Galatians 2–3

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. ²I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those ^lwho seemed influential) the gospel that ^mI proclaim among the Gentiles, ⁿin order to make sure I was not running or had not ^orun in vain. ³But even Titus, who was with me, ^pwas not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. ^4qYet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who ^rslipped in to spy out ^sour freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, ^tso that they might bring us into slavery— ⁵to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that ^uthe truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. ⁶And from those ^vwho seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; ^wGod shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential ^xadded nothing to me. ⁷On the contrary, when they saw that I had been ^yentrusted with ^zthe gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised ⁸(for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), ⁹and when James and Cephas and John, ^vwho seemed to be ^apillars, perceived the ^bgrace that was given to me, they ^cgave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰Only, they asked us to remember the poor, ^dthe very thing I was eager to do.

Paul Opposes Peter

¹¹But ^ewhen Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him ^fto his face, because he stood condemned. ¹²For before certain men came from James, ^ghe was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing ^hthe circumcision party.^{1 13}And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴But when I saw that their ⁱconduct was not in step with ^jthe truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ^kbefore them all, “If you, though a Jew, ^llive like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Justified by Faith

¹⁵We ourselves are Jews by birth and not ^mGentile sinners; ¹⁶yet we know that ⁿa person is not justified² by works of the law ^obut through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, ^pbecause by works of the law no one will be justified.

¹⁷But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found ^qto be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. ¹⁹For through the law I ^rdied to the law, so that I might ^slive to God. ²⁰I have been ^tcrucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives ^uin me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, ^vwho loved me and ^wgave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God, for ^xif righteousness³ were through the law, ^ythen Christ died for no purpose.

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

3O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ^zIt was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly ^aportrayed as crucified. ²Let me ask you only this: ^bDid you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by ^chearing with faith? ³Are you so foolish? ^dHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by¹ the flesh? ^4eDid you suffer² so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and ^fworks miracles among you do so ^gby works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶just as ^hAbraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

⁷Know then that it is ⁱthose of faith who are ^jthe sons of Abraham. ⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that ^kGod would justify³ the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ^l“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁰For all who rely on works of the law are ^munder a curse; for it is written, ⁿ“Cursed be everyone who does not ^oabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹Now it is evident that ^pno one is justified before God by the law, for ^q“The righteous shall live by faith.”^{4 12}But the law is not of faith, rather ^r“The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³Christ ^sredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ^t“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^uon a tree”— ¹⁴so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^vcome to the Gentiles, so that ^wwe might receive ^xthe promised Spirit⁵ through faith.

The Law and the Promise

^15yTo give a human example, brothers:^{6 z}even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶Now ^athe promises were made ^bto Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, ^c“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came ^d430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^eto make the promise void. ¹⁸For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but ^fGod gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹Why then the law? ^gIt was added because of transgressions, ^huntil the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was ⁱput in place through angels ^jby an intermediary. ²⁰Now ^kan intermediary implies more than one, but ^lGod is one.

²¹Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For ^mif a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²²But the Scripture ⁿimprisoned everything under sin, so that ^othe promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given ^pto those who believe.

²³Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, ^qimprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴So then, ^rthe law was our ^sguardian until Christ came, ^tin order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus ^uyou are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷For as many of you as ^vwere baptized ^winto Christ have ^xput on Christ. ^28yThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave⁷ nor free, ^zthere is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And ^aif you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, ^bheirs according to promise.