Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

For you have heard of my former way of life ¹  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.

I wish those agitators ¹  would go so far as to ²  castrate themselves! ³ 

But the law is not based on faith, ¹  but the one who does the works of the law ²  will live by them. ³ 

So also we, when we were minors, ¹  were enslaved under the basic forces ²  of the world.

Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, ¹  is no different from a slave, though he is the owner ²  of everything.

But ¹  we did not surrender to them ²  even for a moment, ³  in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. ⁴ 

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, ¹ 

Now before faith ¹  came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners ²  until the coming faith would be revealed.

Thus the law had become our guardian ¹  until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous ²  by faith.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one ¹  who called you by the grace of Christ ²  and are following ³  a different ⁴  gospel –

But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages ¹  sin? Absolutely not!

But the scripture imprisoned ¹  everything and everyone ²  under sin so that the promise could be given – because of the faithfulness ³  of Jesus Christ – to those who believe.

But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, ¹  while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.

But just as at that time the one born by natural descent ¹  persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, ²  so it is now.

So we must not grow weary ¹  in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. ² 

But from those who were influential ¹  (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people ² ) – those influential leaders ³  added ⁴  nothing to my message. ⁵ 

Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? ¹  Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. ²