Dec 5 - Galatians 1-3
Galatians
1Paul, an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--2and all the brothers who are with me,To the churches of Galatia:3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,4who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--7not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.11For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.12For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.13For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.15But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,16was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.19But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.20(In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.22And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.23They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."24And they glorified God because of me.
1Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.2I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.3But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.4Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in--who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery--5to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.6And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)--those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.7On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised8(for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),9and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.10Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.11But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.12For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.13And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.14But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.17But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!18For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.19For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.21I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
1O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.2Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?3Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?4Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?5Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith--6just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?7Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."9So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.10For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."11Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith."12But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them."13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"--14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.15To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.16Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ.17This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.18For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.19Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.20Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.21Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.22But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.23Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.24So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,26for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.29And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.