Paul Is Accepted by the Apostles
1Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem. This time I went with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2I went because God showed me what he wanted me to do. I spoke in private to those who are respected as leaders. I told them the good news that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I wasn’t running my race for no purpose. And I wanted to know that I had not been running my race for no purpose. 3Titus was with me. He was a Greek. But even he was not forced to be circumcised. 4This matter came up because some people had slipped in among us. They had pretended to be believers. They wanted to find out about the freedom we have because we belong to Christ Jesus. They wanted to make us slaves again. 5We didn’t give in to them for a moment. We did this so that the truth of the good news would be kept safe for you.
6Some people in Jerusalem were thought to be important. But it makes no difference to me what they were. God does not treat people differently. Those people added nothing to my message. 7In fact, it was just the opposite. They recognized the task I had been trusted with. It was the task of preaching the good news to the Gentiles. My task was like Peter’s task. He had been trusted with the task of preaching to the Jews. 8God was working in Peter as an apostle to the Jews. God was also working in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9James, Peter and John are respected as pillars in the church. They recognized the special grace given to me. So they shook my hand and the hand of Barnabas. They wanted to show they accepted us. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles. They would go to the Jews. 10They asked only one thing. They wanted us to continue to remember poor people. That was what I had wanted to do all along.
Paul Opposes Peter
11When Peter came to Antioch, I told him to his face that I was against what he was doing. He was clearly wrong. 12He used to eat with the Gentiles. But certain men came from a group sent by James. When they arrived, Peter began to draw back. He separated himself from the Gentiles. That’s because he was afraid of the circumcision group sent by James. 13Peter’s actions were not honest, and other Jews in Antioch joined him. Even Barnabas was led astray.
14I saw what they were doing. It was not in line with the truth of the good news. So I spoke to Peter in front of them all. “You are a Jew,” I said. “But you live like one who is not. So why do you force Gentiles to follow Jewish ways?”
15We are Jews by birth. We are not sinful Gentiles. 16Here is what we know. No one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. This is so we can be made right with God by believing in Christ. We are not made right by obeying the law. That’s because no one can be made right with God by obeying the law.
17We are seeking to be made right with God through Christ. As we do, what if we find that we who are Jews are also sinners? Does that mean that Christ causes us to sin? Certainly not! 18Suppose I build again what I had destroyed. Then I would really be breaking the law.
19By the law, I died as far as the law is concerned. I died so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ. I don’t live any longer, but Christ lives in me. Now I live my life in my body by faith in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not get rid of the grace of God. What if a person could become right with God by obeying the law? Then Christ died for nothing!
众使徒接纳保罗
1十四年后，我和巴拿巴又去耶路撒冷，并带了提多同去。 2我是遵照上帝的启示去的。我私下拜会了那些有名望的教会领袖，陈明我在外族人中间所传的福音，免得我过去或是现在的努力都白费了。 3跟我同去的提多虽然是希腊人，但没有人勉强他接受割礼。
4事情的缘由是因为有一些假信徒偷偷混了进来，要窥探我们在基督耶稣里享有的自由，想叫我们做律法的奴隶。 5但为了叫福音的真理常在你们当中，我们丝毫没有向他们妥协。
6至于那些德高望重的教会领袖，他们的地位对我来说无关紧要，因为上帝不以貌取人。他们对我所传的并没有增加什么。 7相反，他们都已看到，上帝差遣了我向外族人传福音，就像祂差遣了彼得向犹太人传福音一样。 8上帝感动了彼得，呼召他做犹太人的使徒，祂也同样感动了我，呼召我做外族人的使徒。 9当时被誉为教会柱石的雅各、彼得和约翰明白了上帝赐给我的恩典之后，就与我和巴拿巴用右手行相交之礼，让我们向外族人传福音，他们向受割礼的人传福音。 10他们只要求我们照顾那些贫困的人，这正是我一向热衷的事。
保罗面责彼得
11后来，彼得到了安提阿，因他做错了事，我就当面责备他。 12从雅各那里来的人还没有抵达之前，彼得和外族的信徒一起吃饭。但那些人抵达以后，彼得因为怕那些坚持行割礼的犹太人批评，就与外族的信徒分开了。 13其他的犹太基督徒也跟着彼得装假，甚至连巴拿巴也随从了他们的虚伪。 14我看见他们不照福音的真理行，就当众对彼得说：“你身为犹太人，如果行事为人像外族人，不像犹太人，又怎能强迫外族人按犹太人的规矩生活呢？”
15我们生来是犹太人，不是外族罪人， 16但我们知道人被称为义人不是靠遵行律法，而是靠信耶稣基督。所以我们信了基督耶稣，以便因信基督而被称为义人，而不是靠遵行律法，因为无人能够靠遵行律法而被称为义人。 17如果我们指望在基督里被称为义人，结果却仍是罪人，难道基督助长罪恶吗？当然不是！
18倘若我重建我所拆毁的东西，就表明我是罪人。 19事实上，我因无法满足律法的要求而向律法死了，不再受它的束缚，使我可以为上帝而活。 20我已经与基督一同被钉在十字架上，现在活着的不再是我，而是基督活在我里面。我现在是靠信上帝的儿子而活着，祂爱我，为我舍命。 21我不废弃上帝的恩典，倘若靠遵行律法可以成为义人，基督的死便毫无意义了。
