Galatians:3

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* You foolish Galatians ! Who put you under a spell ? Was not Jesus Christ clearly portrayed as crucified before your very eyes ? * I want to learn only one thing from you : Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard ? * Are you so foolish ? Having started out with the Spirit , are you now ending up with the flesh ? * Did you suffer so much for nothing ? (If it really was for nothing !) * Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the works of the law or because you believe what you heard ? * In the same way , Abraham “believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness .” * You see , then , that those who have faith are Abraham 's real descendants . * Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the Gentiles by faith , it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said , “Through you all nations will be blessed .” * Therefore , those who believe are blessed together with Abraham , the one who believed . * Certainly all who depend on the works of the law are under a curse . For it is written , “A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the book of the law !” * Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law , because “The righteous will live by faith .” * But the law has nothing to do with faith . Instead , “The person who keeps the commandments will have life in them .” * Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us . For it is written , “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree !” * This happened in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus , so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith . * Brothers , let me use an example from everyday life . Once a person 's will has been ratified , no one can cancel it or add conditions to it . * Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant . It doesn 't say “descendants ,” referring to many , but “your descendant ,” referring to one person , who is Christ . * This is what I mean : The law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant previously ratified by God so as to nullify the promise . * For if the inheritance comes by the law , it no longer comes by the promise . But it was by a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham . * Why , then , was the law given ? It was added because of transgressions until the descendant came to whom the promise was given . It was put into effect through angels by means of an intermediary . * Now an intermediary involves more than one party , but God has acted on his own . * So is the law in conflict with the promises of God ? Of course not ! For if a law had been given that could give us life , then certainly righteousness would come through the law . * But the Scripture has put everything under the power of sin , so that what was promised by the faithfulness of Christ might be given to those who believe . * Now before this faith came , we were held in custody and carefully guarded under the law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed . * And so the law was our guardian until Christ came , so that we might be justified by faith . * But now that this faith has come , we are no longer under the control of a guardian . * For all of you are God 's children through faith in Christ Jesus . * Indeed , all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ . * A person is no longer a Jew or a Greek , a slave or a free person , a male or a female , because all of you are one in Christ Jesus . * And if you belong to Christ , then you are Abraham 's descendants and heirs according to the promise .

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