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Galatians 3

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ^aIt was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly ^bportrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: ^cDid you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by ^dhearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? ^eHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by ^{▼

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Or now ending with} the flesh? 4 ^gDid you suffer ^{▼

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Or experience} so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and ⁱworks miracles among you do so ^jby works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as ^kAbraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is ^lthose of faith who are ^mthe sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that ⁿGod would justify ^{▼

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Or count righteous; also verses 11, 24} the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying ^p“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are ^qunder a curse; for it is written ^r“Cursed be everyone who does not ^sabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that ^tno one is justified before God by the law, for ^u“The righteous shall live by faith.” ^{▼

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Or The one who by faith is righteous will live} 12 But the law is not of faith, rather ^w“The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ ^xredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written ^y“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^zon a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^aacome to the Gentiles, so that ^abwe might receive ^acthe promised Spirit ^{▼

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Greek receive the promise of the Spirit} through faith.

The Law and the Promise

15 ^aeTo give a human example, brothers: ^{▼

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Or brothers and sisters} ^ageven with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now ^ahthe promises were made ^aito Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one ^aj“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came ^ak430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^alto make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but ^amGod gave it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then the law? ^anIt was added because of transgressions ^aountil the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was ^apput in place through angels ^aqby an intermediary. 20 Now ^aran intermediary implies more than one, but ^asGod is one.

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For ^atif a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture ^auimprisoned everything under sin, so that ^avthe promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given ^awto those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law ^aximprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, ^aythe law was our ^azguardian until Christ came, ^bain order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus ^bbyou are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as ^bcwere baptized ^bdinto Christ have ^beput on Christ. 28 ^bfThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave ^{▼

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Greek bondservant} nor free ^bhthere is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And ^biif you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring ^bjheirs according to promise.