Galatians 3

Legacy Standard Bible

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

3 O foolish ^(A)Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ ^(B)was publicly portrayed as crucified? ² This is the only thing I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of ^[a]the Law, or by ^[b](C)hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun ^[c]by the Spirit, are you now ^[d]being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you ^[e]suffer so many things for nothing—^(D)if indeed it was for nothing? ⁵ So then, does He who ^(E)provides you with the Spirit and ^(F)works ^[f]miracles among you, do it by the works of ^[g]the Law, or by ^[h](G)hearing with faith?

⁶ Just as ^(H)Abraham ^(I)believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness, ⁷ so know that ^(J)those who are of faith, those are ^(K)sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God ^[i]would justify the ^[j]Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “^(L)All the nations will be blessed in you.” ⁹ So then ^(M)those who are of faith are blessed with ^[k]Abraham, the believer.

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of ^[l]the Law are under a curse, for it is written, “^(N)Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹ Now that ^(O)no one is justified ^[m]by ^[n]the Law before God is evident, ^[o]for “^(P)The righteous shall live by faith.” ^12 [p]However, the Law is not ^[q]of faith; rather, “^(Q)He who does them shall live ^[r]by them.” ¹³ Christ ^(R)redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “^(S)Cursed is everyone who hangs on ^(T)a ^[s]tree”— ¹⁴ in order that ^(U)in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^[t]come to the Gentiles, so that we ^(V)would receive ^(W)the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Promise by Faith

^15 (X)Brothers, ^(Y)I speak ^[u]in human terms: ^(Z)even though it is only a man’s ^[v]covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds ^[w]conditions to it. ¹⁶ Now the promises were spoken ^(AA)to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And ^(AB)to your seed,” that is, Christ. ¹⁷ And what I am saying is this: the Law, which came ^(AC)430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to abolish the promise. ¹⁸ For ^(AD)if the inheritance is by law, it is no longer by promise, but ^(AE)God has granted it to Abraham through promise.

^19 (AF)Why the Law then? It was added ^[x]because of trespasses, having been ^(AG)ordained through angels ^(AH)by the hand of a mediator, until ^(AI)the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. ²⁰ Now ^(AJ)a mediator is not ^[y]for one person only, whereas God is one. ²¹ Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? ^(AK)May it never be! For ^(AL)if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by law. ²² But the Scripture has ^(AM)shut up ^[z]everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

²³ But before faith came, we were held in custody under the Law, ^(AN)being shut up for the coming faith to be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the Law has become our ^(AO)tutor unto Christ, so that ^(AP)we may be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a ^[aa](AQ)tutor. ²⁶ For you are all ^(AR)sons of God through faith in ^(AS)Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For all of you who were ^(AT)baptized into Christ have ^(AU)clothed yourselves with Christ. ^28 (AV)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no ^(AW)male and female, for ^(AX)you are all one in ^(AY)Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if ^(AZ)you ^[ab]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s ^[ac]seed, heirs according to ^(BA)promise.