Galatians 1-3

New King James Version

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but ^(A)through Jesus Christ and God the Father ^(B)who raised Him from the dead), ² and all the brethren who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^4 (C)who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us ^(D)from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Only One Gospel

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon ^(E)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ^7 (F)which is not another; but there are some ^(G)who trouble you and want to ^(H)pervert^[a] the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if ^(I)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ^[b]accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you ^(J)than what you have received, let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For ^(K)do I now ^(L)persuade men, or God? Or ^(M)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Call to Apostleship^(N)

^11 (O)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For ^(P)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came ^(Q)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how ^(R)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and ^(S)tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, ^(T)being more exceedingly zealous ^(U)for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵ But when it pleased God, ^(V)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, ^16 (W)to reveal His Son in me, that ^(X)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with ^(Y)flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Contacts at Jerusalem^(Z)

¹⁸ Then after three years ^(AA)I went up to Jerusalem to see ^[c]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But ^(AB)I saw none of the other apostles except ^(AC)James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

^21 (AD)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which ^(AE)were in Christ. ²³ But they were ^(AF)hearing only, “He who formerly ^(AG)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they ^(AH)glorified God in me.

Defending the Gospel^(AI)

2 Then after fourteen years ^(AJ)I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. ² And I went up ^[d]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but ^(AK)privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means ^(AL)I might run, or had run, in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ And this occurred because of ^(AM)false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our ^(AN)liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, ^(AO)that they might bring us into bondage), ⁵ to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that ^(AP)the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

⁶ But from those ^(AQ)who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; ^(AR)God ^[e]shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something ^(AS)added nothing to me. ⁷ But on the contrary, ^(AT)when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised ^(AU)had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter ⁸ (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the ^(AV)circumcised ^(AW)also ^(AX)worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), ⁹ and when James, ^[f]Cephas, and John, who seemed to be ^(AY)pillars, perceived ^(AZ)the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, ^(BA)that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ They desired only that we should remember the poor, ^(BB)the very thing which I also was eager to do.

No Return to the Law

^11 (BC)Now when ^[g]Peter had come to Antioch, I ^[h]withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, ^(BD)he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing ^[i]those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not straightforward about ^(BE)the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter ^(BF)before them all, ^(BG)“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, ^[j]why do you compel Gentiles to live as ^[k]Jews? ^15 (BH)We who are Jews by nature, and not ^(BI)sinners of the Gentiles, ^16 (BJ)knowing that a man is not ^[l]justified by the works of the law but ^(BK)by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not ^(BL)by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

¹⁷ “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found ^(BM)sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸ For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹ For I ^(BN)through the law ^(BO)died to the law that I might ^(BP)live to God. ²⁰ I have been ^(BQ)crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh ^(BR)I live by faith in the Son of God, ^(BS)who loved me and gave Himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for ^(BT)if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died ^[m]in vain.”

Justification by Faith^(BU)

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you ^[n]that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed ^[o]among you as crucified? ² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, ^(BV)or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are you so foolish? ^(BW)Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by ^(BX)the flesh? ^4 (BY)Have you suffered so ^[p]many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham ^(BZ)“believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only ^(CA)those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And ^(CB)the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ^(CC)“In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

The Law Brings a Curse

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ^(CD)“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹ But that no one is ^[q]justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ^(CE)“the just shall live by faith.” ¹² Yet ^(CF)the law is not of faith, but ^(CG)“the man who does them shall live by them.”

^13 (CH)Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ^(CI)“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ^14 (CJ)that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the ^(CK)Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive ^(CL)the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Changeless Promise^(CM)

¹⁵ Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: ^(CN)Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. ¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of ^(CO)one, ^(CP)“And to your Seed,” who is ^(CQ)Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, ^(CR)which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God ^[r]in Christ, ^(CS)that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if ^(CT)the inheritance is of the law, ^(CU)it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Purpose of the Law

¹⁹ What purpose then does the law serve? ^(CV)It was added because of transgressions, till the ^(CW)Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ^(CX)appointed through angels by the hand ^(CY)of a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, ^(CZ)but God is one.

²¹ Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. ²² But the Scripture has confined ^(DA)all under sin, ^(DB)that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³ But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, ^[s]kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore ^(DC)the law was our ^[t]tutor to bring us to Christ, ^(DD)that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Sons and Heirs

²⁶ For you ^(DE)are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For ^(DF)as many of you as were baptized into Christ ^(DG)have put on Christ. ^28 (DH)There is neither Jew nor Greek, ^(DI)there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all ^(DJ)one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(DK)if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s ^(DL)seed, and ^(DM)heirs according to the promise.