HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1432
G A LAT IA N S 5
26 But
the other woman, Sarah, represents the
heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and
she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more
children
than the woman who lives with her
husband!”*
28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you
are now being persecuted by those who want
you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child
born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the
child born by the power of the Spirit.
30 But what do the Scriptures say about that?
“Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of
the slave woman will not share the inheritance
with the free woman’s son.”* 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave
woman; we are children of the free woman.
Freedom in Christ
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make
sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied
up again in slavery to the law.
2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God,
5
• Conflict
G ALAT IA NS 5 :1 6 -1 7 , 2 2
Why is it so difficult to lead a Christian
life? When we are made alive in Christ,
we enter a spiritual war waged on the
battlefield of our hearts. Our old nature
continues to pursue sin and selfishness,
while our new nature tries to follow Jesus
through the power of the Holy Spirit. When
we are discouraged, however, we need to
remember that the very fact that we are
more aware and sensitive to our sin and
struggle is itself a sign of the Holy Spirit
working in our lives. Dead people don’t feel
anything! God has removed the calluses
from our hearts, the veil from our eyes, and
the numbness from our souls so that we
have spiritual feelings. As we daily engage
in this spiritual battle, we must continue to
give the Holy Spirit control by: (1) praying,
which has a huge impact on protecting us
from the enemy, and (2) regularly reading
Scripture. The Bible is God’s Word and
therefore shows us how to keep our minds
focused on the right things. It trains us to
be strong disciples of Jesus.
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then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say
it again. If you are trying to find favor with God
by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you
are trying to make yourselves right with God
by keeping the law, you have been cut off from
Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait
to receive by faith the righteousness God has
promised to us. 6 For when we place our faith in
Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
7 You were running the race so well. Who has
held you back from following the truth? 8 It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you
to freedom. 9 This false teaching is like a little
yeast that spreads through the whole batch
of dough! 10 I am trusting the Lord to keep you
from believing false teachings. God will judge
that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.
11 Dear brothers and sisters,* if I were still
preaching that you must be circumcised—as some
say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were
no longer preaching salvation through the cross
of Christ, no one would be offended. 12 I just wish
that those troublemakers who want to mutilate
you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.*
13 For you have been called to live in freedom,
my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use
your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For
the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”* 15 But if
you are always biting and devouring one another,
watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
Living by the Spirit’s Power
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.
Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil,
which is just the opposite of what the Spirit
wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the
opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These
two forces are constantly fighting each other, so
you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are
not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful
nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension,
division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and
other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I
have before, that anyone living that sort of life
will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
4:27 Isa 54:1. 4:30 Gen 21:10. 5:11 Greek Brothers; similarly
in 5:13. 5:12 Or castrate themselves, or cut themselves off
from you; Greek reads cut themselves off. 5:14 Lev 19:18.