I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others.

And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel.

Therefore show them openly before the churches the proof of your love and of our pride in you.

For it is not necessary for me to write you about this service to the saints,

for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments

In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to arrest me,

This is the third time I am coming to visit you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter will be established.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different gospel –

They were only hearing, “The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy.”

But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

On the contrary, when they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised just as Peter was to the circumcised

(for he who empowered Peter for his apostleship to the circumcised also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles)

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong.

But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!

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

The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?

Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life: When a covenant has been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.

Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed.

Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.