³⁸ No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

⁸ But God found fault with the people and said^[a]:

¹³ By calling this covenant “new,”^(I) he has made the first one obsolete;^(J) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,^(A) the new creation^(B) has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!^(C)

²⁶ I will give you a new heart^(A) and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone^(B) and give you a heart of flesh.^(C)

⁵ He who was seated on the throne^(A) said, “I am making everything new!”^(B) Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”^(C)

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.^(A) Stand firm,^(B) then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.^(C)

² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,^(D) Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.^{(E) 4} You who are trying to be justified by the law^(F) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.^{(G) 5} For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.^{(H) 6} For in Christ Jesus^(I) neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.^(J) The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.^(K)

⁹ But now that you know God—or rather are known by God^(A)—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces^[a]? Do you wish to be enslaved^(B) by them all over again?^{(C) 10} You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!^{(D) 11} I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.^(E)

⁹ Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.^(A) It is good for our hearts to be strengthened^(B) by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods,^(C) which is of no benefit to those who do so.^{(D) 10} We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle^(E) have no right to eat.^(F)

⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,^(A) holding promise for both the present life^(B) and the life to come.^(C)