Galatians 3:6–19

6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”c e

7 Understand, then, that those who have faithf 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.”d h 9 So those who rely on faithi are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.j

10 For all who rely on the works of the lawk 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.”e m 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God,n because “the righteous will live by faith.”f o 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”g p 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the lawq by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”h r 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

15 Brothers 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. 16 The 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,”i w meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 yearsx later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For 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.

19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressionsz until the Seeda to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angelsb and entrusted to a mediator.c