Galatians 3

By Works of the Law, or By Hearing with Faith?

1 You foolish Galatians, who has deceived you, when before your very eyes Jesus Christ was publicly presented as crucified?

2 This is the one thing I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by performing the works demanded by the Law, or by listening to the message with faith?

3 Are you truly so senseless? Having begun your life with God by the Spirit, are you now attempting to reach completion by human effort?

4 Have you experienced so much for no purpose, if indeed it has been for no purpose?

5 So then, does the One who supplies the Spirit to you and performs mighty works among you do so because you keep the Law, or because you hear and respond in faith?

6 In the same way, Abraham trusted God, and that trust was credited to him as righteousness.

7 Therefore, recognize that those who exercise faith are the sons of Abraham.

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify or declare the Gentiles righteous by faith, announced the good news beforehand to Abraham: “In you all the nations will be blessed.”*

9 As a result, those who belong to faith are blessed along with Abraham, the believer.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on the works of the Law place themselves under a curse, because it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the Law.”*

11 It is clear that no one is justified or declared righteous before God by means of the Law, because “The righteous one shall live by faith.”*

12 The Law, however, does not operate on the principle of faith; rather, “The one who practices them shall live by them.”*

13 Christ rescued us from the curse pronounced by the Law by taking that curse upon Himself, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”*

14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing promised to Abraham might extend to the Gentiles, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.

The Law and the Promise

15 Brothers and sisters, I am speaking in familiar human terms: even a covenant established by human agreement, once confirmed, cannot be annulled or amended.

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The wording does not say, “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but rather to one: “and to your seed,”* who is Christ.

17 What I am saying is this: The Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not cancel a covenant previously confirmed by God, so as to invalidate the promise.

18 For if the inheritance is based on the Law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God graciously granted it to Abraham through a promise.

19 Why then was the Law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed to whom the promise was made should come. It was put into effect through angels by the hand of a mediator.

20 Now a mediator does not represent only one party, but God is one.

21 Is the Law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not. For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would indeed come through the Law.

22 But the Scripture has confined everything under the power of sin, so that what was promised, being based on faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

23 Before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, confined until the faith that was to be revealed arrived.

24 In this way, the Law served as our guardian, leading us to Christ, so that we might be justified or declared righteous by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.

Notes

8 Quoted from Gen. 12:3

10 Quoted from Deut. 27:26

11 Quoted from Hab. 2:4

12 Quoted from Lev. 18:5