1 P ara libertad fue que Cristo nos hizo libres. Por tanto, permanezcan firmes, y no se sometan otra vez al yugo de esclavitud. La Libertad Cristiana

Christ made us free. Stay that way. Do not get chained all over again in the Law and its kind of religious worship.

2 M iren, yo, Pablo, les digo que si se dejan circuncidar, Cristo de nada les aprovechará.

Listen to me! I, Paul, tell you that if you have the religious act of becoming a Jew done on you, Christ will be of no use to you at all.

3 O tra vez testifico a todo hombre que se circuncida, que está obligado a cumplir toda la Ley.

I say it again. Every man who has the religious act of becoming a Jew done on him must obey every Law.

4 D e Cristo se han separado, ustedes que procuran ser justificados por la ley; de la gracia han caído.

If you expect to be made right with God by obeying the Law, then you have turned away from Christ and His loving-favor.

5 P ues nosotros, por medio del Espíritu, esperamos por la fe la esperanza de justicia.

We are waiting for the hope of being made right with God. This will come through the Holy Spirit and by faith.

6 P orque en Cristo Jesús ni la circuncisión ni la incircuncisión significan nada, sino la fe que obra por amor.

If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But faith working through love is important.

7 U stedes corrían bien, ¿quién les impidió obedecer a la verdad?

You were doing well. Who stopped you from obeying the truth?

8 E sta persuasión no vino de Aquél que los llama.

Whatever he used did not come from the One Who chose you to have life.

9 U n poco de levadura fermenta toda la masa.

It only takes a little yeast to make the whole loaf of bread rise.

10 Y o tengo confianza respecto a ustedes en el Señor de que no optarán por otro punto de vista; pero el que los perturba llevará su castigo, quienquiera que sea.

I feel I can trust you because of what the Lord has done in your life. I believe you will not follow another way. Whoever is trying to lead you in the wrong way will suffer for it.

11 P ero yo, hermanos, si todavía predico la circuncisión, ¿por qué soy perseguido aún ? En tal caso, el escándalo de la cruz ha sido quitado.

Christian brothers, if I would still preach that people must go through the religious act of becoming a Jew to be a Christian, I would not be suffering from those who are making it hard for me. If I preached like that, the Jews would have no reason to be against the cross of Christ.

12 ¡ Ojalá que los que los perturban también se mutilaran! La Libertad y el Amor

I wish those who are so willing to cut your bodies would complete the job by cutting themselves off from you.

13 P orque ustedes, hermanos, a libertad fueron llamados; sólo que no usen la libertad como pretexto para la carne, sino sírvanse por amor los unos a los otros.

Christian brother, you were chosen to be free. Be careful that you do not please your old selves by sinning because you are free. Live this free life by loving and helping others.

14 P orque toda la Ley en una palabra se cumple en el precepto: “ Amaras a tu projimo como a ti mismo.”

You obey the whole Law when you do this one thing, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

15 P ero si ustedes se muerden y se devoran unos a otros, tengan cuidado, no sea que se consuman unos a otros. Conflicto entre el Espíritu y la Carne

But if you hurt and make it hard for each other, watch out or you may be destroyed by each other.

16 D igo, pues: anden por el Espíritu, y no cumplirán el deseo de la carne.

I say this to you: Let the Holy Spirit lead you in each step. Then you will not please your sinful old selves.

17 P orque el deseo de la carne es contra el Espíritu, y el del Espíritu es contra la carne, pues éstos se oponen el uno al otro, de manera que ustedes no pueden hacer lo que deseen.

The things our old selves want to do are against what the Holy Spirit wants. The Holy Spirit does not agree with what our sinful old selves want. These two are against each other. So you cannot do what you want to do.

18 P ero si son guiados por el Espíritu, no están bajo la Ley.

If you let the Holy Spirit lead you, the Law no longer has power over you.

19 A hora bien, las obras de la carne son evidentes, las cuales son: inmoralidad, impureza, sensualidad,

The things your sinful old self wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living,

20 i dolatría, hechicería, enemistades, pleitos, celos, enojos, rivalidades, disensiones, herejías,

worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching,

21 e nvidias, borracheras, orgías y cosas semejantes, contra las cuales les advierto, como ya se lo he dicho antes, que los que practican tales cosas no heredarán el reino de Dios. El Fruto del Espíritu en la Conducta Cristiana

wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things will have no place in the holy nation of God.

22 P ero el fruto del Espíritu es amor, gozo, paz, paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fidelidad,

But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith,

23 m ansedumbre, dominio propio; contra tales cosas no hay ley.

being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.

24 P ues los que son de Cristo Jesús han crucificado la carne con sus pasiones y deseos.

Those of us who belong to Christ have nailed our sinful old selves on His cross. Our sinful desires are now dead.

25 S i vivimos por el Espíritu, andemos también por el Espíritu.

If the Holy Spirit is living in us, let us be led by Him in all things.

26 N o nos hagamos vanagloriosos, provocándonos unos a otros, envidiándonos unos a otros.

Let us not become proud in ways in which we should not. We must not make hard feelings among ourselves as Christians or make anyone jealous.