsider nations, all with the same message of redemption. 10 In parting, they requested we always remember to care for the poor among us, which was something I was eager to do.

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, there was a problem. I got in his face and exposed him in front of everyone. He was clearly wrong. 12 Here’s what was going on: before certain people from James arrived, Cephas used to share meals with the Gentile outsiders. And then, after they showed up, Cephas suddenly became aloof and distanced himself from the outsiders because he was afraid of those believers who thought circumcision was necessary.

Since Christianity arises from Judaism, some traveling preachers from Jerusalem think that Jewish believers must remain true to Jewish rules regarding circumcision, Sabbath observance, and kosher food. If they rigorously follow the food rules, then Jewish believers are not supposed to share a meal with “unclean” Gentile outsiders, as Peter has been doing in Antioch. They advocate that Gentile outsiders need to follow Jewish ways and practices to become full members of the family of God. Paul—and the Jerusalem council (Acts 15)—strongly reject this. The apostle argues that it is only the faithfulness of Jesus and the presence of the Spirit that serve as the foundation of the new covenant and as the entrance into the people of God.

13 The rest of the Jewish believers followed his lead, including Barnabas! Their hypocritical behavior was so obvious— 14 their actions were not at all consistent with everything the good news of our Lord represents. So I approached Cephas and told him in plain sight of everyone: “If you, a Jew, have lived like the Gentile outsiders and not like the Jews, then how can you turn around and urge the outsiders to start living like Jews?” 15 We are natural-born Jews, not sinners from the godless nations. 16 But we know that no one is made right with God by meeting the demands of the law. It is only through the faithfulness of Jesus[c] the Anointed that salvation is even possible. This is why we put faith in Jesus the Anointed: so we will be put right with God. It’s His faithfulness—not works prescribed by the law—that puts us in right standing with God because no one will be acquitted and declared “right” for doing what the law demands. 17 Even though we are seeking a right relationship with God through the Anointed, the fact is we have been found out. We are sinners. But does that mean the Anointed is the one responsible for our sins? Absolutely not! 18 If I reconstruct something I have worked so hard to destroy, then I prove myself a sinner.

So why all this personal history? Paul thinks it is useful because the people preaching the false gospel in Galatia claim to be operating under the authority of some of the followers of Jesus from Jerusalem, the mother church. Paul doesn’t have their pedigree and, according to them, doesn’t deserve the rank he claims as the emissary to the nations. They say that not only is Paul deficient, but his message is, too, because it doesn’t bring outsiders to follow the law. So Paul goes toe-to-toe with them, defending not only his call but also his message. The good news he preaches comes directly from the risen Jesus and is confirmed by the Jerusalem leaders.

19 The law has provided the means to end my dependence on it for righteousness, and so I died to the law. Now I have found the freedom to truly live for God. 20 I have been crucified with the Anointed One—I am no longer alive—but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me. 21 I can’t dismiss God’s grace, and I won’t. If being right with God depends on how we measure up to the law, then the Anointed’s sacrifice on the cross was the most tragic waste in all of history!

Footnotes

  1. 2:8 Literally, apostle
  2. 2:9 Literally, gave the right hand of fellowship
  3. 2:16 Often translated “faith in Jesus.”
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