TCNT GAL Chapter 3

Law or Faith

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you [fn]to keep you from obeying the truth? [fn]In your presence, before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so much in vain?—if indeed it was in vain. 5 Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you perform the works of the law or because you hear with faith? 6 Remember, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

7 Therefore you must understand that those who have faith are the sons of Abraham. 8 Now the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in yoʋ.” 9 So then, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

10 For all who rely on the works of the law are 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 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 But the law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “[fn]The person who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us so that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles in [fn]Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Law and the Promise

15 Brothers, let me give an example from everyday life: When a man-made covenant is ratified, no one annuls it or adds to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, “And to his descendants,” referring to many, but referring to one man it says, “And to yoʋr descendant,” who is Christ. 17 My point is this: The law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul a covenant previously ratified by God [fn]to Christ, so as to invalidate the promise. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by the promise; but God granted it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the descendant should come to whom the promise had been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not represent just one party, but God is one.

Slaves and Sons

21 Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, truly righteousness would have come through the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ came, so that we could be justified 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 put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants and heirs according to the promise.