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3 <1> You people in Galatia are so foolish! Why do I say this? Because I told you very clearly about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But now it seems as though you have let someone use their magical powers to make you forget. <2> Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Spirit[29]? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law[30]? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it. <3> You began your life in Christ with the Spirit. Now do you try to complete it by your own power? That is foolish. <4> You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope they were not wasted! <5> Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? Does God work miracles[31] among you because you follow the law? No, God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it.
<6> The Scriptures[32] say the same thing about Abraham.[33] "Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham's faith. That made him right with God."[34] <7> So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith. <8> The Scriptures told what would happen in the future. These writings said that God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith. God told this Good News[35] to Abraham before it happened. God said to Abraham, "I will use you to bless all the people on earth."[36] <9> Abraham believed this, and because he believed, he was blessed. All people who believe are blessed the s ame as Abraham was.
<10> But people who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse. As the Scriptures say, "They must do everything that is written in the law. If they do not always obey, they are under a curse."[37] <11> So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law. The Scriptures say, "The one who is right with God by faith will live forever."[38]
<12> The law does not depend on faith. No, it says that the only way a person will find life by the law is to obey its commands.[39] <13> The law says we are under a curse for not always obeying it. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, "Anyone who is hung on a tree[40] is under a curse."[41] <14> Because of what Jesus Christ did, the blessing God promised to Abraham was given to all people. Christ died so that by believing in him we could have the Spirit that God promised.
<15> Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example from everyday life: Think about an agreement that one person makes with another. After that agreement is made official, no one can stop it or add anything to it, and no one can ignore it. <16> God made promises to Abraham[42] and his Descendant.[43] The Scripture[44] does not say, "and to your descendants." That would mean many people. But it says, "and to your Descendant." That means only one, and that one is Christ. <17> This is what I mean: The agreement that God gave to Abraham was made official long before the law[45] came. The law came 430 years later. So the law could not take away the agreement and change God's promise.
<18> Can following the law give us the blessing God promised? If we could receive it by following the law, then it would not be God's promise that brings it to us. But God freely gave his blessings to Abraham through the promise God made.
<19> So what was the law for? The law was given to show the wrong things people do. The law would continue until the special Descendant of Abraham came. This is the Descendant mentioned in the promise, which came directly from God. But the law was given through angels, and the angels used Moses as a mediator[46] to give the law to the people. <20> But when God gave the promise, there was no mediator, because a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God is one.[47]
<21> Does this mean that the law[48] is against God's promises? Of course not. If there was a law that could give life to people, then we could be made right by following law. <22> But this is not true, because the Scriptures[49] showed that all people are bound by sin. Why did the Scriptures do this? So that the promise would be given to people through faith in[50] Jesus Christ. It is given to those who believe in him.
<23> Before this faith came, the law held us all as prisoners. We had no freedom until God showed us the way of faith that was coming. <24> I mean the law was our master until Christ came. After he came, we could be made right with God through faith. <25> Now the way of faith has come, so we don't live under the law.
<26-27> You were all baptized[51] into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ. This shows that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. <28> Now, in Christ, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Greek,[52] a slave or free, male or female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. <29> You belong to Christ, so you are Abraham's[53] descendants. You get all of God's blessings because of the promise that God made to Abraham.
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.