Galatians 3
3
God’s Blessing Comes Through Faith
1You people in Galatia are so foolish! Why do I say this? Because I told you very clearly about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But now it seems as though you have let someone use their magical powers to make you forget. 2Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it. 3You began your life in Christ with the Spirit. Now do you try to complete it by your own power? That is foolish. 4You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope they were not wasted! 5Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? Does God work miracles among you because you follow the law? No, God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it.
6The Scriptures say the same thing about Abraham. “Abraham believed God, and because of this faith he was accepted as one who is right with God.”#Quote from Gen. 15:6. 7So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith. 8The Scriptures told what would happen in the future. These writings said that God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith. God told this Good News to Abraham before it happened. God said to Abraham, “I will use you to bless all the people on earth.”#Quote from Gen. 12:3. 9Abraham believed this, and because he believed, he was blessed. All people who believe are blessed the same as Abraham was.
10But people who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse. As the Scriptures say, “They must do everything that is written in the law. If they do not always obey, they are under a curse.”#Quote from Deut. 27:26. 11So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law. The Scriptures say, “The one who is right with God by faith will live forever.”#Quote from Hab. 2:4.
12The law does not depend on faith. No, it says that the only way a person will find life by the law is to obey its commands.#3:12 the only way … commands See Lev. 18:5. 13The law says we are under a curse for not always obeying it. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, “Anyone who is hung on a tree#3:13 hung on a tree Deut. 21:22-23 says that when a person was killed for doing wrong, his body was hung on a tree to show shame. Paul means the cross of Jesus was like that. is under a curse.”#Quote from Deut. 21:23. 14Because of what Jesus Christ did, the blessing God promised to Abraham was given to all people. Christ died so that by believing in him we could have the Spirit that God promised.
The Law and the Promise
15Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example from everyday life: Think about an agreement that one person makes with another. After that agreement is made official, no one can stop it or add anything to it, and no one can ignore it. 16God made promises to Abraham and his Descendant.#3:16 Descendant Literally, “seed,” which could also mean “family.” In that case, it would refer to the one family of God in Christ. The Scripture does not say, “and to your descendants.” That would mean many people. But it says, “and to your Descendant.” That means only one, and that one is Christ. 17This is what I mean: The agreement that God gave to Abraham was made official long before the law came. The law came 430 years later. So the law could not take away the agreement and change God’s promise.
18Can following the law give us the blessing God promised? If we could receive it by following the law, then it would not be God’s promise that brings it to us. But God freely gave his blessings to Abraham through the promise God made.
19So what was the law for? The law was given to show the wrong things people do. The law would continue until the special Descendant of Abraham came. This is the Descendant mentioned in the promise, which came directly from God. But the law was given through angels, and the angels used Moses as a mediator to give the law to the people. 20But when God gave the promise, there was no mediator, because a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God is one.#3:20 Literally, “But the mediator is not of one, but God is one.”
The Purpose of the Law of Moses
21Does this mean that the law works against God’s promises? Of course not. The law was never God’s way of giving new life to people. If it were, then we could be made right with God by following the law. 22But this is not possible. The Scriptures put the whole world in prison under the control of sin, so that the only way for people to get what God promised would be through faith in#3:22 faith in Or “the faithfulness of.” Jesus Christ. It is given to those who believe in him.
23Before this faith came, the law held us as prisoners. We had no freedom until God showed us the way of faith that was coming. 24I mean the law was the guardian in charge of us until Christ came. After he came, we could be made right with God through faith. 25Now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law to be our guardian.
26-27You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ. This shows that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 28Now, in Christ, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. 29You belong to Christ, so you are Abraham’s descendants. You get all of God’s blessings because of the promise that God made to Abraham.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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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