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1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
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You people in Galatia were told very clearly about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But you were foolish; you let someone trick you.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
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Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the Good News and believed it.
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
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You began your life in Christ by the Spirit. Now are you trying to make it complete by your own power? That is foolish.
4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?
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Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not!
5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
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Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you follow the law? No, he does these things because you heard the Good News and believed it.
6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
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The Scriptures say the same thing about Abraham: "Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God."
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.
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So you should know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith.
8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
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The Scriptures, telling what would happen in the future, said that God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith. This Good News was told to Abraham beforehand, as the Scripture says: "All nations will be blessed through you."
9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
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So all who believe as Abraham believed are blessed just as Abraham was.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
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But those who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse, because the Scriptures say, "Anyone will be cursed who does not always obey what is written in the Book of the Law."
11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
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Now it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law, because the Scriptures say, "Those who are right with God will live by trusting in him."
12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”
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The law is not based on faith. It says, "A person who obeys these things will live because of 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 pole.”
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Christ took away the curse the law put on us. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. It is written in the Scriptures, "Anyone whose body is displayed on a treen is cursed."
14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
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Christ did this so that God's blessing promised to Abraham might come through Jesus Christ to those who are not Jews. Jesus died so that by our believing we could receive the Spirit that God promised.
15 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.
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Brothers and sisters, let us think in human terms: Even an agreement made between two persons is firm. After that agreement is accepted by both people, no one can stop it or add anything to it.
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
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God made promises both to Abraham and to his descendant. God did not say, "and to your descendants." That would mean many people. But God said, "and to your descendant." That means only one person; that person is Christ.
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
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This is what I mean: God had an agreement with Abraham and promised to keep it. The law, which came four hundred thirty years later, cannot change that agreement and so destroy God's promise to Abraham.
18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
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If the law could give us Abraham's blessing, then the promise would not be necessary. But that is not possible, because God freely gave his blessings to Abraham through the promise he had made.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
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So what was the law for? It was given to show that the wrong things people do are against God's will. And it continued until the special descendant, who had been promised, came. The law was given through angels who used Moses for a mediatorn to give the law to people.
20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
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But a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God is only one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
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Does this mean that the law is against God's promises? Never! That would be true only if the law could make us right. But God did not give a law that can bring life.
22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
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Instead, the Scriptures showed that the whole world is bound by sin. This was so the promise would be given through faith to people who believe in Jesus Christ.
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
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Before this faith came, we were all held prisoners by the law. We had no freedom until God showed us the way of faith that was coming.
24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.
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In other words, the law was our guardian leading us to Christ so that we could be made right with God through faith.
25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
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Now the way of faith has come, and we no longer live under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
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27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
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You were all baptized into Christ, and so you were all clothed with Christ. This means that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
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In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
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You belong to Christ, so you are Abraham's descendants. You will inherit all of God's blessings because of the promise God made to Abraham.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.