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

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

2 L isten 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.

Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

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

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.

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

You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

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

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

6 I f 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.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Love Fulfills the Law

7 Y ou were doing well. Who stopped you from obeying the truth?

You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?

8 W hatever he used did not come from the One Who chose you to have life.

This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.

9 I t only takes a little yeast to make the whole loaf of bread rise.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

10 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.

I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

11 C hristian 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.

And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.

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

I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!

13 C hristian 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.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

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

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

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

But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! Walking in the Spirit

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

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

17 T he 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.

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

18 I f you let the Holy Spirit lead you, the Law no longer has power over you.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

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

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

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

idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 w anting 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.

envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 B ut 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,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

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

gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

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

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

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

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 L et 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.

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.