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Chapter 3

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^{1 2} O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

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I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard? ³

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Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? ⁴

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Did you experience so many things ⁵ in vain? - if indeed it was in vain.

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Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from faith in what you heard?

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Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." ⁶

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⁷ Realize then that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham.

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Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, "Through you shall all the nations be blessed."

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Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith.

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⁸ For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law."

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And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for "the one who is righteous by faith will live."

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But the law does not depend on faith; rather, "the one who does these things will live by them."

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Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,"

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that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

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⁹ Brothers, in human terms I say that no one can annul or amend even a human will once ratified.

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Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. ¹⁰ It does not say, "And to descendants," as referring to many, but as referring to one, "And to your descendant," who is Christ.

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This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, ¹¹ does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise.

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For if the inheritance comes from the law, it is no longer from a promise; but God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise. ¹²

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^{13 14} Why, then, the law? It was added for transgressions, until the descendant came to whom the promise had been made; it was promulgated by angels at the hand of a mediator.

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Now there is no mediator when only one party is involved, and God is one.

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Is the law then opposed to the promises (of God)? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could bring life, then righteousness would in reality come from the law.

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But scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.

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¹⁵ Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed.

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Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian ¹⁶ for Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

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

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For through faith you are all children of God ¹⁷ in Christ Jesus.

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^{18 19} For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

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There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not 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 descendant, heirs according to the promise.