Galatians 3

Faith is the Only Way

1 You stupid Galatians! I told you exactly how Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross. Has someone now put an evil spell on you?2 I want to know only one thing. How were you given God’s Spirit? Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him?3 How can you be so stupid? Do you think that by yourself you can complete what God’s Spirit started in you?4 Have you gone through all of this for nothing? Is it all really for nothing?

5 God gives you his Spirit and works miracles in you. But does he do this because you obey the Law of Moses or because you have heard about Christ and have faith in him?
6 t The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith.7 t7 And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham.t8 t8 Long ago the Scriptures said that God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. That’s why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him.

9 This means that everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.
10 t Anyone who tries to please God by obeying the Law is under a curse. The Scriptures say, “Everyone who doesn’t obey everything in the Law is under a curse.”

11 t11 No one can please God by obeying the Law. The Scriptures also say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.” t
12 t The Law isn’t based on faith. It promises life only to people who obey its commands.13 t13 But Christ rescued us from the Law’s curse, when he became a curse in our place. This is because the Scriptures say that anyone who is nailed to a tree is under a curse.14 And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing that was promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.

The Law and the Promise

15 My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement.t16 That is how it is with the promises God made to Abraham and his descendant.t The promises were not made to many descendants, but only to one, and that one is Christ.17 t17 What I am saying is that the Law cannot change or cancel God’s promise that was made 430 years before the Law was given.

18 t18 If we have to obey the Law in order to receive God’s blessings, those blessings don’t really come to us because of God’s promise. But God was kind to Abraham and made him a promise.
19 What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. But it was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendantt who was given the promise. In fact, angels gave the Law to Moses, and he gave it to the people.20 There is only one God, and the Law did not come directly from him.

Slaves and Children

21 Does the Law disagree with God’s promises? No, it doesn’t! If any law could give life to us, we could become acceptable to God by obeying that law.

22 But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God’s promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.
23 The Law controlled us and kept us under its power until the time came when we would have faith.24 In fact, the Law was our teacher. It was supposed to teach us until we had faith and were acceptable to God.

25 But once a person has learned to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher.
26 All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus.27 And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes.28 Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.

29 t29 So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham’s family,t and you will be given what God has promised.

Galatians 4

1 Children who are under age are no better off than slaves, even though everything their parents own will someday be theirs.2 This is because children are placed in the care of guardians and teachers until the time their parents have set.

3 That is how it was with us. We were like children ruled by the powers of this world.
4 But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law,5 t5 so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children.6 Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father.7 You are no longer slaves. You are God’s children, and you will be given what he has promised.

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

8 Before you knew God, you were slaves of gods that are not real.9 But now you know God, or better still, God knows you. How can you turn back and become the slaves of those weak and pitiful powers?t10 You even celebrate certain days, months, seasons, and years.

11 I am afraid I have wasted my time working with you.
12 My friends, I beg you to be like me, just as I once tried to be like you. Did you mistreat me13 when I first preached to you? No you didn’t, even though you knew I had come there because I was sick.14 My illness must have caused you some trouble, but you didn’t hate me or turn me away because of it. You welcomed me as though I were one of God’s angels or even Christ Jesus himself.15 Where is that good feeling now? I am sure that if it had been possible, you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me.

16 Am I now your enemy, just because I told you the truth?
17 Those people may be paying you a lot of attention, but it isn’t for your good. They only want to keep you away from me, so you will pay them a lot of attention.18 It is always good to give your attention to something worthwhile, even when I am not with you.19 My children, I am in terrible pain until Christ may be seen living in you.20 I wish I were with you now. Then I would not have to talk this way. You really have me puzzled.

Hagar and Sarah

21 Some of you would like to be under the rule of the Law of Moses. But do you know what the Law says?22 t22 In the Scriptures we learn that Abraham had two sons. The mother of one of them was a slave, while the mother of the other one had always been free.

23 The son of the slave woman was born in the usual way. But the son of the free woman was born because of God’s promise.
24 All of this has another meaning as well. Each of the two women stands for one of the agreements God made with his people. Hagar, the slave woman, stands for the agreement that was made at Mount Sinai. Everyone born into her family is a slave.

25 Hagar also stands for Mount Sinai in Arabiat and for the present city of Jerusalem. Shet and her children are slaves.
26 But our mother is the city of Jerusalem in heaven above, and she isn’t a slave.

27 t27 The Scriptures say about her, “You have never had children,
but now you can be glad.
You have never given birth,
but now you can shout.
Once you had no children,
but now you will have
more children than a woman
who has been married
for a long time.”

28 My friends, you were born because of this promise, just as Isaac was.29 t29 But the child who was born in the natural way made trouble for the child who was born because of the Spirit. The same thing is happening today.30 t30 The Scriptures say, “Get rid of the slave woman and her son! He won’t be given anything. The son of the free woman will receive everything.”

31 My friends, we are children of the free woman and not of the slave.

Galatians 5

Christ Gives Freedom

1 Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don’t ever become slaves of the Law again.

2 I, Paul, promise you that Christ won’t do you any good if you get circumcised.3 If you do, you must obey the whole Law.4 And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his wonderful kindness.5 But the Spirit makes us sure that God will accept us because of our faith in Christ.

6 If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.
7 You were doing so well until someone made you turn from the truth.8 And that person was certainly not sent by the one who chose you.9 t9 A little yeast can change a whole batch of dough,

10 but you belong to the Lord. That makes me certain that you will do what I say, instead of what someone else tells you to do. Whoever is causing trouble for you will be punished.
11 My friends, if I still preach that people need to be circumcised, why am I in so much trouble? The message about the cross would no longer be a problem, if I told people to be circumcised.

12 I wish that everyone who is upsetting you would not only get circumcised, but would cut off much more!
13 My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.14 t14 All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.15 But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.

God’s Spirit and Our Own Desires

16 If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires.17 t17 The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should.

18 But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.
19 People’s desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds.20 They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are

21 envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God’s kingdom.
22 God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires.25 God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit.

26 But don’t be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.