Galatians 3
3
By Faith, or by Works of the Law?
1O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? #[Num. 21:9] It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly #[1 Cor. 1:23]portrayed as crucified. 2Let me ask you only this: #ver. 14; Eph. 1:13; Heb. 6:4; See Acts 15:8 Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by #Rom. 10:17hearing with faith? 3Are you so foolish? #Phil. 1:6; [ch. 4:9]Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by#3:3 Or now ending with the flesh? 4#1 Cor. 15:2; [Heb. 10:35; 2 John 8]Did you suffer#3:4 Or experience so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and #[1 Cor. 12:10] works miracles among you do so #ver. 2by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6just as #Cited from Gen. 15:6; [Rom. 4:9, 21, 22]; See Rom. 4:3Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7Know then that it is #ver. 9 those of faith who are #See Luke 19:9the sons of Abraham. 8And the Scripture, foreseeing that #See Rom. 3:30 God would justify#3:8 Or count righteous; also verses 11, 24 the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, #Cited from Gen. 12:3“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 #[ch. 5:4]; See Rom. 4:15 under a curse; for it is written, #Cited from Deut. 27:26; [Jer. 11:3; Ezek. 18:4] “Cursed be everyone who does not #[Matt. 5:19]abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11Now it is evident that #See ch. 2:16 no one is justified before God by the law, for #Rom. 1:17; Heb. 10:38; Cited from Hab. 2:4“The righteous shall live by faith.”#3:11 Or The one who by faith is righteous will live 12But the law is not of faith, rather #Cited from Lev. 18:5; See Rom. 10:5“The one who does them shall live by them.” 13Christ #ch. 4:5; [Rev. 22:3]; See 2 Pet. 2:1 redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, #Cited from Deut. 21:23 “Cursed is everyone who is hanged #See Acts 5:30on a tree”— 14so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might #Rom. 4:9, 16; [ver. 28] come to the Gentiles, so that #ver. 2 we might receive #Acts 2:33; [Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Joel 2:28; John 7:39; Eph. 1:13]the promised Spirit#3:14 Greek receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The Law and the Promise
15 # See Rom. 3:5 To give a human example, brothers:#3:15 Or brothers and sisters #[Heb. 9:17]even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16Now #Rom. 4:13, 16; See Luke 1:55 the promises were made #Gen. 12:7; Acts 13:32 to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, #Acts 3:25“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17This is what I mean: the law, which came #Ex. 12:40, 41; [Gen. 15:13; Acts 7:6] 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as #Rom. 4:14to make the promise void. 18For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but #[Heb. 6:13, 14]God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19Why then the law? #[Rom. 4:15] It was added because of transgressions, #ver. 16 until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was #Acts 7:53; Heb. 2:2 put in place through angels #Ex. 20:19, 21, 22; Deut. 5:5, 22, 23, 27, 31; Acts 7:38by an intermediary. 20Now #1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24; [Heb. 6:17] an intermediary implies more than one, but #Rom. 3:30God is one.
21Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For #See ch. 2:21if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22But the Scripture #Rom. 11:32; See Rom. 3:9 imprisoned everything under sin, so that #Rom. 4:16 the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given #See Acts 10:43to those who believe.
23Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, #[1 Pet. 1:5]imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24So then, #[Matt. 5:17; Rom. 10:4; Col. 2:17; Heb. 9:9, 10] the law was our #1 Cor. 4:15 (Gk.) guardian until Christ came, #ver. 11; See ch. 2:16in 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 #ch. 4:5, 6; [John 1:12]; See Rom. 8:14-16you are all sons of God, through faith. 27For as many of you as #Rom. 6:3 were baptized #See Acts 8:16 into Christ have #See Rom. 13:14put on Christ. 28#[ver. 14; ch. 5:6; 6:15]; See Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 12:13 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave#3:28 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface nor free, #1 Cor. 11:11there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And #See Rom. 9:7; 1 Cor. 3:23 if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, #ch. 4:1, 7; Rom. 8:17; Eph. 3:6; [ch. 4:28; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:2; Heb. 9:15]heirs according to promise.
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