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Galatians 5:1-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

V. Exhortation to Christian Living

Chapter 5

The Importance of Faith.[a] 1 For freedom[b] Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.(A)

2 It is I, Paul, who am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.(B) 3 Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised(C) that he is bound to observe the entire law.[c] 4 You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 (D)For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. 6 (E)For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.[d]

Be Not Misled.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. 5:1–6 Paul begins the exhortations, continuing through Gal 6:10, with an appeal to the Galatians to side with freedom instead of slavery (Gal 5:1). He reiterates his message of justification or righteousness by faith instead of law and circumcision (Gal 5:2–5); cf. Gal 2:16; 3:3. Faith, not circumcision, is what counts (Gal 5:6).
  2. 5:1 Freedom: Paul stresses as the conclusion from the allegory in Gal 4:21–31 this result of Christ’s work for us. It is a principle previously mentioned (Gal 2:4), the responsible use of which Gal 5:13 will emphasize.
  3. 5:3 Cf. Gal 3:10–12. Just as those who seek to live by the law must carry out all its contents, so those who have faith and live by promise must stand firm in their freedom (Gal 5:1, 13).
  4. 5:6 Cf. Rom 2:25–26; 1 Cor 7:19; Gal 6:15. The Greek for faith working through love or “faith expressing itself through love” can also be rendered as “faith energized by (God’s) love.”
  5. 5:7–12 Paul addresses the Galatians directly: with questions (Gal 5:7, 11), a proverb (Gal 5:9), a statement (Gal 5:8), and biting sarcasm (Gal 5:12), seeking to persuade the Galatians to break with those trying to add law and circumcision to Christ as a basis for salvation.
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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.