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Galatians 1:1-5
1 Paul, an apostle (neither from men or on behalf of man, but by means of Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead) 2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins and to rescue us from the age of the evil one in which we now live, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory for ever and ever: AMEN
Galatians 1:6-12
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the one who called you in the grace of Christ, towards another gospel; 7 not that there is another, but there are some who are confusing you and want to change the Gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel should preach a gospel to you which is different to what we preached to you, let that one be cursed! 9 As we have said before, so I now say again; if anyone preaches to you a gospel different from what you have received, let him be cursed!
10 Am I now seeking the approval of people or of God? Am I now trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any other person, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:13-24
13 You have doubtless heard about what I used to do in my former life as a Jew, how I persecuted the church of God with extreme vigour with the intention of destroying it. 14 I progressed in Judaism beyond many of my Jewish contemporaries and was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who set me apart from within my mother’s womb and called me through His grace 16 to reveal His Son to me so that I might preach Him amongst the Gentiles, I did not immediately look for worldly, human advice, 17 nor did I travel to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia and later returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and stayed with him for fifteen days, 19 but I did not see any of the other Apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie!) 21 Then I travelled to the regions of Syria and Cilicia, 22 and I was still personally unknown to the churches in Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: ‘The man who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once attempted to destroy!’ 24 And they praised God because of me!
Galatians 2:1-10
1 Then after fourteen years I journeyed to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus with me, 2 and I went because of a revelation. I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles (but privately, to those who were of good reputation), in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. 3 Even then, Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised even though he was a Greek. 4 The matter arose because of false believers who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might make us slaves; 5 and we did not submit to them even for one moment, so that the truth of the Gospel might be kept intact for you.
6 Now, from amongst those who seemed important (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows favouritism to no-one), those who appeared most influential gave me no further advice. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel for the Gentiles just as Peter had been for the Jews 8 (for He who worked through Peter as an Apostle for the Jews did the same through me for the Gentiles), 9 and James, Peter and John, the reputed ‘pillars’, gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship when they recognised the grace which had been given to me; and they agreed that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the Jews. 10 They only asked that we be mindful of the poor, the very thing I was mindful to do.
Galatians 2:11-16
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before some men came from James, he used to eat with Gentiles; but after they arrived, he began to draw back and separated himself for fear of those who backed circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined with him in his hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away with it. 14 But when I saw that what they did was not helping to advance the truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like the Jews?’
15 We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles, 16 now know that someone is not justified by keeping the law but by faith in Jesus; so we have now placed our faith in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by our faith in Him, and not by keeping the law (because no one can be justified merely by keeping the law).
Galatians 2:17-21
17 But if we are found to be sinners even while we seek to be justified in Christ, does this mean that Christ is a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build up again what I once tore down, then I show myself to be a lawbreaker! 19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, 20 and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And whilst I now live on earth, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if we could be put right with God through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
Galatians 3:1-19
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? You who have already seen Jesus Christ put on public display as one who has been crucified! 2 The only thing I want to find out from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4 Have you endured so much for nothing? (if it really was for nothing) 5 Well then, does the One who supplies you with the Spirit and works miracles among you do this because of your doing the law, or because of your belief in what you heard? 6 Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ 7 know then that it is people who believe who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, announced the gospel in advance to Abraham; ‘All the Gentiles will be blessed in you.’ 9 So then, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the man of faith.
Galatians 3:10-14
10 For all who depend on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe all the things written in the book of the law, and do them.’ 11 Since it is plain that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’ 12 But the law does not rest on faith, rather, ‘The one who does the works of the law will live by them.’ 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,’ 14 so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, and so that through faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Galatians 3:15-22
15 Friends, I give you a worldly example: once someone’s will has been endorsed, no one can add to it or cancel it. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant; it does not say ‘to his descendants’ as referring to many of them; it says ‘to your descendant’ referring to one person, who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, introduced four hundred thirty years later, does not cancel a covenant promise previously endorsed by God, as if to do away with the promise. 18 Now if the inheritance originates from the law then it no longer depends on the promise; but God granted the inheritance to Abraham through the promise!
19 What then is the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions, arranged by angels and through a mediator, until the descendant would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator represents more than one party; but God is one. 21 So, is the law opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given which had the power to give life, then righteousness would indeed originate in the law. 22 But the scripture has kept all things captive under the power of sin, so that through faith in Jesus Christ, what was promised might be given to those who believe!
Galatians 3:23-29
23 Now before this faith came we were confined by the law, held captive until faith would later be revealed. 24 So the law was like our minder until Christ came, so that we could be justified by faith; 25 but now that faith has come, we are no longer under the discipline of a teacher, 26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 As many of you as were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There 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. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise.
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