²I, Paul, can guarantee that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. ³Again, I insist that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised must realize that he obligates himself to do everything Moses’ Teachings demand. ⁴Those of you who try to earn God’s approval by obeying his laws have been cut off from Christ. You have fallen out of God’s favor.^a⁵However, in our spiritual nature, faith causes us to wait eagerly for the confidence that comes with God’s approval. ⁶As far as our relationship to Christ Jesus is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether we are circumcised or not. But what matters is a faith that expresses itself through love.

⁷You were doing so well. Who stopped you from being influenced by the truth? ⁸The arguments of the person who is influencing you do not come from the one who is calling you. ⁹A little yeast spreads through the whole batch of dough. ¹⁰The Lord gives me confidence that you will not disagree with this. However, the one who is confusing you will suffer God’s judgment regardless of who he is. ¹¹Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching that circumcision is necessary, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the cross wouldn’t be offensive anymore. ¹²I wish those troublemakers would castrate themselves.

¹³You were indeed called to be free, brothers and sisters. Don’t turn this freedom into an excuse for your corrupt nature to express itself. Rather, serve each other through love. ¹⁴All of Moses’ Teachings are summarized in a single statement, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ¹⁵But if you criticize and attack each other, be careful that you don’t destroy each other.

¹⁶Let me explain further. Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants. ¹⁷What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other. As a result, you don’t always do what you intend to do. ¹⁸If your spiritual nature is your guide, you are not subject to Moses’ laws.

¹⁹Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, ²⁰idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do these kinds of things will not inherit God’s kingdom.

²²But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature. ²⁶We can’t allow ourselves to act arrogantly and to provoke or envy each other.

6TH CHAPTER

Help Carry Each Other’s Burdens

¹Brothers and sisters, if a person gets trapped by wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should help that person turn away from doing wrong. Do it in a gentle way. At the same time watch yourself so that you also are not tempted. ²Help carry each other’s burdens. In this way you will follow Christ’s teachings. ³So if any one of you thinks you’re important when you’re really not, you’re only fooling yourself. ⁴Each of you must examine your own actions. Then you can be proud of your own accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. ⁵Assume your own responsibility.

We Will Harvest What We Plant

⁶The person who is taught God’s word should share all good things with his teacher. ⁷Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest. ⁸If you plant in ⸤the soil of⸥ your corrupt nature, you will harvest destruction. But if you plant in ⸤the soil of⸥ your spiritual nature, you will harvest everlasting life. ⁹We can’t allow ourselves to get tired of living the right way. Certainly, each of us will receive ⸤everlasting life⸥ at the proper time, if we don’t give up. ¹⁰Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers.

Paul Summarizes His Teachings about Circumcision

¹¹Look at how large the letters ⸤in these words⸥ are because I’m writing this myself.

¹²These people who want to make a big deal out of a physical thing are trying to force you to be circumcised. Their only aim is to avoid persecution because of the cross of Christ. ¹³It’s clear that not even those who had themselves circumcised did this to follow Moses’ laws. Yet, they want you to be circumcised so that they can brag about what was done to your body. ¹⁴But it’s unthinkable that I could ever brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his cross my relationship to the world and its relationship to me have been crucified. ¹⁵Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation. ¹⁶Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God.^a

¹⁷From now on, don’t make any trouble for me! After all, I carry the scars of Jesus on my body.

¹⁸May the good will^bof our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters! Amen.

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Footnotes

a 5:4 Or “grace.”
a 6:16 Or “Peace and mercy will come to rest on them and on the Israel of God.”
b 6:18 Or “grace.”