Galatians 2:4-5

2:4 Now this matter arose ¹  because of the false brothers with false pretenses ²  who slipped in unnoticed to spy on ³  our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. ⁴  2:5 But ⁵  we did not surrender to them ⁶  even for a moment, ⁷  in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. ⁸ 

Galatians 2:12-16

2:12 Until ⁹  certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this ¹⁰  and separated himself ¹¹  because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision. ¹²  2:13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them ¹³  by their hypocrisy. 2:14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ¹⁴  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ¹⁵  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Jews and Gentiles are Justified by Faith

2:15 We are Jews by birth ¹⁶  and not Gentile sinners, ¹⁷  2:16 yet we know ¹⁸  that no one ¹⁹  is justified by the works of the law ²⁰  but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. ²¹  And ²²  we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ ²³  and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one ²⁴  will be justified.

Galatians 2:21

2:21 I do not set aside ²⁵  God’s grace, because if righteousness ²⁶  could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing! ²⁷ 

Galatians 4:9-12

4:9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless ²⁸  basic forces? ²⁹  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ³⁰  4:10 You are observing religious ³¹  days and months and seasons and years. 4:11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain. 4:12 I beg you, brothers and sisters, ³²  become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

Galatians 5:11

5:11 Now, brothers and sisters, ³³  if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? ³⁴  In that case the offense of the cross ³⁵  has been removed. ³⁶ 

Romans 14:15

14:15 For if your brother or sister ³⁷  is distressed because of what you eat, ³⁸  you are no longer walking in love. ³⁹  Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died.

Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ⁴⁰ 

Colossians 1:11-12

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁴¹  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁴²  in the saints’ ⁴³  inheritance in the light.

[2:4]  ¹ tn No subject and verb are expressed in vv. 4-5, but the phrase “Now this matter arose,” implied from v. 3, was supplied to make a complete English sentence.

[2:4]  ² tn The adjective παρεισάκτους (pareisaktou"), which relates to someone joining a group with false motives or false pretenses, applies to the “false brothers.” Although the expression “false brothers with false pretenses” is somewhat redundant, it captures the emphatic force of Paul’s expression, which labels both these “brothers” as false (ψευδαδέλφους, yeudadelfou") as well as their motives. See L&N 34.29 for more information.

[2:4]  ³ tn The verb translated here as “spy on” (κατασκοπέω, kataskopew) can have a neutral nuance, but here the connotation is certainly negative (so F. F. Bruce, Galatians [NIGTC], 112-13, and E. Burton, Galatians [ICC], 83).

[2:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “in order that they might enslave us.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause with the subjunctive verb καταδουλώσουσιν (katadoulwsousin) has been translated as an English infinitival clause.

[2:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “slaves, nor did we…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, οὐδέ (oude) was translated as “But…even” and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 5.

[2:5]  ⁶ tn Or “we did not cave in to their demands.”

[2:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “even for an hour” (an idiom for a very short period of time).

[2:5]  ⁸ sn In order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. Paul evidently viewed the demands of the so-called “false brothers” as a departure from the truth contained in the gospel he preached. This was a very serious charge (see Gal 1:8).

[2:12]  ⁹ tn The conjunction γάρ has not been translated here.

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he drew back.” If ἑαυτόν (Jeauton) goes with both ὑπέστελλεν (Jupestellen) and ἀφώριζεν (afwrizen) rather than only the latter, the meaning would be “he drew himself back” (see BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 1.a).

[2:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “and held himself aloof.”

[2:12]  ¹² tn Grk “the [ones] of the circumcision,” that is, the group of Jewish Christians who insisted on circumcision of Gentiles before they could become Christians.

[2:13]  ¹³ tn The words “with them” are a reflection of the σύν- (sun-) prefix on the verb συναπήχθη (sunaphcqh; see L&N 31.76).

[2:14]  ¹⁴ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

[2:14]  ¹⁵ tn Here ἀναγκάζεις (anankazei") has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).

[2:15]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “by nature.”

[2:15]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “and not sinners from among the Gentiles.”

[2:16]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “yet knowing”; the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[2:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “no man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[2:16]  ²⁰ sn The law is a reference to the law of Moses.

[2:16]  ²¹ tn Or “faith in Jesus Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 20; Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[2:16]  ²² tn In Greek this is a continuation of the preceding sentence, but the construction is too long and complex for contemporary English style, so a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:16]  ²³ tn Or “by faith in Christ.” See comment above on “the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”

[2:16]  ²⁴ tn Or “no human being”; Grk “flesh.”

[2:21]  ²⁵ tn Or “I do not declare invalid,” “I do not nullify.”

[2:21]  ²⁶ tn Or “justification.”

[2:21]  ²⁷ tn Or “without cause,” “for no purpose.”

[4:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.

[4:9]  ²⁹ tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.

[4:9]  ³⁰ tn Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[4:10]  ³¹ tn The adjective “religious” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that the problem concerns observing certain days, etc. in a religious sense (cf. NIV, NRSV “special days”). In light of the polemic in this letter against the Judaizers (those who tried to force observance of the Mosaic law on Gentile converts to Christianity) this may well be a reference to the observance of Jewish Sabbaths, feasts, and other religious days.

[4:12]  ³² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[5:11]  ³³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[5:11]  ³⁴ sn That is, if Paul still teaches observance of the Mosaic law (preaches circumcision), why is he still being persecuted by his opponents, who insist that Gentile converts to Christianity must observe the Mosaic law?

[5:11]  ³⁵ sn The offense of the cross refers to the offense to Jews caused by preaching Christ crucified.

[5:11]  ³⁶ tn Or “nullified.”

[14:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “brother.”

[14:15]  ³⁸ tn Grk “on account of food.”

[14:15]  ³⁹ tn Grk “according to love.”

[14:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[1:11]  ⁴¹ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:12]  ⁴² tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁴³ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”