¹⁴ When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and ^[a]care about no one; for You do not ^[b]regard the person of men, but teach the ^(A)way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

⁴ But as ^(A)we have been approved by God ^(B)to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, ^(C)not as pleasing men, but God ^(D)who tests our hearts.

No Return to the Law

^11 (A)Now when ^[a]Peter had come to Antioch, I ^[b]withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, ^(B)he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing ^[c]those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about ^(C)the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter ^(D)before them all, ^(E)“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, ^[d]why do you compel Gentiles to live as ^[e]Jews?

⁶ But from those ^(A)who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; ^(B)God ^[a]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something ^(C)added nothing to me.

¹⁰ For ^(A)do I now ^(B)persuade men, or God? Or ^(C)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

^16 (A)Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, ^(B)yet now we know Him thus no longer.

¹¹ Knowing, therefore, ^(A)the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

¹⁷ For we are not, as ^[a]so many, ^(A)peddling^[b] the word of God; but as ^(B)of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

² For if I make you ^(A)sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?