Galatians 5 - Ephesians 2

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.

Bear One Another's Burdens

6 Brothers,^{[f] (AW)}if anyone is caught in any transgression, ^(AX)you who are spiritual should restore him in ^(AY)a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. ^2 (AZ)Bear one another's burdens, and ^(BA)so fulfill ^(BB)the law of Christ. ³ For ^(BC)if anyone thinks he is something, ^(BD)when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But let each one ^(BE)test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. ⁵ For ^(BF)each will have to bear his own load.

^6 (BG)Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. ^7 (BH)Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for ^(BI)whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For ^(BJ)the one who sows to his own flesh ^(BK)will from the flesh reap corruption, but ^(BL)the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹ And ^(BM)let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, ^(BN)if we do not give up. ¹⁰ So then, ^(BO)as we have opportunity, let us ^(BP)do good to everyone, and especially to those who are ^(BQ)of the household of faith.

Final Warning and Benediction

¹¹ See with what large letters I am writing to you ^(BR)with my own hand. ^12 (BS)It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh ^(BT)who would force you to be circumcised, and only ^(BU)in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³ For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. ¹⁴ But far be it from me to boast ^(BV)except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which^[g] the world ^(BW)has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ For ^(BX)neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but ^(BY)a new creation. ¹⁶ And as for all who walk by this rule, ^(BZ)peace and mercy be upon them, and upon ^(CA)the Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

^18 (CB)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ^(CC)with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(CD)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^(CE)by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and ^(CF)are faithful^[h] in Christ Jesus:

^2 (CG)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

^3 (CH)Blessed be ^(CI)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing ^(CJ)in the heavenly places, ^4 (CK)even as he ^(CL)chose us in him ^(CM)before the foundation of the world, that we should be ^(CN)holy and blameless before him. In love ^5 (CO)he predestined us^[i] for ^(CP)adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, ^(CQ)according to the purpose of his will, ^6 (CR)to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in ^(CS)the Beloved. ^7 (CT)In him we have ^(CU)redemption ^(CV)through his blood, ^(CW)the forgiveness of our trespasses, ^(CX)according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ^9 (CY)making known^[j] to us the mystery of his will, ^(CZ)according to his purpose, which he ^(DA)set forth in Christ^{[k] 10} as a plan for ^(DB)the fullness of time, ^(DC)to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.

¹¹ In him we have obtained ^(DD)an inheritance, ^(DE)having been predestined ^(DF)according to the purpose of him who works all things according to ^(DG)the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be ^(DH)to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard ^(DI)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, ^(DJ)were sealed with the ^(DK)promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is ^(DL)the guarantee^[l] of our ^(DM)inheritance until ^(DN)we acquire ^(DO)possession of it,^{[m] (DP)}to the praise of his glory.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

¹⁵ For this reason, ^(DQ)because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love^[n] toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I ^(DR)do not cease to give thanks for you, ^(DS)remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that ^(DT)the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ^(DU)may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ^18 (DV)having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is ^(DW)the hope to which he has called you, what are ^(DX)the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, ^(DY)according to the working of ^(DZ)his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ ^(EA)when he raised him from the dead and ^(EB)seated him at his right hand ^(EC)in the heavenly places, ^21 (ED)far above ^(EE)all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above ^(EF)every name that is named, not only in ^(EG)this age but also in the one to come. ²² And ^(EH)he put all things under his feet and gave him as ^(EI)head over all things to the church, ^23 (EJ)which is his body, ^(EK)the fullness of him ^(EL)who fills ^(EM)all in all.

By Grace Through Faith

2 ^(EN)And you were ^(EO)dead in the trespasses and sins ^2 (EP)in which you once walked, following the course^[o] of this world, following ^(EQ)the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in ^(ER)the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in ^(ES)the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and ^(ET)were by nature ^(EU)children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.^{[p] 4} But^[q] God, being ^(EV)rich in mercy, ^(EW)because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even ^(EX)when we were dead in our trespasses, ^(EY)made us alive together with Christ—^(EZ)by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and ^(FA)seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable ^(FB)riches of his grace in ^(FC)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For ^(FD)by grace you have been saved ^(FE)through faith. And this is ^(FF)not your own doing; ^(FG)it is the gift of God, ^9 (FH)not a result of works, ^(FI)so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For ^(FJ)we are his workmanship, ^(FK)created in Christ Jesus ^(FL)for good works, ^(FM)which God prepared beforehand, ^(FN)that we should walk in them.

One in Christ

¹¹ Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called ^(FO)the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹² remember ^(FP)that you were at that time separated from Christ, ^(FQ)alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to ^(FR)the covenants of promise, ^(FS)having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were ^(FT)far off have been brought near ^(FU)by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For ^(FV)he himself is our peace, ^(FW)who has made us both one and has broken down ^(FX)in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ^(FY)ordinances, that he might create in himself one ^(FZ)new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might ^(GA)reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. ¹⁷ And he came and ^(GB)preached peace to you who were ^(GC)far off and peace to those who were ^(GD)near. ¹⁸ For ^(GE)through him we both have ^(GF)access in ^(GG)one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer ^(GH)strangers and aliens,^[r] but you are ^(GI)fellow citizens with the saints and ^(GJ)members of the household of God, ^20 (GK)built on the foundation of the ^(GL)apostles and prophets, ^(GM)Christ Jesus himself being ^(GN)the cornerstone, ^21 (GO)in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into ^(GP)a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him ^(GQ)you also are being built together ^(GR)into a dwelling place for God by^[s] the Spirit.