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!
Paulo é Aceito pelos Apóstolos
1Catorze anos depois, subi novamente a Jerusalém, dessa vez com Barnabé, levando também Tito comigo. 2Fui para lá por causa de uma revelação e expus diante deles o evangelho que prego entre os gentios, fazendo-o, porém, em particular aos que pareciam mais influentes, para não correr ou ter corrido inutilmente. 3Mas nem mesmo Tito, que estava comigo, foi obrigado a circuncidar-se, apesar de ser grego. 4Essa questão foi levantada porque alguns falsos irmãos infiltraram-se em nosso meio para espionar a liberdade que temos em Cristo Jesus e nos reduzir à escravidão. 5Não nos submetemos a eles nem por um instante, para que a verdade do evangelho permanecesse com vocês.
6Quanto aos que pareciam influentes—o que eram então não faz diferença para mim; Deus não julga pela aparência—tais homens influentes não me acrescentaram nada. 7Ao contrário, reconheceram que a mim havia sido confiada a pregação do evangelho aos incircuncisos2.7 Ou aos gentios; assim como a Pedro, aos circuncisos2.7 Ou aos judeus; também nos versículos 8 e 9.. 8Pois Deus, que operou por meio de Pedro como apóstolo aos circuncisos, também operou por meu intermédio para com os gentios. 9Reconhecendo a graça que me fora concedida, Tiago, Pedro2.9 Grego: Cefas; também nos versículos 11 e 14. e João, tidos como colunas, estenderam a mão direita a mim e a Barnabé em sinal de comunhão. Eles concordaram em que devíamos nos dirigir aos gentios e eles aos circuncisos. 10Somente pediram que nos lembrássemos dos pobres, o que me esforcei por fazer.
Paulo Repreende a Pedro
11Quando, porém, Pedro veio a Antioquia, enfrentei-o face a face, por sua atitude condenável. 12Pois, antes de chegarem alguns da parte de Tiago, ele comia com os gentios. Quando, porém, eles chegaram, afastou-se e separou-se dos gentios, temendo os que eram da circuncisão. 13Os demais judeus também se uniram a ele nessa hipocrisia, de modo que até Barnabé se deixou levar.
14Quando vi que não estavam andando de acordo com a verdade do evangelho, declarei a Pedro, diante de todos: “Você é judeu, mas vive como gentio e não como judeu. Portanto, como pode obrigar gentios a viverem como judeus?
15“Nós, judeus de nascimento e não gentios pecadores, 16sabemos que ninguém é justificado pela prática da Lei, mas mediante a fé em Jesus Cristo. Assim, nós também cremos em Cristo Jesus para sermos justificados pela fé em Cristo, e não pela prática da Lei, porque pela prática da Lei ninguém será justificado.
17“Se, porém, procurando ser justificados em Cristo descobrimos que nós mesmos somos pecadores, será Cristo então ministro do pecado? De modo algum! 18Se reconstruo o que destruí, provo que sou transgressor. 19Pois, por meio da Lei eu morri para a Lei, a fim de viver para Deus. 20Fui crucificado com Cristo. Assim, já não sou eu quem vive, mas Cristo vive em mim. A vida que agora vivo no corpo2.20 Grego: na carne., vivo-a pela fé no filho de Deus, que me amou e se entregou por mim. 21Não anulo a graça de Deus; pois, se a justiça vem pela Lei, Cristo morreu inutilmente!”
