The Father Gives the Spirit Through Faith
Paul asks the Galatians one question: did the Spirit come by law-keeping or by believing what they heard? Abraham was counted righteous by faith long before Sinai. The law was a temporary guardian; now, through faith in Christ, they are our Father's children and Abraham's heirs.
3 1Foolish Galatians, who bewitched you? Jesus Christ was displayed crucified before your eyes. 2I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Holy Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 3Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by human effort? 4Did you suffer so many things in vain—if it really was in vain? 5So does our Father, who lavishly gives you the Holy Spirit and works miracles among you, do this by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 6So it was with Abraham: "He believed our Father, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7Understand, then, that those who have faith are the children of Abraham.
8Scripture, seeing ahead that our Father would justify the nations by faith, told Abraham the good news in advance: "In you all nations will be blessed."
9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10For all who rely on works of law are under a curse, since it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not keep doing everything written in the Book of the Law." 11Clearly, no one is justified before our Father by the law: "The righteous will live by faith." 12But the law isn't grounded in faith; instead, "Whoever does them will live by them."
13Christ redeemed us from the law's curse by becoming a curse for us—for Scripture says, "Cursed is everyone hung on a tree." 14He did this so that Abraham's blessing would come to the nations in Christ Jesus, so that we would receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
The Promise Stands, the Law Serves
15Brothers and sisters, let me speak in human terms: no one annuls or adds to a ratified human covenant. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and his offspring. It doesn't say "and to offsprings," plural, but "and to your offspring," singular, who is Christ. 17Here's my point: the law, coming 430 years later, doesn't cancel a covenant our Father already confirmed, so as to nullify the promise. 18If the inheritance comes from law, it's no longer from promise—but our Father gave it to Abraham through promise.
19Why then the law? It was added for wrongdoings, until the offspring to whom the promise was made would come—arranged through angels by a mediator's hand. a a v19 Jewish tradition held that God delivered the law to Moses through angelic intermediaries at Mount Sinai. 20Now a mediator is not for one party only; but our Father is one.
21Is the law then against our Father's promises? Absolutely not! If a law could give life, righteousness would truly come from law. 22But Scripture locked everything under sin, so the promise, through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23Before faith came, we were guarded under the law, shut in until the coming faith was revealed. 24So the law was our guardian until Christ, so faith could justify us. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Children of the Father Through Faith
26For in Christ Jesus you are all children of our Father through faith. 27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There 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. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
