Galatians 3 — FBV

3Verse 1You Galatians, you've lost your heads!⁺Who has put you under a spell? The death of Jesus Christ on a cross was clearly presented to you so you could see!^{Verse 2}So tell me—did you receive the Spirit by keeping the law, or by placing your trust in what you heard?^{Verse 3}You really have lost your heads! You began living⁺in the Spirit. Do you really think you can now make yourselves perfect by your own human efforts?^{+Verse 4}Did you go through so much suffering for nothing? (It really wasn't for nothing was it?)^{Verse 5}Let me ask you: does God⁺give you the Spirit and do so many miracles among you because you keep the law, or is it because you trust in what you heard?^{Verse 6}It's just like Abraham who “trusted God, and was considered to be right.”^{+Verse 7}So you should acknowledge that those who trust in God are the children of Abraham.^{Verse 8}In Scripture it was foreseen that God would make right the foreigners who trusted in him. The good news is revealed to Abraham beforehand with the words, “Through you all the nations will be blessed.”^{Verse 9}Consequently those who trust in God are blessed along with Abraham who trusted God.^{Verse 10}All those who rely on keeping the law⁺are under a curse, for as Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who doesn't carefully obey everything that's written in the book of the law.”^{Verse 11}Clearly nobody is made right with God by attempting to keep the law, for “Those who are made right will live by trusting God.”^{+Verse 12}Obedience to the law has nothing to do with trusting God. Scripture only says, “You will live if you observe everything the law requires.”^{+Verse 13}Christ has rescued us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.⁺As Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”⁺—^{Verse 14}so that through Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham could come to the foreigners as well, and we could receive the promise of the Spirit by trusting God.^{Verse 15}Brothers and sisters, here's an example from daily life. If a contract is drawn up and agreed, signed and sealed, nobody can ignore it or add to it.^{Verse 16}Now the promises were given to Abraham, and to his son.⁺It doesn't say, “sons” as if plural, but singular: “and to your son,” meaning Christ.^{Verse 17}Let me explain. The law, coming four hundred and thirty years later, doesn't cancel the previous agreement⁺that God made, breaking the promise.^{Verse 18}If the inheritance is derived from obedience to the law, it no longer comes from the promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham by means of the promise.^{Verse 19}What was the point of the law, then? It was added to show what wrongdoing really is, until the son came to whom the promise had been made. The law was put in place by angels through the hand of a mediator.^{Verse 20}But a mediator isn't needed when there's only one person involved. And God is one!^{+Verse 21}So does the law work against God's promises? Of course not! For if there was a law that could give life, then we could be made right by keeping it.^{Verse 22}But Scripture tells us that we all are prisoners of sin. The only way we can receive God's promises is by trusting in Jesus Christ.^{Verse 23}Before we trusted in Jesus we remained in the custody of the law until this way of trusting was revealed.^{Verse 24}The law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we could be made right by trusting him.^{Verse 25}But now this way of trusting Jesus has come, we no longer need such a guardian.^{Verse 26}For you are all God's children through your trust in Christ Jesus.^{Verse 27}All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.^{Verse 28}There's no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—you are all one in Christ Jesus.^{Verse 29}If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's children, and you are heirs of the promise!