²Here is what I, Paul, say to you. Don’t let yourselves be circumcised. If you do, Christ won’t be of any value to you. ³I say it again. Every man who lets himself be circumcised must obey the whole law.

⁴Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God’s grace.

⁵But we expect to be made completely holy because of our faith in Christ. Through the Holy Spirit we wait in hope. ⁶Circumcision and uncircumcision aren’t worth anything to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The only thing that really counts is faith that shows itself through love.

⁷You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? ⁸The One who chooses you does not keep you from obeying the truth. ⁹You should know that “just a little yeast works its way through the whole batch of dough.”

¹⁰The Lord makes me certain that you will not think in any other way. The one who has gotten you all mixed up will pay the price. It doesn’t matter who that may be.

¹¹Brothers and sisters, I am not still preaching that people must be circumcised. If I were, why am I still being opposed? If that were what I preach, then the cross wouldn’t upset anyone.

¹²So then, what about troublemakers who try to get others to be circumcised? I wish they would go the whole way! I wish they would cut off everything that marks them as men!

Chosen to Be Free

¹³My brothers and sisters, you were chosen to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to live in sin. Instead, serve one another in love. ¹⁴The whole law can be found in a single command. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

¹⁵You must not keep on biting each other. You must not keep eating each other up. Watch out! You might destroy each other.

Living by the Holy Spirit’s Power

¹⁶So I say, live by the Holy Spirit’s power. Then you will not do what your sinful nature wants you to do.

¹⁷The sinful nature does not want what the Spirit delights in. And the Spirit does not want what the sinful nature delights in. The two are at war with each other. That’s what makes you do what you don’t want to do. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the authority of the law.

¹⁹What the sinful nature does is clear. It enjoys sexual sins, impure acts and wild living. ²⁰It worships statues of gods. It also worships evil powers. It is full of hatred and fighting. It is full of jealousy and fits of anger. It is interested only in getting ahead. It stirs up trouble. It separates people into their own little groups. ²¹It wants what others have. It gets drunk and takes part in wild parties. It does many things of that kind. I warn you now as I did before. People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom.

²²But the fruit the Holy Spirit produces is love, joy and peace. It is being patient, kind and good. It is being faithful ²³and gentle and having control of oneself. There is no law against things of that kind.

²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed their sinful nature to his cross. They don’t want what their sinful nature loves and longs for.

²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us march in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become proud. Let us not make each other angry. Let us not want what belongs to others.

Do Good to Everyone

6Brothers and sisters, what if someone is caught in a sin? Then you who are guided by the Spirit should correct that person. Do it in a gentle way. But be careful. You could be tempted too. ²Carry each other’s heavy loads. If you do, you will give the law of Christ its full meaning.

³If you think you are somebody when you are nobody, you are fooling yourselves. ⁴Each of you should put your own actions to the test. Then you can take pride in yourself. You won’t be comparing yourself to somebody else. ⁵Each of you should carry your own load.

⁶Those who are taught the word must share all good things with their teacher.

⁷Don’t be fooled. You can’t outsmart God. A man gathers a crop from what he plants. ⁸Some people plant to please their sinful nature. From that nature they will harvest death. Others plant to please the Holy Spirit. From the Spirit they will harvest eternal life.

⁹Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don’t give up. ¹⁰So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let us make a special point of doing good to those who belong to the family of believers.

The Creation of a New Nature

¹¹Look at the big letters I’m using as I write to you with my own hand!

¹²Some people want others to think well of them. They are trying to force you to be circumcised. They do it for only one reason. They don’t want to suffer by being connected with the cross of Christ. ¹³Even those who are circumcised don’t obey the law. But they want you to be circumcised. Then they can brag about what has been done to your body.

¹⁴I never want to brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through that cross the ways of the world have been crucified as far as I am concerned. And I have been crucified as far as the ways of the world are concerned.

¹⁵Circumcision and uncircumcision don’t mean anything. What really counts is the creation of a new nature.

¹⁶May peace and mercy be given to all who follow this rule. May peace and mercy be given to the Israel that belongs to God.

¹⁷Finally, let no one cause trouble for me. My body has marks that show I belong to Jesus.

¹⁸Brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

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