5For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. ²Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing! ³And again I testify to every man who becomes circumcised, that he is under obligation to keep the whole law. ⁴You are estranged from Christ, you who are attempting to be justified^* by the law; you have fallen from grace. ⁵For through the Spirit by faith we eagerly await the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.

⁷You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸This persuasion is not from the one who calls you! ⁹A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. ¹⁰I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will think nothing different, but the one who is confusing you will pay the penalty^a, whoever he may be. ¹¹Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. ¹²I wish that the ones who are disturbing you would also castrate themselves^b!

¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”^c ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Live by the Spirit and Reject the Deeds of the Flesh

¹⁶But I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another, so that whatever you want, you may not do these things. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, things which I am telling you in advance, just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Now those who belong to Christ^d^e have crucified the flesh together with its feelings and its desires.

²⁵If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. ²⁶We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

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Footnotes

*The present tense has been translated as conative here (“are attempting”)
aLiterally “will bear the = his condemnation”
bLiterally “cut themselves off”
cA quotation from Lev 19:18
dLiterally “of Christ”
eSome manuscripts have “Christ Jesus”