Keep Your Freedom

5 Christ set us free ·so that we could live in freedom [to a place of freedom; or by means of freedom; 4:31]. So stand strong. Do not ·change and go back into the slavery of the law [^Lsubmit/be fastened to a yoke of slavery]. ² Listen, I Paul tell you that if you ·go back to the law by being [^Llet yourself be] circumcised, Christ does you no good. ³ Again, I warn every man: If you allow yourselves to be circumcised, you ·must follow [are obligated to obey] all the law. ⁴ If you try to be ·made right with God [justified] through the law, ·your life with Christ is over [^Lyou are alienated/separated/severed from Christ]—you have ·left [fallen away from] God’s grace. ⁵ For by the Spirit and through faith we wait eagerly for ·a right relationship with God [^Lrighteousness]—the object of our hope. ⁶ ·When we are [^LFor] in Christ Jesus, ·it is not important if we are circumcised or not [^Lneither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything]. The important thing is faith—the kind of faith that works through love.

⁷ You were running a good race. Who ·stopped [hindered] you from ·following [or obeying; or your conviction about] the ·true way [truth]? ⁸ This ·change [persuasion; enticement] did not come from the One who ·chose [called] you. ⁹ Be careful! “Just a little ·yeast [leaven; 1 Cor. 5:6–7] makes the whole batch of dough rise [^Ca little error will spread through the whole community].” ¹⁰ But I ·trust [^Lhave confidence/am persuaded about you] in the Lord that you will ·not believe those different ideas [take no different view]. Whoever is ·confusing [troubling] you with such ideas will ·be punished [pay the penalty; ^Lbear the condemnation], ·no matter who he is [^Lwhoever he may be].

¹¹ My brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching ·that a man must be circumcised [^Lcircumcision; ^Csome were evidently accusing Paul of this], why am I still being ·attacked [persecuted]? If I still taught circumcision, ·my preaching about the cross would not be a problem [the scandal/offense of the cross has been removed/abolished]. ¹² I wish the people who are bothering you would ·castrate themselves [make themselves eunuchs; ^Lcut it off]! [^CPaul sarcastically says that if circumcision is so helpful, why not go even further?]

¹³ My brothers and sisters, God called you to ·be free [^Lfreedom], but do not use your freedom as an ·excuse to do what pleases [opportunity/occasion for] your ·sinful self [sinful nature; flesh]. [^LBut; Rather] Serve each other with love. ¹⁴ [^LFor] The whole law is ·made complete [summed up; fulfilled] in this one command: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18].” ¹⁵ [^LBut] If you go on ·hurting each other and tearing each other apart [^Lbiting and devouring one another], be careful, or you will completely ·destroy [or consume] each other.

The Spirit and Human Nature

¹⁶ So I tell you: ·Live [Walk] ·by following [guided by; in the power of; ^Lby] the Spirit. Then you will not do what your ·sinful self [sinful nature; ^Tflesh] ·wants [desires; craves]. ¹⁷ Our ·sinful self [sinful nature; ^Tflesh] ·wants [desires] what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit ·wants [desires] what is against our ·sinful self [sinful nature; ^Tflesh]. [^LFor] The two are ·against [opposed to; or hostile toward] each other, so you cannot do just what you ·please [want]. ¹⁸ But if the Spirit is leading you, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The ·wrong things the sinful self does [works of the flesh/sinful nature] are ·clear [evident; obvious]: ·being sexually unfaithful [sexual immorality], ·not being pure [impurity], ·taking part in sexual sins [depravity; promiscuity], ²⁰ ·worshiping gods [idolatry], ·doing witchcraft [sorcery], ·hating [hostility; antagonism], ·making trouble [discord; strife], being jealous, ·being angry [rage], ·being selfish [rivalries], ·making people angry with each other [dissensions], ·causing divisions among people [factions], ²¹ feeling envy, being drunk, ·having wild and wasteful parties [carousings; orgies], and doing other things like these. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not inherit God’s kingdom. ²² But the ·Spirit produces the fruit of [^Lfruit of the Spirit is] love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, ·faithfulness [or faith], ²³ gentleness, self-control. ·There is no law that says these things are wrong [or No law can oppose such things]. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified ·their own sinful selves [the sinful nature; the flesh]. They have given up ·their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do [^Lits passions and desires]. ²⁵ ·We [^LIf/Since we…] ·get our new life from the Spirit [live by the Spirit], so we should ·follow [be guided by; walk in step with] the Spirit. ²⁶ We must not be ·proud [conceited] or ·make trouble with [provoke] each other or be ·jealous [envious] of each other.