Beginning

Paul rebukes them because they had fallen away from the gospel. He recounts his own life, emphasizes his office and apostleship, and declares himself to be equal with the high apostles.

1 Paul, an apostle not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and by God the Father who raised him from death, ² and all the brethren who are with me.

To the congregations of Galatia.

³ Grace be with you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God our Father, ⁵ to whom be praise for ever and ever. Amen.

⁶ I marvel that you are so soon turned away from him who called you in the grace of Christ, to another gospel – ⁷ which is nothing other than that there are some who trouble you and intend to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ Nevertheless, even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven preach any gospel to you other than that which we have preached to you, hold him as accursed. ⁹ As I said before, so I say now again: if anyone preaches any other thing to you than that which you have received, hold him as accursed. ¹⁰ Do I preach man’s doctrine, or God’s? Or do I go about to please men? If I sought to please men, I would not be the servant of Christ.

¹¹ I tell you, brethren, that the gospel I preached was not after the manner of men. I neither received it from man, ¹² nor was I taught it, but I received it by the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of my conduct in time past, in the ways of the Jews – how beyond measure I persecuted the congregation of God, and ravaged it, ¹⁴ and prevailed in the law of the Jews above many of my companions who were of my own nation, and was a much more fervent maintainer of the precepts of the elders.

¹⁵ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, ¹⁶ in order to declare his Son by me, to preach him among the heathen, I did not immediately commune of the matter with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor return to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but went my ways into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. ¹⁸ Then, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ I did not see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ The things that I write, lo, God knows I do not speak untruly.

²¹ After that, I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was not personally known to the congregations of Judea that were in Christ, ²³ but they only heard that he who persecuted them in time past, now preaches the faith that before he destroyed. ²⁴ And they glorified God in my behalf.

He withstands Peter to his face, and asserts that the law and circumcision are not necessary to salvation.

2 Then fourteen years after that, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took with me Titus also. ² Yea, and I went up by revelation, and discussed with them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles (but between ourselves, with those who were counted chief), lest it be thought that I should run or had run in vain.

³ Also Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was not compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ The issue arose because of incomers, being false brethren, who came in among others to spy out the liberty that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into bondage. ⁵ To whom we gave no ground, no, not for the space of an hour, as concerning to be brought into subjection – and that in order that the truth of the gospel may continue with you.

⁶ Of those who seemed to be great (what they were in time past does not matter to me; God looks on no man’s person) – nevertheless, those who seemed great contributed nothing to me. ⁷ But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel over the uncircumcision was committed to me, as the gospel over the circumcision was to Peter ⁸ (for he who was mighty in Peter in the apostleship over the circumcision was mighty in me among the Gentiles), ⁹ and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, then James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands, and agreed with us that we should preach among the heathen, and they among the Jews – ¹⁰ warning only that we should remember the poor, which thing also I was diligent to do.

¹¹ And when Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to the face. For he was worthy to be blamed. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the other Jews dissembled likewise, insomuch that Barnabas was brought into their simulation also.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they did not go the right way after the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, If you being a Jew live according to the customs of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? ¹⁵ We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the deeds of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. And therefore we have believed on Jesus Christ, so that we may be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the deeds of the law – because no flesh can be justified by the deeds of the law.

¹⁷ If then, while we seek to be made righteous by Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, is Christ then the minister of sin? God forbid. ¹⁸ For if I build again that which I destroyed, then I make myself a trespasser. ¹⁹ But I through the law am dead to the law, so that I may live unto God. ²⁰ I am crucified with Christ. I live indeed – yet now not I, but Christ lives in me. For the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain.

He rebukes the unsteadfastness of the Galatians. He shows the imperfection of the law, but declares nevertheless that it was not given for nothing.

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, such that you should not believe the truth – you to whom Jesus Christ was described before the eyes, and among you crucified?

² This only would I learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the deeds of the law, or by the preaching of the faith? ³ Are you so unwise that after you have begun in the Spirit, you would now end in the flesh? ⁴ So many things then you have suffered in vain, if that be vain! ⁵ He who ministered to you the Spirit and works miracles among you, does he do it through the deeds of the law, or by preaching of the faith? ⁶ It is even as Abraham believed God, and it was ascribed to him for righteousness. ⁷ Understand therefore that it is those who are of faith who are the children of Abraham.

⁸ For the scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen through faith, and therefore showed beforehand glad tidings to Abraham: In you shall all nations be blessed. ⁹ So then, those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. ¹⁰ For as many as are under the deeds of the law are under malediction. For it is written: Cursed is every one who does not continue in all the things that are written in the book of the law, to fulfil them.

¹¹ That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for: The just shall live by faith. ¹² The law is not of faith. (But: The man who fulfils the things contained in the law, will live in them.) ¹³ But Christ has delivered us from the curse of the law, and was made accursed for us – for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree – ¹⁴ so that the blessing of Abraham may come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, and so that we may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

¹⁵ Brethren, I will speak with reference to the custom of men. Though it be but a man’s last will and testament, yet no one sets it aside or adds anything to it once it is confirmed. ¹⁶ To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, In the seeds, as in many, but, In your seed, as in one, which is Christ. ¹⁷ This I say: the law, which began afterwards (over 430 years), does not nullify the testament that was confirmed before by God in Christ, so as to make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it does not come by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise.

¹⁹ For what then does the law serve? The law was added because of transgressions (till the seed came to whom the promise was made), and it was instituted by angels in the hand of a mediator. ²⁰ A mediator is not a mediator of one. But God is one. ²¹ Is the law then against the promise of God? God forbid. However, if there had been a law given that could have given life, then no doubt righteousness would have come by the law. ²² But the scripture included all things under sin so that the promise, by the faith of Jesus Christ, should be given to those who believe.

²³ Before faith came, we were kept and shut up under the law, with a view to the faith that would afterward be declared. ²⁴ Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to the time of Christ, so that we may be made righteous by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

²⁶ For you are all the sons of God by the faith which is in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For all you who are baptized have put on Christ. ²⁸ Now there is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither man nor woman, but you are all one thing in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs by promise.