New American Standard Bible

New Living Translation

Faith Brings Righteousness

You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

1

The Law and Faith in Christ

Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.

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This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

2

Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.

3

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

3

How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

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Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain?

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Have you experienceda so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

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So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

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I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

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Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

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In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”b

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Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

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The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

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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 YOU.”

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What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”c

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So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

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So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

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For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.”

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But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”d

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Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

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So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”e

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However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.”

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This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”f

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Christ 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” —

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But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”g

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in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

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Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promisedh Holy Spirit through faith.

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Intent of the Law

Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.

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The Law and God’s Promise

Dear brothers and sisters,i here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.

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Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.

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God gave the promises to Abraham and his child.j And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,k” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child” — and that, of course, means Christ.

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

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This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.

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For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

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For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

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Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.

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Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

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Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.

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Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.

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Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.

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Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?l Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.

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But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

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But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

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But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

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God’s Children through Faith

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

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Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

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Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.

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

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And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

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

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

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

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And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.n

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There 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.

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There is no longer Jew or Gentile,o slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

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

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And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true childrenp of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Parallel

New American Standard Bible

New Living Translation

Galatians 3

Galatians 3