King James Bible
"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing."
Paul invokes his apostolic authority with urgency, using 'Behold' to demand attention and personally vouching for what follows. This emphatic opening signals the gravity of the theological crisis facing the Galatian churches. Paul addresses Gentile believers considering circumcision as a requirement for salvation, a practice promoted by Judaizers who insisted Christians must follow Jewish law. The conditional 'if' indicates they haven't yet taken this step but are contemplating it. Accepting circumcision as necessary for salvation effectively nullifies Christ's sufficiency, treating His sacrifice as incomplete. Paul warns that adding law-keeping to grace fundamentally rejects the gospel, making Christ's redemptive work of no benefit.