Freedom in Christ 2 UST I am Paul. Pay attention to what I am telling you! If you let anyone circumcise you, what the Messiah has done for you will not help you at all! BSB BSB: Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
3 UST Once again I solemnly declare to every man who has someone circumcise him, that he must obey all of the laws{ God gave the Jews}{ in order to be righteous}. BSB BSB: Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
4 UST You who are trying to make yourselves righteous by{ obeying} the laws{ God gave the Jews} have separated yourselves from the Messiah. God will no longer act kindly toward you. BSB BSB: You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
5 UST { This is so} because we{ believers} are confidently expecting by trusting{ in Jesus} that God will make us righteous. The Holy Spirit enables us{ to do this}. BSB BSB: But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness.
7 UST You were spiritually progressing so well! You should never have let someone stop you{ from progressing}, so that what is true does not convince you! BSB BSB: You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?
8 UST God is the one who calls you. He is not the one who is persuading you{ to think like this}! BSB BSB: Such persuasion does not come from the One who calls you.
9 UST { This false teaching might deceive all of you, just like} a little yeast{ in some dough} makes all of it swell up. BSB BSB: A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.
10 UST Because God has united{ us} with the Lord{ Jesus}, I am certain that you will believe only{ what I have told you}. By contrast, God will certainly punish everyone who is confusing you{ about these things}, whoever they are. BSB BSB: I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.
11 UST Fellow believers, as for me, were I to still declare that men must have someone circumcise them{ in order to be righteous}, surely no one would still be persecuting me!{ This is because} declaring that would abolish how offensive{ Jesus dying on} the cross is. BSB BSB: Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
12 UST O that those who are upsetting you would just castrate themselves! BSB BSB: As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!
13 UST Fellow believers, God has called you to free you{ from having to obey the laws God gave the Jews}. But he did not free you{ from those laws} so you could sin. Instead{ of sinning}, serve each other by loving{ each other}! BSB BSB: For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
14 UST { Do this} because one command summarizes all the laws{ God gave the Jews}. That{ command} is,“Love each person as much as{ you love} yourself.” BSB BSB: The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
15 UST Now if you keep attacking and harming each other{ like wild animals}, beware that you might completely destroy each other. BSB BSB: But if you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
Walking by the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:16–38; Romans 8:9–11)
16 UST I am telling you to let the Holy Spirit lead you.{ If you do that,} you will definitely not do what your{ sinful} selves want to do. BSB BSB: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 UST { This is} because your sinful selves{ want to do what} is contrary to what the Holy Spirit{ wants to do}. Also,{ what} the Holy Spirit{ wants to do is contrary to what} your sinful selves{ want to do}.{ This is} because they are always against each other. The result is that you do not{ always} do the{ good} things that you{ truly} want to do. BSB BSB: For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.
18 UST However, if the Holy Spirit leads you, the laws{ God gave the Jews} do not control you. BSB BSB: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 UST You clearly know what people do because of their sinful selves.{ They} do sexually immoral acts, impure acts,{ and} unrestrained immoral acts. BSB BSB: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
20 UST { They also} worship false gods, do witchcraft, repeatedly act in hostile ways, quarrel with people, act jealously, behave angrily, act ambitiously, act divisively within a group of people, and make divisive groups of people. BSB BSB: idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,
21 UST { They also} envy others, get drunk, celebrate drunkenly, and do other{ sinful} things like these. I warn you now about{ doing these sinful things}, just like I warned you previously: anyone who regularly does these{ sinful} things will not participate in God’ s kingdom. BSB BSB: and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 UST Yet the Holy Spirit enables{ us believers in the Messiah} to love others and be joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, BSB BSB: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 UST gentle, and to control ourselves. There is no law that prohibits people from doing these{ good} things. BSB BSB: gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 UST We who belong to the Messiah Jesus have stopped doing{ what} our sinful selves feel and want{ to do}. BSB BSB: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 UST Since the Holy Spirit has made us spiritually alive, we must let the Holy Spirit lead us. BSB BSB: Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.
26 UST Do not boast. Do not make each other angry. Do not envy each other. BSB BSB: Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.