For you have heard of my early career in Judaism--how I furiously persecuted the Church of God, and made havoc of it;

and how in devotion to Judaism I outstripped many men of my own age among my people, being far more zealous than they on behalf of the traditions of my forefathers.

But when He who set me apart even from my birth, and called me by His grace,

They only heard it said, "He who was once our persecutor is now telling the Good News of the faith of which he formerly made havoc."

for He who had been at work within Peter with a view to his Apostleship to the Jews had also been at work within me with a view to my Apostleship to the Gentiles--

Now when Peter visited Antioch, I remonstrated with him to his face, because he had incurred just censure.

For until certain persons came from James he had been accustomed to eat with Gentiles; but as soon as these persons came, he withdrew and separated himself for fear of the Circumcision party.

As soon as I saw that they were not walking uprightly in the spirit of the Good News, I said to Peter, before them all, "If you, though you are a Jew, live as a Gentile does, and not as a Jew, how can you make the Gentiles follow Jewish customs?

He who gives you His Spirit and works miracles among you--does He do so on the ground of your obedience to the Law, or is it the result of your having heard and believed:

and the Law has nothing to do with faith. It teaches that "he who does these things shall live by doing them."

(Now the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. God did not say 'and to seeds,' as if speaking of many, but 'and to your seed,' since He spoke of only one--and this is Christ.)

Now I say that so long as an heir is a child, he in no respect differs from a slave, although he is the owner of everything,

but he is under the control of guardians and trustees until the time his father has appointed.

Now, however, having come to know God--or rather to be known by Him--how is it you are again turning back to weak and worthless rudimentary notions to which you are once more willing to be enslaved?

I once more protest to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation to obey the whole Law of Moses.

For my part I have strong confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt my view of the matter. But the man--be he who he may--who is troubling you, will have to bear the full weight of the judgement to be pronounced on him.

As for me, brethren, if I am still a preacher of circumcision, how is it that I am still suffering persecution? In that case the Cross has ceased to be a stumbling-block!

Brethren, if anybody be detected in any misconduct, you who are spiritual should restore such a one in a spirit of meekness. And let each of you keep watch over himself, lest he also fall into temptation.

For if there is any one who thinks himself to be somebody when he is nobody, he is deluding himself.

But let every man scrutinize his own conduct, and then he will find out, not with reference to another but with reference to himself, what he has to boast of.

Do not deceive yourselves. God is not to be scoffed at. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

He who sows in the field of his lower nature, will from that nature reap destruction; but he who sows to serve the Spirit will from the Spirit reap the Life of the Ages.