Christ Has Set Us Free

¹For sfreedom Christ has tset us free; ustand firm therefore, and do not submit again to va yoke of wslavery.

²Look: I, Paul, say to you that xif you accept circumcision, yChrist will be of no advantage to you. ³I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that zhe is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴You are asevered from Christ, byou who would be justified1 by the law; cyou have fallen away from grace. ⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly dwait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus eneither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but fonly faith working through love.

⁷gYou were running well. Who hindered you from obeying hthe truth? ⁸This persuasion is not from ihim who calls you. ⁹jA little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰kI have confidence in the Lord that you will ltake no other view, and mthe one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹But if I, brothers,2 still preach3 circumcision, nwhy am I still being persecuted? In that case othe offense of the cross has been removed. ¹²I wish pthose who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. qOnly do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love rserve one another. ¹⁴For sthe whole law is fulfilled in one word: t“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵But if you ubite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

¹⁶But I say, vwalk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify wthe desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For xthe 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, yto keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸But if you are zled by the Spirit, ayou are not under the law. ¹⁹Now bthe works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, cdivisions, ²¹envy,4 drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that dthose who do5 such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But ethe fruit of the Spirit is flove, joy, peace, patience, gkindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³hgentleness, iself-control; jagainst such things there is no law. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus khave crucified the flesh with its lpassions and desires.

²⁵If we live by the Spirit, mlet us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶nLet us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.