Galatians 3

1 You Galatians, you've lost your heads! Who has put you under a spell? The death of Jesus Christ on a cross was clearly presented to you so you could see!

Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed amongst you as crucified?

2 So tell me—did you receive the Spirit by keeping the law, or by placing your trust in what you heard?

I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

3 You really have lost your heads! You began living in the Spirit. Do you really think you can now make yourselves perfect by your own human efforts?

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

4 Did you go through so much suffering for nothing? (It really wasn't for nothing was it?)

Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?

5 Let me ask you: does God give you the Spirit and do so many miracles among you because you keep the law, or is it because you trust in what you heard?

He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles amongst you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?

6 It's just like Abraham who “trusted God, and was considered to be right.”

Even so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”

7 So you should acknowledge that those who trust in God are the children of Abraham.

Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham.

8 In Scripture it's foreseen that God would make right the foreigners who trusted in him. The good news is revealed to Abraham beforehand with the words, “Through you all the nations will be blessed.”

The 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.”

9 Consequently those who trust in God are blessed along with Abraham who trusted God.

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

10 All those who rely on keeping the law are under a curse, for as Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who doesn't carefully obey everything that's written in the book of the law.”

For 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.”

11 Clearly nobody is made right with God by attempting to keep the law, for “Those who are made right will live by trusting God.”

Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”

12 Obedience to the law has nothing to do with trusting God. Scripture only says, “You will live if you observe everything the law requires.”

The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”

13 Christ has rescued us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. As Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

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,”

14 so that through Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham could come to the foreigners as well, and we could receive the promise of the Spirit by trusting God.

that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15 Brothers and sisters, here's an example from daily life. If a contract is drawn up and agreed, signed and sealed, nobody can ignore it or add to it.

Brothers, 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.

16 Now the promises were given to Abraham, and to his son. It doesn't say, “sons” as if plural, but singular: “and to your son,” meaning Christ.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. He doesn’t say, “To descendants”, as of many, but as of one, “To your offspring”, which is Christ.

17 Let me explain. The law, coming four hundred and thirty years later, doesn't cancel the previous agreement that God made, breaking the promise.

Now I say this: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect.

18 If the inheritance is derived from obedience to the law, it no longer comes from the promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham by means of the promise.

For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.

19 What was the point of the law, then? It was added to show what wrongdoing really is, until the son came to whom the promise had been made. The law was put in place by angels through the hand of a mediator.

Then why is there the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise has been made. It was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.

20 But a mediator isn't needed when there's only one person involved. And God is one!

Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one.

21 So does the law work against God's promises? Of course not! For if there was a law that could give life, then we could be made right by keeping it.

Is 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.

22 But Scripture tells us that we all are prisoners of sin. The only way we can receive God's promises is by trusting in Jesus Christ.

But the Scripture imprisoned all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Before we trusted in Jesus we remained in the custody of the law until this way of trusting was revealed.

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 The law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we could be made right by trusting him.

So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now this way of trusting Jesus has come, we no longer need such a guardian.

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

26 For you are all God's children through your trust in Christ Jesus.

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

27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There's no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—you are all one in Christ Jesus.

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.

29 If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's children, and you are heirs of the promise!

If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise.