Galatians 3-4

New King James Version

Justification by Faith^(A)

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you ^[a]that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed ^[b]among you as crucified? ² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, ^(B)or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are you so foolish? ^(C)Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by ^(D)the flesh? ^4 (E)Have you suffered so ^[c]many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham ^(F)“believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only ^(G)those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And ^(H)the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ^(I)“In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

The Law Brings a Curse

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ^(J)“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹ But that no one is ^[d]justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ^(K)“the just shall live by faith.” ¹² Yet ^(L)the law is not of faith, but ^(M)“the man who does them shall live by them.”

^13 (N)Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ^(O)“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ^14 (P)that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the ^(Q)Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive ^(R)the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Changeless Promise^(S)

¹⁵ Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: ^(T)Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. ¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of ^(U)one, ^(V)“And to your Seed,” who is ^(W)Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, ^(X)which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God ^[e]in Christ, ^(Y)that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if ^(Z)the inheritance is of the law, ^(AA)it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Purpose of the Law

¹⁹ What purpose then does the law serve? ^(AB)It was added because of transgressions, till the ^(AC)Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ^(AD)appointed through angels by the hand ^(AE)of a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, ^(AF)but God is one.

²¹ Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. ²² But the Scripture has confined ^(AG)all under sin, ^(AH)that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³ But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, ^[f]kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore ^(AI)the law was our ^[g]tutor to bring us to Christ, ^(AJ)that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Sons and Heirs

²⁶ For you ^(AK)are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For ^(AL)as many of you as were baptized into Christ ^(AM)have put on Christ. ^28 (AN)There is neither Jew nor Greek, ^(AO)there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all ^(AP)one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(AQ)if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s ^(AR)seed, and ^(AS)heirs according to the promise.

Sons and Heirs Through Christ

4 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, ² but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. ³ Even so we, when we were children, ^(AT)were in bondage under the elements of the world. ⁴ But ^(AU)when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, ^(AV)born^{[h] (AW)}of a woman, ^(AX)born under the law, ^5 (AY)to redeem those who were under the law, ^(AZ)that we might receive the adoption as sons.

⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth ^(BA)the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ^[i]“Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, ^(BB)and if a son, then an heir ^[j]of God ^[k]through Christ.

Fears for the Church

⁸ But then, indeed, ^(BC)when you did not know God, ^(BD)you served those which by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now ^(BE)after you have known God, or rather are known by God, ^(BF)how is it that you turn again to ^(BG)the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? ^10 (BH)You observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹ I am afraid for you, ^(BI)lest I have labored for you in vain.

¹² Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. ^(BJ)You have not injured me at all. ¹³ You know that ^(BK)because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. ¹⁴ And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me ^(BL)as an ^[l]angel of God, ^(BM)even as Christ Jesus. ^15 [m]What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. ¹⁶ Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

¹⁷ They ^(BN)zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. ¹⁸ But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. ^19 (BO)My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, ²⁰ I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

Two Covenants^(BP)

²¹ Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons: ^(BQ)the one by a bondwoman, ^(BR)the other by a freewoman. ²³ But he who was of the bondwoman ^(BS)was born according to the flesh, ^(BT)and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴ which things are symbolic. For these are ^[n]the two covenants: the one from Mount ^(BU)Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵ for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶ but the ^(BV)Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. ²⁷ For it is written:

²⁸ Now ^(BX)we, brethren, as Isaac was, are ^(BY)children of promise. ²⁹ But, as ^(BZ)he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, ^(CA)even so it is now. ³⁰ Nevertheless what does ^(CB)the Scripture say? ^(CC)“Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for ^(CD)the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” ³¹ So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.