Galatians 3–4

Justified by the Law, or Justified by Faith?

3O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as having been crucified? ²I want only to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be made complete by the flesh? ⁴Have you suffered so many things for nothing—if indeed also it was for nothing? ⁵Therefore does the one who gives you the Spirit and who works miracles among you do so by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

⁶Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, ⁷then understand that the ones who have faith^a, these are sons of Abraham. ⁸And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news in advance to Abraham: “In you all the nations^b will be blessed.”^{c 9}So then, the ones who have faith are blessed together with Abraham who believed. ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things that are written in the book of the law to do them.”^{d 11}Now it is clear that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law, because “the one who is righteous will live by faith.”^{e 12}But the law is not from faith, but “the one who does these things will live by them.”^f

¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by^* becoming a curse for us, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”^{g 14}in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Promise to Abraham and His Descendant

¹⁵Brothers, I am speaking according to a human perspective. Nevertheless, when^* the covenant of a man has been ratified, no one declares it invalid or adds additional provisions to it. ¹⁶Now to Abraham and to his descendant the promises were spoken. It does not say, “and to descendants,” as concerning many, but as concerning one, “and to your descendant,”^h who is Christ. ¹⁷Now I am saying this: the law, that came after four hundred and thirty years, does not revoke a covenant previously ratified by God, in order to nullify the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise.

The Addition of the Law

¹⁹Why then the law? It was added on account of transgressions, until the descendant should come to whom it had been promised, having been ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator. ²⁰Now the mediator is not for one, but God is one.

²¹Therefore is the law opposed to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, certainly righteousness would have been from the law. ²²But the scripture imprisoned all under sin, in order that the promise could be given by faithⁱ in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

²³But before faith came, we were detained under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. ²⁴So then, the law became our guardian until Christ, in order that we could be justified by faith. ²⁵But after^* faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. ²⁶For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,^{j 27}for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you are Christ’s, then you are descendants of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.

No Longer Slaves But Sons and Heirs

4Now I say, for as long a time as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he^* is master of everything, ²but he is under guardians and managers until the time set by his father. ³So also we, when we were children, we were enslaved under the elemental spirits of the world. ⁴But when the fullness of time came, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵in order that he might redeem those under the law, in order that we might receive the adoption. ⁶And because you are sons, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba!^a (Father!),” ⁷so that you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, also an heir through God.

Do Not Be Enslaved Again

⁸But at that time when you^* did not know God, you were enslaved to the things which by nature are not gods. ⁹But now, because you have come to know God, or rather have come to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental spirits? Do you want to be enslaved to them^b all over again? ¹⁰You carefully observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹I am afraid for you, lest perhaps I have labored for you in vain! ¹²I ask you, brothers, become like me, because I also have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

Paul’s Personal Appeal

¹³But you know that because of an illness of the flesh I proclaimed the gospel to you the first time. ¹⁴And you did not despise or disdain what was a trial for you in my flesh, but you welcomed me like an angel of God, like Christ Jesus. ¹⁵So where is your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me! ¹⁶So then, have I become your enemy by^* being truthful to you? ¹⁷They zealously seek you, not commendably, but they want to exclude you, in order that you may seek them zealously. ¹⁸But it is good to be sought zealously in good at all times, and not only when I am present with you. ¹⁹My children, for whom I am having birth pains again, until Christ is formed in you! ²⁰But I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone because I am perplexed about you.

Hagar and Sarah Represent Two Covenants

²¹Tell me, you who are wanting to be under the law, do you not understand^c the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the female slave and one by the free woman. ²³But the one by the female slave was born according to human descent, and the one by the free woman through the promise, ²⁴which things are spoken allegorically, for these women are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery, who is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is a slave with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother. ²⁷For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren woman, who does not give birth to children;

burst out and shout, you who do not have birth pains,

because many are the children of the desolate woman,

even more than those of the one who has a husband.”^d

²⁸But you, brothers, are children of the promise, just as Isaac. ²⁹But just as at that time the child born according to human descent persecuted the child born according to the Spirit, so also now. ³⁰But what does the scripture say? “Drive out the female slave and her son, for the son of the female slave will never inherit with the son”^e of the free woman. ³¹Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the female slave but of the free woman.