Galatians 3:1–4:7

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

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵Brothers and sisters,^u let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. ¹⁶The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.^v Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”^iw meaning one person, who is Christ. ¹⁷What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years^x later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise;^y but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

¹⁹Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions^z until the Seed^a to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels^b and entrusted to a mediator.^{c 20}A mediator,^d however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

²¹Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!^e For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.^{f 22}But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin,^g so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Children of God

²³Before the coming of this faith,^j we were held in custody^h under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.^{i 24}So the law was our guardian until Christ came^j that we might be justified by faith.^{k 25}Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.^l

²⁶So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God^m through faith, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christⁿ have clothed yourselves with Christ.^{o 28}There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,^p nor is there male and female,^q for you are all one in Christ Jesus.^{r 29}If you belong to Christ,^s then you are Abraham’s seed,^t and heirs^u according to the promise.^v

4What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. ²The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. ³So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery^w under the elemental spiritual forces^a of the world.^{x 4}But when the set time had fully come,^y God sent his Son,^z born of a woman,^a born under the law,^{b 5}to redeem^c those under the law, that we might receive adoption^d to sonship.^{be 6}Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son^f into our hearts,^g the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^c Father.”^{h 7}So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.ⁱ