GALASIËRS 3
Die wet of die geloof
1 Julle Galasiërs, is julle dan so sonder begrip? Wie het julle verstand benewel? Jesus Christus is tog so duidelik aan julle verkondig dat julle Hom as 't ware aan die kruis kon sien hang! 2 Net een ding wil ek van julle weet: Het julle die Heilige Gees ontvang deur die wet van Moses te onderhou of deur die evangelie te glo? 3 Is julle dan so sonder begrip? Julle het met die Gees begin; wil julle nou in eie krag eindig? 4 Was al julle swaarkry dan verniet? Dit kon tog nie verniet gewees het nie! 5 Hy wat julle met die Heilige Gees toerus en kragtig onder julle werk, doen Hy dit omdat julle die wet onderhou of omdat julle die evangelie glo? 6 So was dit ook met Abraham: “Hy het in God geglo, en God het hom vrygespreek.”t
7 Julle sien dus dat dié wat glo, kinders van Abraham is. 8 Die Skrif het vooruit geweet dat God ook mense wat nie Jode is nie, sou vryspreek as hulle glo. Daarom het die Skrif al voorheen die goeie nuus vir Abraham gebring: “In jou sal al die nasies geseën word.”t 9 Dit is dus dié wat glo, wat saam met die gelowige Abraham geseën word.
10 Maar almal wat staat maak op die onderhouding van die wet, val onder die vloek, want daar staan geskrywe: “Daar rus 'n vloek op elkeen wat nie stiptelik alles doen wat in die boek van die wet geskrywe staan nie.”t 11 En dat niemand op grond van die wet deur God vrygespreek word nie, is duidelik, want “hy wat deur God vrygespreek is omdat hy glo, sal lewe.”t
12 By die wet gaan dit egter nie om die geloof nie, maar om die daad, want daar staan: “Hy wat dóén wat die wet sê, sal daardeur lewe.”t
13 Christus het ons losgekoop van die vloek wat die wet meebring, deur in ons plek 'n vervloekte te word. Daar staan naamlik geskrywe: “Vervloek is elkeen wat aan 'n hout opgehang is.”t 14 Daardeur kan ook hulle wat nie Jode is nie, deur Christus Jesus deel kry aan die seën wat God aan Abraham toegesê het. So het ons dan deur die geloof die Gees ontvang wat God beloof het.
Die wet en die belofte
15 Broers, ek gaan nou 'n voorbeeld uit die gewone lewe neem. As 'n testament, wat maar net mensewerk is, eers geldig is, kan niemand dit ongeldig maak of iets daaraan toevoeg nie. 16 God het sy beloftes aan Abraham en aan sy nakomeling gegee. Daar staan nie “aan nakomelinge”, meer as een nie, maar: “en aan jou nakomeling”t, net een, en hierdie nakomeling is Christus.
17 Hiermee wil ek dít sê: God het 'n verbond met Abraham gesluit en dit tóé al geldig gemaak. Die wet, wat eers vier honderd en dertig jaar later gekom het, kan nie hierdie verbond ongeldig maak, sodat God se belofte aan Abraham nie meer sou geld nie. 18 As 'n mens dit wat beloof is, kry op grond van die onderhouding van die wet van Moses, kry jy dit nie meer op grond van die belofte nie, en God het sy genade aan Abraham juis deur 'n belofte toegesê.
19 Watter doel dien die wet dan? Dit is later bygevoeg as gevolg van die sonde, en dit is bedoel vir die tyd totdat die nakomeling op wie die belofte betrekking het, sou kom. Engele het die wet deur middel van 'n tussenganger aan die volk gegee. 20 Maar as daar net één is wat handel, is 'n tussenganger nie nodig nie, en God ís net een.
Slawe en seuns
21 Wil dit nou sê dat die wet van Moses in stryd is met die beloftes van God? Beslis nie! As 'n wet gegee was wat in staat was om die ware lewe te skenk, sou 'n mens inderdaad vrygespreek kon word op grond daarvan dat hy die wet onderhou.
22 Maar volgens die Skrif is die hele wêreld vasgevang in die greep van die sonde; die belofte word dus vir die gelowiges vervul alleen op grond van die geloof in Jesus Christus.
23 Voordat hierdie geloof gekom het, is ons deur die wet gevange gehou en bewaak totdat die tyd van die geloof sou aanbreek. 24 Ons was dus onder die toesig van die wet totdat Christus sou kom, sodat ons deur te glo, vrygespreek sou word. 25 Maar nou dat die tyd van die geloof gekom het, staan ons nie meer onder die toesig van die wet nie.
26 Deur hierdie geloof in Christus Jesus is julle nou almal kinders van God, 27 want julle almal wat deur die doop met Christus verenig is, het nou deel van Christus geword. 28 Dit maak nie saak of iemand Jood of Griek, slaaf of vry, man of vrou is nie: in Christus Jesus is julle almal één. 29 En as julle aan Christus behoort, is julle ook nakomelinge van Abraham en erfgename kragtens die belofte van God.
Galatians 3
1 O YOU poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you, unto whom--right before your very eyes--Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified?2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]? [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?]3 Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?4 Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing (to no purpose)--if it really is to no purpose and in vain?5 Then does He Who supplies you with His marvelous [Holy] Spirit and works powerfully and miraculously among you do so on [the grounds of your doing] what the Law demands, or because of your believing in and adhering to and trusting in and relying on the message that you heard?6 Thus Abraham believed in and adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness (as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action). 7 Know and understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham.8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify (declare righteous, put in right standing with Himself) the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel [foretelling the glad tidings of a Savior long beforehand] to Abraham in the promise, saying, In you shall all the nations [of the earth] be blessed. 9 So then, those who are people of faith are blessed and made happy and favored by God [as partners in fellowship] with the believing and trusting Abraham.10 And all who depend on the Law [who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals] are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them. 11 Now it is evident that no person is justified (declared righteous and brought into right standing with God) through the Law, for the Scripture says, The man in right standing with God [the just, the righteous] shall live by and out of faith and he who through and by faith is declared righteous and in right standing with God shall live. 12 But the Law does not rest on faith [does not require faith, has nothing to do with faith], for it itself says, He who does them [the things prescribed by the Law] shall live by them [not by faith]. 13 Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified); 14 To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.15 To speak in terms of human relations, brethren, [if] even a man makes a last will and testament (a merely human covenant), no one sets it aside or makes it void or adds to it when once it has been drawn up and signed (ratified, confirmed).16 Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir). He [God] does not say, And to seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is [none other than] Christ (the Messiah). 17 This is my argument: The Law, which began 430 years after the covenant [concerning the coming Messiah], does not and cannot annul the covenant previously established (ratified) by God, so as to abolish the promise and make it void. 18 For if the inheritance [of the promise depends on observing] the Law [as these false teachers would like you to believe], it no longer [depends] on the promise; however, God gave it to Abraham [as a free gift solely] by virtue of His promise.19 What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of transgressions and [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it [the Law] was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between God and man].20 Now a go-between (intermediary) has to do with and implies more than one party [there can be no mediator with just one person]. Yet God is [only] one Person [and He was the sole party in giving that promise to Abraham. But the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity was dependent on both].21 Is the Law then contrary and opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer [spiritual] life, then righteousness and right standing with God would certainly have come by Law.22 But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].23 Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),24 So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.25 But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood).26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.27 For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.28 There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.29 And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.