Galatians, NVI | Continuous reading

A letter without the divisions that came later

A letter to be read as a letter

The text below presents Paul's Letter to the Galatians in continuous reading.

The chapter and verse numbers, the headings, subheadings and references added later by Bible editions have been removed.

Only the paragraphs were kept, trying to follow, as much as possible, the development of Paul's own thought.

The idea is simple: to read Galatians as its first recipients probably heard it, as a whole letter.

Without interruptions.
Without headings announcing the subject ahead of time.
Without verses isolating sentences.

Just the letter.

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Paul, an apostle sent, not from men nor by any person, but by Jesus Christ and by God the Father, who raised him from the dead, and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:To you, grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly abandoning the one who called you by the grace of Christ, to follow another gospel that, in reality, is not the gospel. What is happening is that some people are disturbing you, wanting to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven preach a gospel different from the one we preached to you, let him be cursed! As we have already said, now I repeat: If anyone announces to you a gospel different from the one you have already received, let him be cursed!

Am I now seeking the approval of men or that of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Brothers, I want you to know that the gospel I announced is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any person, nor was it taught to me; on the contrary, I received it from Jesus Christ by revelation.

You have heard what my conduct was in Judaism, how I violently persecuted the church of God, trying to destroy it. In Judaism, I surpassed most of the Jews of my age, and I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.

But God set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace. When it pleased him to reveal his Son in me so that I would announce him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any person. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but immediately I left for Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

After three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get to know Peter personally, and I stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles, except James, the Lord's brother. As for what I am writing to you, I affirm before God that I am not lying.

After that, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I was not personally known to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard it said: “The one who used to persecute us is now announcing the faith he once tried to destroy”. And they glorified God because of me.

Fourteen years later, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas, taking Titus with me also. I went there because of a revelation and I set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this in private to those who seemed most influential, so as not to run or to have run in vain.

But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This question was raised because some false brothers had infiltrated our midst to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to reduce us to slavery. We did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

As for those who seemed influential, what they were then makes no difference to me; God does not judge by outward appearance, those influential men added nothing to me. On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had to the circumcised. For God, who worked through Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, also worked through me toward the Gentiles.

Recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James, Peter and John, regarded as pillars, extended the right hand to me and to Barnabas as a sign of fellowship. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor, which I made every effort to do.

When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face, because of his condemnable attitude. For, before some came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself from the Gentiles, fearing those who were of the circumcision. The other Jews also joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray.

When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter, in front of everyone: “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. So how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?”

We, Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners”, know that no one is justified by the practice of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we too believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the practice of the Law, because by the practice of the Law no one will be justified.

If, however, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Certainly not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a transgressor.

For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. So it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, Christ died for nothing!

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Was it not before your very eyes that Jesus Christ was portrayed as crucified? I would like to know just one thing: did you receive the Spirit by the practice of the Law, or by faith in what you heard?

Are you so foolish that, having begun with the Spirit, you now want to be made perfect by your own effort? Was it for nothing that you suffered so many things? If it really was for nothing!

Does the one who gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you do these things by the practice of the Law or by the faith with which you received the word?

Consider the example of Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”. Be sure, then, that those who are of faith, these are the children of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, announced the good news beforehand to Abraham: “Through you all nations will be blessed”. So those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

But those who rely on the practice of the Law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law”. It is evident that before God no one is justified by the Law, for “the righteous will live by faith”. The Law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “the one who does these things will live by them”.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law when he became a curse in our place, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree”. This was so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles also, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Brothers, speaking in human terms, no one can annul a will once it has been ratified, nor add anything to it. So also the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. The Scripture does not say: “And to your descendants”, as if speaking of many, but: “To your descendant”, meaning one, that is, Christ.

What I mean is this: The Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul the covenant previously established by God, so as to invalidate the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the Law, it no longer depends on a promise. But God granted it freely to Abraham through a promise.

What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Descendant to whom the promise referred should come, and it was put into effect through angels, by the hand of a mediator. Yet the mediator represents more than one; but God is one.

Is the Law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, righteousness would certainly have come from the law. But the Scripture has locked up everything under sin, so that the promise, which comes by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Before this faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, locked up in it, until the faith that was to come was revealed. So the Law was our guardian until Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. Now, however, that faith has come, we are no longer under the control of the guardian.

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for those who were baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are of Christ, you are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to the promise.

I say, however, that as long as the heir is a minor, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything. Yet he is subject to guardians and managers until the time set by his father.

So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as children.

And because you are children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and he cries: “Abba, Father”. So you are no longer a slave, but a child; and since you are a child, God has also made you an heir.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now, knowing God, or rather, being known by him, how can you turn back to those same elementary principles, weak and powerless? Do you want to be enslaved by them again? You are observing special days, months, specific occasions and years! I fear that my efforts for you have been in vain.

I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Although my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or disgust. On the contrary, you received me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.

What happened to your joy? I am certain that, if it had been possible, you would have torn out your own eyes and given them to me. Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Those who make so much effort to please you are not acting well. What they want is to isolate you, so that you will show zeal for them. It is always good to be zealous for what is good, and not only when I am present.

My children, again I am suffering birth pains for you, until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone of voice, for I am perplexed about you.

Tell me, you who want to be under the Law: do you not hear the Law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. The son of the slave woman was born in the natural way, but the son of the free woman was born through the promise.

This is used here as an illustration: these women represent two covenants. One covenant comes from Mount Sinai and bears children for slavery: this is Hagar. Hagar represents Mount Sinai, in Arabia, and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she and her children are slaves.

But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: “Rejoice, barren woman, you who never had a child; shout for joy, you who never were in labor; because more are the children of the abandoned woman than of the one who has a husband”.

You, brothers, are children of the promise, like Isaac. At that time, the son born in the natural way persecuted the son born according to the Spirit. The same is happening now.

But what does the Scripture say? “Send away the slave woman and her son, because the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free. So stand firm and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Listen carefully to what I, Paul, tell you: If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to keep the whole Law. You who seek to be justified by the Law have been separated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.

For it is through the Spirit that we eagerly wait by faith for the righteousness that is our hope. Because in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any effect, but only faith working through love.

You were running well. Who stopped you from continuing to obey the truth? Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.” I am convinced in the Lord that you will think no other way. The one who is disturbing you will bear the condemnation, whoever he may be.

Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been removed. As for those who disturb you, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Brothers, you were called to freedom. But do not use freedom to give opportunity to the will of the flesh; on the contrary, serve one another through love. The whole Law is summed up in a single commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself”. But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not destroyed by one another.

So I say: Live by the Spirit, and you will not satisfy the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit; and the Spirit, what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Now, the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before: Those who practice these things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh, with its passions and its desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not be conceited, provoking one another and envying one another.

Brothers, if someone is caught in some sin, you who are spiritual should restore him with gentleness. But each one should watch himself, so that he too is not tempted. Carry one another's heavy burdens and, in this way, fulfill the law of Christ.

If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own actions, and then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to anyone, for each one will have to carry his own load.

The one who is being instructed in the word should share all good things with the one who instructs him.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. The one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh; but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give up. So, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those of the family of faith.

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand!

Those who want to make a good impression outwardly try to force you to be circumcised, only so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the Law; yet they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.

As for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither being circumcised nor uncircumcised is worth anything. What matters is being a new creation.

Peace and mercy be upon all who walk according to this rule, and also upon the Israel of God.

From now on, let no one trouble me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Brothers, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

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After reading

Perhaps it is worth going back to the letter once more.

This time without looking for familiar verses.

Just noticing one thing:

where does Paul's own thought begin, continue, change direction and arrive at its conclusions?

Note on this edition

This page does not present a new translation or any alteration of the biblical text.

The intervention was only editorial: the visual divisions of chapters and verses, headings, subheadings and references were removed, preserving the text of the translation used.

Version used: Nova Versão Internacional (NVI).