The Father Gives the Spirit Through Faith
3 1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 This is the one thing I want to learn from you: did you receive the Holy Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by human effort? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So then, does our Father, who lavishly supplies you with the Holy Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 6 So it was with Abraham: "He believed our Father, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are the children of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that our Father would justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the gospel in advance to Abraham: "In you all the nations will be blessed." 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before our Father by the law, because "The righteous will live by faith." 12 But the law is not based on faith; rather, "The one who does these things will live by them."
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 He did this so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations, so that by faith we might receive the promised Holy Spirit.
The Promise Stands, the Law Serves
15 Brothers and sisters, let me speak in human terms: even with a human covenant, once it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "and to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "and to your offspring," who is Christ. a a v16 Paul builds his point on a single word: the promise was made to Abraham's "seed" (singular), and that one seed is Jesus, through whom the promise reaches everyone. 17 What I mean is this: the law, which came 430 years later, does not cancel a covenant that our Father had already confirmed, so as to undo the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, it no longer depends on the promise; but our Father gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why, then, was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made; and it was put in place through angels by a mediator. b b v19 Jewish tradition held that God delivered the law to Moses through angelic intermediaries at Mount Sinai. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; but our Father is one.
21 Is the law then opposed to the promises of our Father? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise, by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before this faith came, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was coming would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Children of the Father Through Faith
26 For in Christ Jesus you are all children of our Father through faith. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.