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¹ You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus Christ clearly portrayed as crucified before your very eyes?[xr] ² I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works[fn] of the law or by believing what you heard?[fn][xr] ³ Are you so foolish? Having started out with the Spirit, are you now ending up with the flesh?[xr] ⁴ Did you suffer so much for nothing? (If it really was for nothing!)[xr] ⁵ Does God[fn] supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the works[fn] of the law or because you believe what you heard?[fn][xr]

⁶ In the same way, Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."[fn][xr] ⁷ You see, then, that those who have faith are Abraham's real descendants.[xr] ⁸ Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, "Through you all nations[fn] will be blessed."[fn][xr] ⁹ Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the one who believed. ¹⁰ Certainly all who depend on the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the book of the law!"[fn][xr] ¹¹ Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law, because "The righteous will live by faith."[fn][xr] ¹² But the law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, "The person who keeps the commandments[fn] will have life in them."[fn][xr] ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!"[fn][xr] ¹⁴ This happened[fn] in order that the blessing promised to[fn] Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit[fn] through faith.[xr] ¹⁵ Brothers, let me use an example from everyday life.[fn] Once a person's will has been ratified, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it.[xr] ¹⁶ Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn't say "descendants," referring to many, but "your descendant,"[fn] referring to one person, who is Christ.[xr] ¹⁷ This is what I mean: The law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant previously ratified by God so as to nullify the promise.[xr] ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by the promise. But it was by a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham.[xr]

¹⁹ Why, then, was the law given?[fn] It was added because of transgressions until the descendant came to whom the promise was given. It was put into effect through angels by means of an intermediary.[xr] ²⁰ Now an intermediary involves more than one party, but God has acted on his own.[fn][xr] ²¹ So is the law in conflict with the promises of God? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could give us life, then certainly righteousness would come through the law.[xr] ²² But the Scripture has put everything under the power of sin, so that what was promised by the faithfulness of Christ[fn] might be given to those who believe.[xr] ²³ Now before this faith came, we were held in custody and carefully guarded under the law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed. ²⁴ And so the law was our guardian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.[xr] ²⁵ But now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the control of a guardian. ²⁶ For all of you are God's children through faith in Christ Jesus.[xr] ²⁷ Indeed, all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.[xr] ²⁸ A person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female, because all of you are one in Christ Jesus.[xr] ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants and heirs according to the promise.[xr]