Galatians 2:15-6:10
New Catholic Bible
Paul Defends the Freedom of Christians[a]
It Is Faith That Saves[b]
Justified by Faith in Christ.[c] We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners,[d] 16 yet we know that a man is justified not by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we too came to believe in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in him and not by the works of the Law, for no one will be justified by the works of the Law.17 But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? By no means! 18 However, if I am now rebuilding what I previously tore down, then I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law[e] so that I might live to God.
I have been crucified with Christ. 20 And now it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. The life I live now in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if justification comes through the Law, then Christ died for nothing.
Chapter 3
The Christian Experience. 1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly presented as crucified. 2 I only wish you to tell me this: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the Law or by believing what you heard?
3 How can you be so foolish? After having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending in the flesh? 4 Is everything you have suffered to result in absolutely nothing—if indeed it was for nothing? 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work mighty deeds among you because you have kept the Law or because you believed what you have heard?
The Blessing of Abraham.[f] 6 Thus Abraham believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7 You can be assured that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Because Scripture foresaw[g] that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, it declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” 9 For this reason, those who have faith share the blessing with Abraham, the faithful one.
10 The Curse of the Law. In contrast, those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written “Cursed is everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things that are written in the book of the Law.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the Law, for the one who is righteous will live by faith. 12 However, the Law is not based on faith. On the contrary, whoever does these things shall live by them.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse himself for us, as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hung upon a tree.” 14 This is so that the blessing bestowed upon Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 The Promise of the Covenant. Brethren, allow me to give you an everyday example. Once a human will has been ratified, no one can make further additions to it or set it aside. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and his descendant. It does not say “and to your descendants,” as referring to many, but it says “and to your descendant,” that is, to one person, who is Christ.
17 This is what I am saying: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, cannot invalidate a covenant that had been previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 Obviously, if the inheritance comes from the Law, it no longer comes from the promise. However, God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise.
19 The Purpose of the Law. Why then? It was added because of transgressions[h] until the descendant appeared to whom the promise had been made, and it was promulgated by angels through an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary is not necessary when there is only one party, and God is one.
21 Is the Law then opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! If the Law that had been given had the power to bestow life, then righteousness would have come through the Law. 22 But according to Scripture all things have been confined under sin, so that through faith in Jesus Christ what was promised might be given to those who believe.
23 The Benefit of Faith.[i]Now before faith came, we were prisoners of the Law, confined as we waited for the faith that would eventually be revealed. 24 Therefore, the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 However, now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 Children of God in Christ. Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free man, there is no longer male or female. For all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are the offspring of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.
Chapter 4
Set Free by Christ. 1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is a minor, he is no different from a slave, even though he is the owner of it all. 2 He remains under the supervision of guardians and trustees until the date designated by the father. 3 This is also true of us. As long as we were children, we were enslaved to the forces of this world.
4 However, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, crying out “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son; and if you are a son, then through God you are also an heir.
No Return to Slavery.[j] 8 Previously, when you did not know God, you were slaves to forces who were not really gods at all. 9 But now that you have come to know God—or rather to be known by God—how can you turn back once again to those powerless and destitute forces? How can you consider becoming enslaved once again? 10 You even observe special days and months and seasons and years. 11 Now I am afraid for you, that I have labored among you in vain.
12 Appeal To Enter into Freedom from the Law. I beg you, brethren, to be like me, just as I have become like you. You never did me any wrong. 13 As you remember, it was because of illness[k] that I originally preached the gospel to you. 14 And though my illness was a trial to you, it did not lead to any scorn or revulsion; rather, you welcomed me as an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
15 What has become of your blessedness? For I can testify that, if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I have told you the truth?
17 Others are seeking to curry your favor, but they are not sincere. They are attempting to alienate you from us so that you may make them the sole object of your attention. 18 It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not just when I am in your presence. 19 You are my children, and I am experiencing the pain of giving birth to you all over again, until Christ is formed in you. 20 I truly wish that I could be with you now and be able to alter my approach to you, because I do not know what to think about you.
21 Sarah and Hagar Foreshadow the Two Covenants.[l] And so tell me, you who are so eager to be subject to the Law: why do you not listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 The son by the slave woman was born through the flesh. The son by the free woman was born through a promise.
24 Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One covenant is given on Mount Sinai and bears children who are born into slavery; this is Hagar. 25 Hagar stands for Sinai, a mountain in Arabia, and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, for she is in slavery together with her children. 26 However, the Jerusalem that is above is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, you barren woman
who never bore a child;
break forth in song and shout with joy,
you who never were in labor.
For more numerous are the children of the deserted wife
than the children of the one who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brethren, are, like Isaac, the children of the promise. 29 But just as in those days the child who was born through the flesh persecuted the child who was born through the Spirit, so is it now also. 30 However, what does Scripture say?
“Drive out the slave woman and her son!
For the son of the slave woman shall not share the inheritance
with the son of the free woman.”
31 Therefore, brethren, we are the children not of the slave woman but of the free woman.
There Is No Freedom Except in Christ[m]
Chapter 5
Faith Expressing Itself through Love. 1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and refuse to submit again to the yoke of slavery.
2 Listen to me! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you. 3 Once again, I testify that every man who accepts circumcision is under obligation to observe the entire Law. 4 Those of you who seek to be justified by the Law have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from grace. 5 For it is through the Spirit and by faith that we eagerly hope to attain righteousness, 6 since in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of circumcision is worth anything. All that matters is faith expressing itself through love.
Against Being Misled. 7 You were running a good race. Who kept you from obeying the truth? 8 This change did not come from the one who called you. 9 A little yeast leavens the entire batch of dough. 10 I am confident of you in the Lord that none of you will think differently, and that anyone who is trying to confuse you will be condemned, no matter who it is.
11 As for me, brethren, if I were still advocating circumcision,[n] why would I continue to be persecuted? If I were doing that, the cross would no longer be a stumbling block. 12 I wish that those who are confusing you would even castrate themselves!
13 Proper Use of Freedom. Brethren, you were called to freedom. However, make sure that you do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Instead, serve one another in love. 14 For the entire Law can be summed up[o] in a single commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you continue biting and tearing one another to pieces, at least be on your guard lest you be consumed by one another.
16 Hence, I advise you to be guided by the Spirit, so that you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit, and those of the Spirit are opposed to the flesh. They are in conflict with one another, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.
19 [p]Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you previously, that no one who does such things will inherit the kingdom of God.
22 [q]In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 We should not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be envious of one another.
Chapter 6
The Law of Christ.[r] 1 Brethren, if anyone is detected committing a transgression, you who are spiritual must set him right in a spirit of gentleness. Meanwhile, you should take care so that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
3 If anyone thinks he is something when in fact he is nothing, he is only deceiving himself. 4 Each person must examine his own work. Then he will have reason to boast with regard to himself alone and not in comparison with someone else. 5 For everyone has his own burden to bear.
6 Anyone who is being taught should give his teacher a share in all his possessions. 7 Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A person will reap only what he sows. 8 The one who sows in his flesh will reap a harvest of corruption, but the one who sows in the Spirit will reap from the Spirit the reward of eternal life.
9 Let us never grow weary in doing what is right, for if we do not give up, we will reap our harvest in due time. 10 Therefore, while we have the opportunity, let us labor for the good of all, but especially for those members of the household of the faith.
Footnotes
- Galatians 2:15 Paul has explained his view of the apostolate; almost by degrees he now passes on to the defense of freedom for the new converts. He reverses the accusation brought against him. Indeed, one can falsify the Gospel by making the practices of the Jewish Law a prerequisite for becoming Christian. Faith in Christ, and it alone, saves believers and sets them free. Paul sketches his thinking about Baptism and about the indissoluble bond that must exist between faith and the Sacrament.
- Galatians 2:15 Law or faith: the famous antithesis. Two religious outlooks are opposed: to accept the one is to reject the other. Christianity’s purpose is not to produce a better Law but to offer faith. On one side, there is an objective, external norm of good and evil, and even a slavery; on the other side, there is a principle of internal action, a spiritual dynamism, a call, even more the very life of God in the heart of human beings, a freedom.
15
Christianity cannot shut itself up in a code, no matter how noble; it is a Person, and Christians are those in whom Christ lives (Gal 2:20) and the Spirit acts (Gal 4:6). If there is a moral for Christians, a “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), it can only be the living and free expression of the love that God inspires in the human heart: “You shall love!” - Galatians 2:15 The baptized must not look elsewhere: Christ has become their very self, and faith lays hold of and permeates their entire life. This statement of Paul is at the same time a self-revelation of a highly mystical nature.
- Galatians 2:15 Gentile sinners: a usual formula for describing pagans as opposed to the chosen people. In this passage it has no pejorative meaning; Paul will in fact say that Jews and Gentiles alike are sinners and in need of redemption (see Rom 3:23f).
- Galatians 2:19 I died to the Law: the formula is obscure because it is overly concise. Christians have died to the Law because it left them frustrated since it helped them recognize their brokenness but did not liberate them from that brokenness. Only the love of Jesus can do that.
- Galatians 3:6 God has a blessing for humankind; it is reserved to faith. The promise made to Abraham was a personal, free, and direct commitment of God, and such it remained and still remains for all human beings; it is this promise that Christ fulfills.
- Galatians 3:8 Scripture foresaw: Paul personifies Scripture, thus stressing its divine origin (see 1 Tim 5:18).
- Galatians 3:19 Because of transgressions: i.e., in order that transgressions might be brought to light. Where there is no Law, there is no transgression (see Rom 5:13; 7:7).
- Galatians 3:23 In a few words, Paul provides great affirmations about faith and Baptism. He gives praise to the Person and work of Christ and to the action of the Holy Spirit. He sets forth the new meaning of the condition of human beings, their divine filiation, and their unity. The mystery of Christianity is found in these few lines.
- Galatians 4:8 The baptized have suddenly become concerned with the calendar of Jewish feasts or of pagan cults; do they, then, believe themselves to be slaves of the forces that they think rule the world and do they therefore desire to conciliate those forces by rites? God is not to be confused with any force, known or unknown, of this world.
- Galatians 4:13 Illness: a sickness, of what kind we do not know, that afflicted Paul during his second missionary journey (see Acts 16:6).
- Galatians 4:21 A famous allegory, but one that is obscure and subtle for the modern reader. Paul wants to show by means of the Old Testament itself that we must go beyond the Law. In this perspective, he gives a free interpretation of an incident in the life of Abraham (see Gen 16:15; 21:2-14). The text explains the meaning of the enmity between two women, two descendants, two cities, two covenants.
- Galatians 5:1 After an involved argumentation, Paul turns to a more direct style, using shorter sentences, and he becomes more pressing. He calls upon the Galatians to measure the gravity of their about-face. Any compromise is out of the question; they must choose between the Law and Christ.
- Galatians 5:11 Advocating circumcision: probably an accusation by Paul’s opponents that he also had advocated circumcision since he had allowed Timothy (whose mother was Jewish) to be circumcised (Acts 16:1-3). Cross . . . stumbling block: see 1 Cor 1:13.
- Galatians 5:14 Entire Law can be summed up: the whole spirit and intention of “the Law and the Prophets” is expressed by doing to others what you would want them to do to you (see Mt 7:12).
- Galatians 5:19 For other lists of vices, see 1 Cor 6:9f; Eph 5:5; Rev 22:15.
- Galatians 5:22 For other lists of virtues, see 2 Cor 6:6; Eph 4:2; 5:9; Col 3:12-15. Paul stresses that justification by faith does not mean advocating libertinism. He stresses that the Holy Spirit brings forth in believers Christian virtues and he lists nine of them. These have come to be known as “the fruits of the Holy Spirit.”
The text of the Vulgate originally listed three other fruits, making a total of twelve. This formed the basis for the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in older catechisms, e.g., the Baltimore Catechism: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continence, and chastity. In truth, the three fruits not named in the original Greek are contained in one or other of the nine named: “long-suffering” in patience, and “modesty” and “continence” in self-control. - Galatians 6:1 To the spiritual urge that leads the believer to live in solidarity with others and in service to them, Paul gives the name law of Christ (6:2), law of faith (Rom 3:27), and law of the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2).
