Galatians 3
3
Faith is the only way to be saved
1You stupid Galatians! I told you exactly how Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross. Has someone now put an evil spell on you?#Dt 27.26 (LXX). 2I want to know only one thing. How were you given God's Spirit? Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him? 3How can you be so stupid? Do you think that by yourself you can complete what God's Spirit started in you? 4Have you gone through all this for nothing? Is it all really for nothing? 5God gives you his Spirit and works miracles in you. But does he do this because you obey the Law of Moses or because you have heard about Christ and have faith in him?
6The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith.#Gn 15.6; Ro 4.3. 7And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham.#3.7 a child of Abraham: God chose Abraham, and so it was believed that anyone who was a child of Abraham was also a child of God. See the note at 3.29.#Ro 4.16. 8Long ago the Scriptures said that God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. That's why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him.#Gn 12.3. 9This means that everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.
10Anyone who tries to please God by obeying the Law is under a curse. The Scriptures say, “Everyone who doesn't obey everything in the Law is under a curse.” 11No one can please God by obeying the Law. The Scriptures also say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”#3.11 The people God accepts because of their faith will live: Or “The people God accepts will live because of their faith.”#He 2.4.
12The Law isn't based on faith. It promises life only to people who obey its commands.#Lv 18.5. 13But Christ rescued us from the Law's curse, when he became a curse in our place. This is because the Scriptures say that anyone who is nailed to a tree is under a curse.#Dt 21.23. 14And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing that was promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.
The Law and the promise
15My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement.#3.15 Once someone…cancel the agreement: Or “Once a person makes out a will, no one can change or cancel it.” 16That is how it is with the promises God made to Abraham and his descendant.#3.16 descendant: The Greek text has “seed”, which may mean one or many descendants. In this verse Paul says it means Christ. The promises were not made to many descendants, but only to one, and that one is Christ. 17What I am saying is that the Law cannot change or cancel God's promise that was made 430 years before the Law was given.#Ex 12.40. 18If we have to obey the Law in order to receive God's blessings, those blessings don't really come to us because of God's promise. But God was kind to Abraham and made him a promise.#Ro 4.14.
19What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. But it was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendant#3.19 that descendant: Jesus. who was given the promise. In fact, angels gave the Law to Moses, and he gave it to the people. 20There is only one God, and the Law did not come directly from him.
Slaves and children
21Does the Law disagree with God's promises? No, it doesn't! If any law could give life to us, we could become acceptable to God by obeying that law. 22But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God's promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.
23The Law controlled us and kept us under its power until the time came when we would have faith. 24In fact, the Law was our teacher. It was supposed to teach us until we had faith and were acceptable to God. 25But once a person has learnt to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher.
26All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. 27And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. 28Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. 29So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family,#3.29 you are now part of Abraham's family: Paul tells the Galatians that faith in Jesus Christ is what makes someone a true child of Abraham and of God. See the note at 3.7. and you will be given what God has promised.#Ro 4.13.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Galatians 3
3
Justified by the Law, or Justified by Faith?
1 O 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#Literally “of faith”, 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#Or “Gentiles”; the same Greek word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context will be blessed.”#A quotation from Gen 12:3; 18:18 9So 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.”#A quotation from Deut 27:26 11Now 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.”#Or “the one who is righteous by faith will live,” a quotation from Hab 2:4 12But the law is not from faith, but “the one who does these things will live by them.”#A quotation from Lev 18:5
13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by#*Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“becoming”) which is understood as means becoming a curse for us, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”#A quotation from Deut 21:23 14in 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#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“has been ratified”) which is understood as temporal 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,”#A quotation from Gen 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7 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 faith#Or “through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ” 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#*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“has come”) which is understood as temporal faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,#Or “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith” 27for 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.
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