5 ¹ Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again.

Arguments against being circumcised

² Look, I, Paul, am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, having Christ won’t help you. ³ Again I swear to every man who has himself circumcised that he is required to do the whole Law. ⁴ You people who are trying to be made righteous by the Law have been estranged from Christ. You have fallen away from grace! ⁵ We eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness through the Spirit by faith. ⁶ Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t matter in Christ Jesus, but faith working through love does matter.

⁷ You were running well—who stopped you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This line of reasoning doesn’t come from the one who calls you. ⁹ A little yeast works through the whole lump of dough. ¹⁰ I’m convinced about you in the Lord that you won’t think any other way. But the one who is confusing you will pay the penalty, whoever that may be. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I’m still preaching circumcision, why am I still being harassed? In that case, the offense of the cross would be canceled. ¹² I wish that the ones who are upsetting you would castrate themselves!

¹³ You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. ¹⁴ All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.^{[a] 15} But if you bite and devour each other, be careful that you don’t get eaten up by each other!

Two different ways of living

¹⁶ I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. ¹⁷ A person’s selfish desires are set against the Spirit, and the Spirit is set against one’s selfish desires. They are opposed to each other, so you shouldn’t do whatever you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are being led by the Spirit, you aren’t under the Law. ¹⁹ The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, ²⁰ idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, ²¹ jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. ²⁶ Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other.