Yet even if we--or if an angel from Heaven were to tell you any other 'Good News' than that which we told you, may he be accursed!

Is this, I ask, trying to conciliate men, or God? Am I seeking to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I should not be a servant of Christ.

Or even going up to Jerusalem to see those who were Apostles before me, I went to Arabia, and came back again to Damascus.

Of those who are thought somewhat highly of--what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not recognize human distinctions--those, I say, who are thought highly of added nothing to my Message.

Recognizing the charge entrusted to me, James, Peter, and John, who were regarded as pillars of the Church, openly acknowledged Barnabas and me as fellow-workers, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

Only we were to remember the poor--the very thing I was myself anxious to do.

The rest of the Jewish converts were guilty of the same hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led away by it.

But, when I saw that they were not dealing straightforwardly with the Truth of the Good News, I said to Peter, before them all, "If you, who were born a Jew, adopt Gentile customs, instead of Jewish, why are you trying to compel the Gentile converts to adopt Jewish customs?"

If, while seeking to be pronounced righteous through union with Christ, we were ourselves seen to be outcasts, would that make Christ an agent of sin? Heaven forbid!

Now it was to Abraham that the promises were made, 'and to his offspring.' It was not said 'to his offsprings,' as if many persons were meant, but the words were 'to thy offspring,' showing that one person was meant--and that was Christ.

Before the coming of faith, we were kept under the guard of the Law, in bondage, awaiting the Faith that was destined to be revealed.

For all of you who were baptized into union with Christ clothed yourselves with Christ.

And so is it with us; when we were under age, as it were, we were slaves to the puerile teaching of this world;

To ransom those who were subject to Law, so that we might take our position as sons.

Yet formerly, in your ignorance of God, you became slaves to 'gods' which were no gods.

You were once making good progress! Who has hindered you from obeying the Truth?