PAUL an apostle ??not appointed by men nor commissioned by any man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead, ??2 with all the brothers who are beside me, to the churches of Galatia;

I am astonished you are hastily shifting like this, deserting Him who called you by Christ's grace and going over to another gospel.

It simply means that certain individuals are unsettling you; they want to distort the gospel of Christ.

But I saw they were swerving from the true line of the gospel; so I said to Cephas in presence of them all, "If you live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, though you are a Jew yourself, why do you oblige the Gentiles to become Jews?" ??15 We may be Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners,'

If it is discovered that in our quest for justification in Christ we are 'sinners' as well as the Gentiles, does that make Christ an agent of sin? Never!

Are you such fools? Did you begin with the spirit only to end now with the flesh?

Well then, you see that the real sons of Abraham are those who rely on faith.

So that those who rely on faith are blessed along with believing Abraham.

But faith has come, and we are wards no longer;

you are all sons of God by your faith in Christ Jesus

There is no room for Jew or Greek, there is no room for slave or freeman, there is no room for male and female; you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Now if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring; in virtue of the Promise, you are heirs.

It is because you are sons that God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying 'Abba! Father!'

So you are servant no longer but son, and as son you are also heir, all owing to God.

In those days, when you were ignorant of God, you were in servitude to gods who are really no gods at all;

but now that you know God ??or rather, are known by God ??how is it you are turning back again to the weakness and poverty of the Elemental spirits? Why do you want to be enslaved all over again by them?

Tell me, you who are keen to be under the Law, will you not listen to the Law?

Now this is an allegory. The women are two covenants. One comes from mount Sinai, bearing children for servitude; that is Hagar,

For it is written, Rejoice, O thou barren who bearest not, break into joy, thou who travailest not; for the children of the desolate woman are far more than of the married.

Now you are the children of the Promise, brothers, like Isaac;

Hence we are children of no slave-woman, my brothers, but of the free-woman,

You are for justification by the Law? Then you are done with Christ, you have deserted grace,

O that those who are upsetting you would get themselves castrated!

For the passion of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the passion of the Spirit against the flesh ??the two are at issue, so that you are not free to do as you please.

If you are under the sway of the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Now the deeds of the flesh are quite obvious, such as sexual vice, impurity, sensuality,

Even if anyone is detected in some trespass, brothers, you are spiritual, you must set the offender right in a spirit of gentleness; let each of you look to himself, in case he too is tempted.

Those who are taught must share all the blessings of life with those who teach them the Word.

These men who are keen upon you getting circumcised are just men who want to make a grand display in the flesh ??it is simply to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.