Galatians 3
3
1Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Yeshua the Messiah was openly portrayed among you as crucified? 2I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 3Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? 4Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain? 5He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 6Even so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”#Genesis 15:6 7Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”#Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the scroll of the Torah, to do them.”#Deuteronomy 27:26 11Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”#Habakkuk 2:4 12The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”#Leviticus 18:5
13 Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”#Deuteronomy 21:23 14that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Messiah Yeshua, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15Brothers, speaking of human terms, though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been confirmed, no one makes it void or adds to it. 16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring.#3:16 or, seed He doesn’t say, “To descendants#3:16 or, seeds”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”,#Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 24:7 which is Messiah. 17Now I say this: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Messiah, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect. 18For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.
19 Then why is there the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could make alive, most certainly righteousness would have been of the law. 22But the Scripture imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Yeshua the Messiah might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Messiah, that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26For you are all children of God, through faith in Messiah Yeshua. 27For as many of you as were immersed into Messiah have put on Messiah. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. 29If you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.
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Galatians 3
3
God Approves of Those Who Believe
1You stupid people of Galatia! Who put you under an evil spell? Wasn’t Christ Jesus’ crucifixion clearly described to you? 2I want to learn only one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by your own efforts to follow the laws in the Scriptures or by believing what you heard? 3Are you that stupid? Did you begin in a spiritual way only to end up doing things in a human way? 4Did you suffer so much for nothing? ⌞I doubt⌟ that it was for nothing! 5Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you through your own efforts or through believing what you heard?
6Abraham serves as an example. He believed God, and that faith was regarded as the basis of Abraham’s approval by God. 7You must understand that people who have faith are Abraham’s descendants. 8Scripture saw ahead of time that God would give his approval to non-Jewish people who have faith. So Scripture announced the Good News to Abraham ahead of time when it said, “Through you all the people of the world will be blessed.” 9So people who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the man of faith.
10Certainly, there is a curse on all who rely on their own efforts because Scripture says, “Whoever doesn’t obey everything that is written in Moses’ Teachings is cursed.” 11No one receives God’s approval by obeying the laws in Moses’ Teachings since, “The person who has God’s approval will live by faith.” 12These laws have nothing to do with faith, but, “Whoever obeys laws will live because he obeys them.”
13Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that the laws in Moses’ Teachings bring by becoming cursed instead of us. Scripture says, “Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.” 14⌞Christ paid the price⌟ so that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to all the people of the world through Jesus Christ and we would receive the promised Spirit through faith.
The Relationship between Law and Promise
15Brothers and sisters, let me use an example from everyday life. No one can cancel a person’s will or add conditions to it once that will is put into effect. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture doesn’t say, “descendants,” referring to many, but “your descendant,” referring to one. That descendant is Christ. 17This is what I mean: The laws ⌞given to Moses⌟ 430 years after God had already put his promise ⌞to Abraham⌟ into effect didn’t cancel the promise ⌞to Abraham⌟. 18If we have to gain the inheritance by following those laws, then it no longer comes to us because of the promise. However, God freely gave the inheritance to Abraham through a promise.
19What, then, is the purpose of the laws given to Moses? They were added to identify what wrongdoing is. Moses’ laws did this until the descendant to whom the promise was given came.#3:19 Or “Moses’ laws did this until the descendant referred to in the promise ⌞to Abraham⌟ came.” It was put into effect through angels, using a mediator. 20A mediator is not used when there is only one person involved, and God has acted on his own.
21Does this mean, then, that the laws given to Moses contradict God’s promises? That’s unthinkable! If those laws could give us life, then certainly we would receive God’s approval because we obeyed them. 22But Scripture states that the whole world is controlled by the power of sin. Therefore, a promise based on faith in Jesus Christ could be given to those who believe.
23We were kept under control by Moses’ laws until this faith came. We were under their control until this faith which was about to come would be revealed.
24Before Christ came, Moses’ laws served as our guardian. Christ came so that we could receive God’s approval by faith. 25But now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the control of a guardian. 26You are all God’s children by believing in Christ Jesus. 27Clearly, all of you who were baptized in Christ’s name have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs, as God promised.
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