Galatians 5

The Messiah freed us {believers} {from having to obey the laws God gave the Jews} in order that we would not have to obey {them}. So continue to be steadfastly committed {to the Lord}. Do not let anyone force you to obey {those laws} again as if you were slaves {to those laws}.

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! \*

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}.

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. \*

{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}.

{This is so} because {when} God has united {us} with the Messiah Jesus, whether people are circumcised or not is not important. Rather, only whether we trust {in the Messiah} is important. We show we trust {in the Messiah} by loving others.

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!

God is the one who calls you. He is not the one who is persuading you {to think like this}! \*

{This false teaching might deceive all of you, just like} a little yeast {in some dough} makes all of it swell up.

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. \*

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.

O that those who are upsetting you would just castrate themselves! \*

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}!

{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.”

Now if you keep attacking and harming each other {like wild animals}, beware that you might completely destroy each other. \*

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.

{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.

However, if the Holy Spirit leads you, the laws {God gave the Jews} do not control you. \*

You clearly know what people do because of their sinful selves. {They} do sexually immoral acts, impure acts, {and} unrestrained immoral acts.

{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.

{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. \*

Yet the Holy Spirit enables {us believers in the Messiah} to love others and be joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,

gentle, and to control ourselves. There is no law that prohibits people from doing these {good} things.

We who belong to the Messiah Jesus have stopped doing {what} our sinful selves feel and want {to do}. \*

Since the Holy Spirit has made us spiritually alive, we must let the Holy Spirit lead us.

Do not boast. Do not make each other angry. Do not envy each other. \*