Galatians 3
3
Justification through Faith
1You foolish # Rm 1:14 Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, # Other mss add not to obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed # Other mss add among you as crucified? # Mt 27:22 2I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? # Lit by law works or faith hearing or hearing the message 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh? # By human effort 4Did you suffer # Php 1:29 so much for nothing — if in fact it was for nothing? 5So then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles # Mk 13:22 among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? # Lit by law works or faith hearing or hearing the message
6Just as Abraham believed God, # Jn 14:1 and it was credited to him for righteousness, # Gn 15:6 # Gn 15:6 7then understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. # Jn 8:37,39 8Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham, # Gn 16:15; Jn 8:37; Heb 2:16 saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. # Gn 12:3; 18:18 # Gn 12:3; 18:18 9So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, # Jn 8:39 who had faith. # Or with believing Abraham
Law and Promise
10For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, # Jms 3:10 because it is written: # Ac 15:15 Everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the law is cursed. # Dt 27:26; Rm 4:15 # Dt 27:26 11Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live # Php 1:21 by faith. # Hab 2:4 # Hab 2:4 12But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. # Lv 18:5 # Lv 18:5 13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, # 1Pt 2:24 because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. # Dt 21:23; Ac 5:30 # Dt 21:23 14The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. # Rm 4:16
15Brothers, I’m using a human illustration. # Lit I speak according to man No one sets aside or makes additions to even a human covenant # Or will, or testament that has been ratified. 16Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, # Gn 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7 # Gn 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7 who is Christ. 17And I say this: The law, which came 430 years later, # Gn 15:13; Ex 12:40; Ac 7:6 does not revoke a covenant that was previously ratified by God # Other mss add in Christ and cancel the promise. 18For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.
The Purpose of the Law
19Why then was the law given? # Rm 4:15; 5:20 It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels # Gn 16:7; Mt 13:49; Lk 1:11; Ac 5:19; Rv 14:6 by means of a mediator. # Heb 8:6 20Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one. # Dt 6:4 21Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law. 22But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, # Lit under sin # Rm 6:23 so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ # Rm 3:22 might be given to those who believe. # Mk 11:24; Jn 3:16; Ac 10:43; Rm 10:9; 1Pt 1:8-10 23Before this faith # Jd 3 came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. # Lk 10:21 24The law, then, was our guardian # The word translated guardian in vv. 24-25 is different from the word in Gl 4:2. In our culture, we do not have a slave who takes a child to and from school, protecting the child from harm or corruption. In Gk the word paidogogos described such a slave. This slave was not a teacher. until Christ, # Mt 5:17; Col 2:17; Heb 9:10 so that we could be justified by faith. 25But since that faith # Jd 3 has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Sons and Heirs
27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. # Pr 31:25 28There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, # Jn 8:33 male or female; # Rm 10:12; 1Co 12:13; Gl 5:6 for you are all one # Jn 17:11 in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs # Rm 4:14; 8:17 according to the promise. # Rm 4:13
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Galatians 3: HCSB
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