By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

¹O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? zIt was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly aportrayed as crucified. ²Let me ask you only this: bDid you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by chearing with faith? ³Are you so foolish? dHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by1 the flesh? ⁴eDid you suffer2 so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and fworks miracles among you do so gby works of the law, or by hearing with faith— ⁶just as hAbraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

⁷Know then that it is ithose of faith who are jthe sons of Abraham. ⁸And the Scripture, foreseeing that kGod would justify3 the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, l“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” ⁹So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

¹⁰For all who rely on works of the law are munder a curse; for it is written, n“Cursed be everyone who does not oabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ¹¹Now it is evident that pno one is justified before God by the law, for q“The righteous shall live by faith.”4 ¹²But the law is not of faith, rather r“The one who does them shall live by them.” ¹³Christ sredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, t“Cursed is everyone who is hanged uon a tree”— ¹⁴so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might vcome to the Gentiles, so that wwe might receive xthe promised Spirit5 through faith.

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵yTo give a human example, brothers:6 zeven with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. ¹⁶Now athe promises were made bto Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, c“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. ¹⁷This is what I mean: the law, which came d430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as eto make the promise void. ¹⁸For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but fGod gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹Why then the law? gIt was added because of transgressions, huntil the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was iput in place through angels jby an intermediary. ²⁰Now kan intermediary implies more than one, but lGod is one.

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

²³Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, qimprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴So then, rthe law was our sguardian until Christ came, tin order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus uyou are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷For as many of you as vwere baptized winto Christ have xput on Christ. ²⁸yThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave7 nor free, zthere is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And aif you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, bheirs according to promise.