Galatians 3:1–14

Faith or Works of the Law

3You foolish^v Galatians!^w Who has bewitched you?^x Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.^{y 2}I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit^z by the works of the law,^a or by believing what you heard?^{b 3}Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?^{a 4}Have you experienced^b so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles^c among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?^{d 6}So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^ce

⁷Understand, then, that those who have faith^f are children of Abraham.^{g 8}Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”^{dh 9}So those who rely on faithⁱ are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.^j

¹⁰For all who rely on the works of the law^k are under a curse,^l as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”^{em 11}Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God,ⁿ because “the righteous will live by faith.”^{fo 12}The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{gp 13}Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law^q by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”^{hr 14}He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,^s so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.^t