Galatians 5
New King James Version
Christian Liberty
5 (A)Stand[a] fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a (B)yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that (C)if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised (D)that he is [b]a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 (E)You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; (F)you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly (G)wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For (H)in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but (I)faith working through love.
Love Fulfills the Law
7 You (J)ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. 9 (K)A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, (L)why do I still suffer persecution? Then (M)the offense of the cross has ceased. 12 (N)I could wish that those (O)who trouble you would even [c]cut themselves off!
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only (P)do not use liberty as an (Q)opportunity for the flesh, but (R)through love serve one another. 14 For (S)all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: (T)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Walking in the Spirit
16 I say then: (U)Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For (V)the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, (W)so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But (X)if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now (Y)the works of the flesh are evident, which are: [d]adultery, [e]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [f]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that (Z)those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But (AA)the fruit of the Spirit is (AB)love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, (AC)goodness, (AD)faithfulness, 23 [g]gentleness, self-control. (AE)Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s (AF)have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 (AG)If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 (AH)Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:1 NU For freedom Christ has made us free; stand fast therefore, and
- Galatians 5:3 obligated
- Galatians 5:12 mutilate themselves
- Galatians 5:19 NU omits adultery
- Galatians 5:19 sexual immorality
- Galatians 5:21 NU omits murders
- Galatians 5:23 meekness
Galatians 5
English Standard Version
Christ Has Set Us Free
5 For (A)freedom Christ has (B)set us free; (C)stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to (D)a yoke of (E)slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that (F)if you accept circumcision, (G)Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that (H)he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are (I)severed from Christ, (J)you who would be justified[a] by the law; (K)you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly (L)wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus (M)neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but (N)only faith working through love.
7 (O)You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying (P)the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from (Q)him who calls you. 9 (R)A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 (S)I have confidence in the Lord that you will (T)take no other view, and (U)the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers,[b] still preach[c] circumcision, (V)why am I still being persecuted? In that case (W)the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish (X)those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. (Y)Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love (Z)serve one another. 14 For (AA)the whole law is fulfilled in one word: (AB)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you (AC)bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Keep in Step with the Spirit
16 But I say, (AD)walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify (AE)the desires of the flesh. 17 For (AF)the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, (AG)to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are (AH)led by the Spirit, (AI)you are not under the law. 19 Now (AJ)the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, (AK)divisions, 21 envy,[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that (AL)those who do[e] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But (AM)the fruit of the Spirit is (AN)love, joy, peace, patience, (AO)kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 (AP)gentleness, (AQ)self-control; (AR)against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus (AS)have crucified the flesh with its (AT)passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, (AU)let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 (AV)Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:4 Or counted righteous
- Galatians 5:11 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 13
- Galatians 5:11 Greek proclaim
- Galatians 5:21 Some manuscripts add murder
- Galatians 5:21 Or make a practice of doing
Galatians 5
Names of God Bible
Live in the Freedom That Christ Gives You
5 Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm in this freedom, and don’t become slaves again.
2 I, Paul, can guarantee that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 Again, I insist that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised must realize that he obligates himself to do everything Moses’ Teachings demand. 4 Those of you who try to earn God’s approval by obeying his laws have been cut off from Christ. You have fallen out of God’s favor.[a] 5 However, in our spiritual nature, faith causes us to wait eagerly for the confidence that comes with God’s approval. 6 As far as our relationship to Christ Yeshua is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether we are circumcised or not. But what matters is a faith that expresses itself through love.
7 You were doing so well. Who stopped you from being influenced by the truth? 8 The arguments of the person who is influencing you do not come from the one who is calling you. 9 A little yeast spreads through the whole batch of dough. 10 The Lord gives me confidence that you will not disagree with this. However, the one who is confusing you will suffer God’s judgment regardless of who he is. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching that circumcision is necessary, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the cross wouldn’t be offensive anymore. 12 I wish those troublemakers would castrate themselves.
13 You were indeed called to be free, brothers and sisters. Don’t turn this freedom into an excuse for your corrupt nature to express itself. Rather, serve each other through love. 14 All of Moses’ Teachings are summarized in a single statement, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 15 But if you criticize and attack each other, be careful that you don’t destroy each other.
16 Let me explain further. Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants. 17 What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other. As a result, you don’t always do what you intend to do. 18 If your spiritual nature is your guide, you are not subject to Moses’ laws.
19 Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do these kinds of things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. 24 Those who belong to Christ Yeshua have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature. 26 We can’t allow ourselves to act arrogantly and to provoke or envy each other.
Footnotes
- Galatians 5:4 Or “grace.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.