Galatians 3

The Law and Faith in Christ

3Oh, 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.G5599G453G1052G5101G940G5209G3982G3361G3982G225G2596G3739G3788G2424G5547G4270G4717G1722G52132Let 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.G5124G3440G2309G3129G575G5216G2983G4151G1537G2041G3551G2228G1537G189G41023How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?G2075G3779G453G1728G4151G2005G3568G2005G45614Have you experienced

so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?G3958G5118G1500G1489G2532G15005I 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.G3767G2023G5213G4151G2532G1754G1411G1722G5213G1537G2041G3551G2228G1537G189G41026In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

G2531G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G13437The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.G1097G686G3754G1537G4102G3778G1526G5207G118What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.”

G1161G1124G4275G3754G2316G1344G1484G1537G4102G4283G11G3754G1722G4671G1757G3956G1484G17579So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.G5620G1537G4102G2127G4862G4103G1110But 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.”

G1063G3745G1526G1537G2041G3551G1526G5259G2671G1063G1125G1944G3956G3739G1696G3756G1722G3956G3588G1125G1722G975G3551G4160G84611So 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.”

G1161G3754G3762G1344G1722G3551G3844G2316G1212G3754G1342G2198G1537G410212This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”

G1161G3551G2076G3756G1537G4102G235G444G4160G846G2198G1722G84613But 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.”

G5547G1805G2248G1537G2671G3551G1096G2671G5228G2257G1063G1125G1944G3956G2910G1909G358614Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised

Holy Spirit through faith.G2443G2129G11G1096G1519G1484G1722G2424G5547G2443G2983G1860G4151G1223G4102

The Law and God’s Promise

15Dear brothers and sisters

, 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.G80G3004G2596G444G3676G444G1242G2964G3762G114G2228G192816God gave the promises to Abraham and his child

. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.G1161G11G2532G846G4690G4483G1860G4483G3004G3756G2532G4690G5613G1909G4183G235G5613G1909G1520G2532G4675G4690G3739G2076G554717This 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.G1161G5124G3004G1242G4300G5259G2316G1519G5547G3551G1096G5071G2532G5144G2094G3326G3756G208G1519G2673G1860G267318For 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.G1063G1487G2817G1537G3551G3765G1537G1860G1161G2316G5483G11G1223G186019Why, 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.G5101G3767G3551G4369G5484G3847G891G3739G4690G2064G3739G1861G1299G1223G32G1722G5495G331620Now 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.G1161G3316G2076G3756G1520G1161G2316G2076G152021Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises

? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.G3551G3767G2596G1860G2316G3361G1096G1063G1487G1325G3551G1325G3588G1410G2227G3689G1343G302G2258G1537G355122But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.G235G1124G4788G3956G5259G266G2443G1860G1537G4102G2424G5547G1325G4100

God’s Children through Faith

23Before 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.G1161G4253G4102G2064G5432G5259G3551G4788G1519G4102G3195G60124Let 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.G5620G3551G1096G2257G3807G1519G5547G2443G1344G1537G410225And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.G1161G4102G2064G2070G2089G3765G5259G380726For you are all children

of God through faith in Christ Jesus.G1063G2075G3956G5207G2316G1223G4102G1722G5547G242427And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes

.G1063G3745G907G1519G5547G1746G554728There is no longer Jew or Gentile

, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.G1762G3756G2453G3761G1672G1762G3756G1401G3761G1658G1762G3756G730G2532G2338G1063G5210G2075G3956G1520G1722G5547G242429And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children

of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.G1161G1487G5210G5547G686G2075G11G4690G2532G2818G2596G1860