1 Fourteen years later I went to Jerusalem with Barnabas. I also took along Titus. 2 But I went there because God had told me to go, and I explained the good news I had been preaching to the Gentiles. Then I met privately with the ones who seemed to be the most important leaders. I wanted to make sure my work in the past and my future work would not be for nothing.
3 Titus went to Jerusalem with me. He was a Greek, but still he wasn't forced to be circumcised. 4 We went there because of those who pretended to be followers and had sneaked in among us as spies. They had come to take away the freedom Christ Jesus had given us, and they were trying to make us their slaves. 5 But we wanted you to have the true message. This is why we didn't give in to them, not even for a second.
6 Some of them were supposed to be important leaders, but I didn't care who they were. God doesn't have any favorites! None of these so-called special leaders added anything to my message. 7 They realized God had sent me with the good news for Gentiles, and he had sent Peter with the same message for Jews. 8 God, who had sent Peter on a mission to the Jews, was now using me to preach to the Gentiles.
9 James, Peter, and John realized that God had given me the message about his gift of undeserved grace. And these men are supposed to be the backbone of the church. They even gave Barnabas and me a friendly handshake. This was to show that we would work with Gentiles and that they would work with Jews. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor, and this was something I had always been eager to do.
Paul Corrects Peter at Antioch
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I told him face to face that he was wrong. 12 He used to eat with Gentile followers of the Lord, until James sent some Jewish followers. Peter was afraid of the Jews and soon stopped eating with Gentiles. 13 He and the others hid their true feelings so well that even Barnabas was fooled. 14 But when I saw they were not really obeying the truth that is in the good news, I corrected Peter in front of everyone and said:
Peter, you are a Jew, but you live like a Gentile. So how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?
15 We are Jews by birth and are not sinners like Gentiles. 16 But we know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith.
17 When we Jews started looking for a way to please God, we discovered that we are sinners too. Does this mean that Christ is the one who makes us sinners? No, it doesn't! 18 But if I tear down something and then build it again, I prove that I was wrong at first. 19 It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so I could live for God.
I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. 21 I don't turn my back on God's gift of undeserved grace. If we can be acceptable to God by obeying the Law, it was useless for Christ to die.
1 Pēc tam, pēc četrpadsmit gadiem, es atkal nogāju uz Jeruzālemi kopā ar Barnabu, līdzi ņemdams arī Titu; 2 bet es nogāju, sekodams atklāsmei, un cēlu viņiem priekšā to evaņģēliju, ko es sludinu pagāniem, bet sevišķi tiem, ko uzskatīja par vadoņiem, lai manas gaitas nav vai nebūtu bijušas veltīgas. 3 Bet pat mans pavadonis Tits, grieķis, netika spiests apgraizīties. 4 Bet no malas ievesto viltus brāļu dēļ, kas bija iezagušies novērot mūsu brīvību, kas mums dota Kristū Jēzū, ar nolūku mūs darīt atkal par kalpiem, - 5 viņiem mēs ne acumirkli neesam piekāpušies, lai evaņģēlija patiesība paliktu pie jums. 6 Bet tie, kas bija sevišķi cienīti - kādi tie reiz bijuši, tas man ir vienalga, Dievs neuzlūko cilvēka vaigu, - man jau šie cienītie nav nekādas saistības uzlikuši, 7 bet turpretim, redzēdami, ka man ir uzticēta evaņģēlija sludināšana neapgraizītajiem, tāpat kā Pēterim apgraizītajiem - 8 jo Tas, kas Pēterim bija devis spēku apustuļa darbam apgraizīto starpā, Tas arī man bija devis spēku pagānu starpā, - 9 vērodami to žēlastību, kas man dota, Jēkabs, Kēfa un Jānis, kurus uzskatīja par draudzes balstiem, sniedza man un Barnabam roku kopējam darbam, lai mēs ietu pie pagāniem, bet šie pie apgraizītajiem. 10 Tikai lai mēs pieminētu nabagus, to es arī esmu centies darīt. 11 Bet, kad Pēteris nonāca Antiohijā, tad viņam atklāti nostājos pretim, jo viņš bija kritis vainā. 12 Proti, pirms kādi no Jēkaba ļaudīm bija nākuši, viņš ēda kopā ar pagāniem; bet, kad šie atnāca, tad viņš atrāvās un nošķīrās, bīdamies no apgraizītajiem. 13 Un līdz ar viņu liekuļoja arī pārējie jūdi, un arī Barnabu viņu liekulība aizrāva līdzi. 14 Bet, kad es redzēju, ka tie nedara pareizi pēc evaņģēlija patiesības, es sacīju Pēterim visu priekšā: ja tu, jūds būdams, dzīvo pēc pagānu un ne pēc jūdu paražām, kā tu gribi piespiest pagānus dzīvot pēc jūdu dzīves veida? 15 Mēs - dzimuši jūdi un ne pagānu grēcinieki. 16 Zinādami, ka neviens cilvēks netop taisnots pēc bauslības darbiem, bet ticībā Jēzum Kristum, arī mēs kļuvām ticīgi Kristum Jēzum, lai taptu taisnoti Kristus ticībā un ne pēc bauslības darbiem, jo pēc bauslības darbiem neviens cilvēks nekļūst taisnots. 17 Bet, ja izrādās, ka mēs, kas cenšamies tapt taisnoti iekš Kristus, paši esam grēcinieki, vai tad Kristus kalpo grēkam? Nekādā ziņā ne. 18 Proti, kad es to, ko esmu noārdījis, atkal uzceļu, es kļūstu par pārkāpēju. 19 Jo es bauslībā bauslībai esmu nomiris, lai dzīvotu Dievam. 20 Līdz ar Kristu esmu krustā sists, bet nu nedzīvoju es, bet manī dzīvo Kristus; bet, cik es tagad dzīvoju miesā, es dzīvoju ticībā uz Dieva Dēlu, kas mani ir mīlējis un nodevies par mani. 21 Es nenoliedzu Dieva žēlastību; jo, ja bauslībā ir taisnība, tad Kristus velti ir miris.
