Galatians 5

1Christ set us free so that we would be free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not let yourselves be caught again under a yoke of slavery.

2Look, I, Paul, am telling you: if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will do you no good at all.

3Once more I declare to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is bound to carry out the whole law.

4You who seek to be justified by the law have been cut away from Christ; you have fallen from grace.

5For it is by the Spirit, on the basis of faith, that we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.

6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any force, but faith at work through love does.

7You were running a fine race. Who got in your way and stopped you from obeying the truth?

8The one who calls you is not the source of such persuasion.

9A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.

10In the Lord I am confident that you will not see it any other way. But the one who is stirring you up will bear the judgment, no matter who he is.

11As for me, brothers and sisters, if I am still proclaiming circumcision, why am I still persecuted? If so, the stumbling block of the cross has been done away with.

12I wish those who are upsetting you would even have themselves castrated!

13For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters. Only do not let freedom become a foothold for the flesh; instead, be servants to one another through love.

14For the whole law finds its fulfillment in one saying, namely: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15But if you keep biting and eating each other up, be careful, or you will be destroyed by each other.

16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will never carry through what the flesh craves.

17For the flesh has longings that oppose the Spirit, and the Spirit has longings that oppose the flesh. The two are set against each other, so that you do not do whatever you want.

18But if the Spirit is leading you, you are not under the law.

19Now the deeds of the flesh are plain to see: sexual immorality, uncleanness, sensuality,

20idol worship, sorcery, hatreds, conflict, jealousy, fits of temper, rivalries, divisions, factions,

21envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other things like them. I am telling you in advance, just as I told you before, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23gentleness, self-control. No law stands against such things.

24People who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh together with its passions and cravings.

25If we live by the Spirit, let us also stay in line with the Spirit.

26Let us not become vain and boastful, challenging one another and envying one another.