Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!^(A) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.^{(B) [14] [a]}

¹⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,^(C) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell^(D) as you are.

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people^(A) came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers:^(B) “Unless you are circumcised,^(C) according to the custom taught by Moses,^(D) you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem^(E) to see the apostles and elders^(F) about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia^(G) and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted.^(H) This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.^(I)

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party^(J) of the Pharisees^(K) stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”^(L)

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.^{(M) 8} God, who knows the heart,^(N) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,^(O) just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them,^(P) for he purified their hearts by faith.^{(Q) 10} Now then, why do you try to test God^(R) by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke^(S) that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace^(T) of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders^(U) God had done among the Gentiles through them.^{(V) 13} When they finished, James^(W) spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^{(X) 15} The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols,^(AA) from sexual immorality,^(AB) from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.^{(AC) 21} For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”^(AD)

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and elders,^(AE) with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch^(AF) with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas,^(AG) men who were leaders among the believers.

⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.^{(A) 5} For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit^(B) and delight to see how disciplined^(C) you are and how firm^(D) your faith in Christ^(E) is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,^(F) continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted^(G) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,^(H) and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(I) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(J) rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness^(K) of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head^(L) over every power and authority.^{(M) 11} In him you were also circumcised^(N) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b](O) was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism,^(P) in which you were also raised with him^(Q) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(R)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins^(S) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(T) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^(U)