Galatians 3

Faith or Works of the Law

¹ Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ 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 as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” ⁷Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same 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.” ^[a] ⁹So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. ¹⁰For 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 book of the law, to do them.” ^[b] ¹¹Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.” ^[c] ¹²The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.” ^[d]

¹³Christ 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,” ^[e] ¹⁴that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; 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. ^[f] He doesn’t say, “To descendants ^[g]”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring ^[h]”, ^[i] which is Christ. ¹⁷Now I say this. A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, 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.

¹⁹What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring ^[j] 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. ²¹Is 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 Scriptures imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³But 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 Christ, 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 Christ Jesus. 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 man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring ^[k] and heirs according to promise.

Footnotes:

[a] Galatians 3:8 Genesis 12:3 [a-1]; Genesis 18:18 [a-2]; Genesis 22:18 [a-3]
[b] Galatians 3:10 Deuteronomy 27:26 [b-1]
[c] Galatians 3:11 Habakkuk 2:4 [c-1]
[d] Galatians 3:12 Leviticus 18:5 [d-1]
[e] Galatians 3:13 Deuteronomy 21:23 [e-1]
[f] Galatians 3:16 or, seed
[g] Galatians 3:16 or, seeds
[h] Galatians 3:16 or, seed
[i] Galatians 3:16 Genesis 12:7 [i-1]; Genesis 13:15 [i-2]; Genesis 24:7 [i-3]
[j] Galatians 3:19 or, seed
[k] Galatians 3:29 or, seed

Old Testament Footnotes:

[a-1] Genesis 12:3 ³I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

[a-2] Genesis 18:18 ¹⁸since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

[a-3] Genesis 22:18 ¹⁸All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, ^[a] because you have obeyed my voice.”

Footnote:

[a] Genesis 22:18 or, seed

[b-1] Deuteronomy 27:26

²⁶‘Cursed is he who doesn’t uphold the words of this law by doing them.’

All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”

[c-1] Habakkuk 2:4 ⁴Behold, his soul is puffed up. It is not upright in him, but the righteous will live by his faith.

[d-1] Leviticus 18:5 ⁵You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Yahweh.

[e-1] Deuteronomy 21:23 ²³his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God; that you don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.

[i-1] Genesis 12:7

⁷Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” ^[a]

He built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.

Footnotes:

[a] Genesis 12:7 or, seed

[i-2] Genesis 13:15 ¹⁵for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever.

[i-3] Genesis 24:7

⁷Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring. ^[a] He will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.

Footnote:

[a] Genesis 24:7 or, seed

Galatians 2 † Galatians 4

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