Accepted in Jerusalem

2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus with me. ² Because of a revelation, I went up and presented to them the Good News that I proclaim among the Gentiles. But I did so privately to those who seemed to be influential, to make sure I would not run—or had not run—in vain. ^{[a] 3} Yet not even Titus who was with me, a Greek, was forced to be circumcised. ⁴ Now this issue came up because of false brothers secretly brought in (who slipped in to spy out our freedom in Messiah, in order to bring us into bondage). ⁵ But we did not give in to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the Good News might be preserved for you.

⁶ But from those who seemed to be influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those influential ones added nothing to my message. ⁷ On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised just as Peter was for the circumcised. ⁸ (For the same God who was at work in Peter as an emissary to the Jews, also was at work in me as a emissary to the Gentiles.) ⁹ Realizing the favor that had been given to me, Jacob and Peter^[b] and John—who are the recognized pillars—shook hands in partnership with Barnabas and me,^[c] so that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the Jews. ¹⁰ They asked only that we remember the poor—something I also was eager to do.

Confronting Hypocrisy

¹¹ But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong— ¹² for before certain people came from Jacob, he regularly ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and separate himself, fearing those from the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter in front of everyone, “If you—being a Jew—live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

¹⁵ We are Jews by birth and not sinners from among the Gentiles. ¹⁶ Yet we know that a person is set right not by deeds based on Torah, but rather through putting trust in Messiah Yeshua.^[d] So even we have put our trust in Messiah Yeshua, in order that we might be set right based on trust in Messiah and not by deeds based on Torah—because no human will be justified^[e] by deeds based on Torah. ¹⁷ But if, while seeking to be justified in Messiah, we ourselves also were found to be sinners, is Messiah then an agent of sin? May it never be! ¹⁸ For if I rebuild the very things I tore down, I prove myself to be a law-breaker. ¹⁹ For through law I died to law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Messiah; ²⁰ and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me. And the life I now live in the body, I live by trusting in Ben-Elohim^[f]—who loved me and gave Himself up for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God—for if righteousness comes through Torah, then Messiah died for no reason!