Galatians 3:17-4:6

Contemporary English Version

^17 (A) What I am saying is that the Law cannot change or cancel God's promise made 430 years before the Law was given. ^18 (B) If we have to obey the Law in order to receive God's blessings, those blessings don't really come to us because of God's promise. But God was kind to Abraham and made him a promise.

¹⁹ What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. But it was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendant^[a] who was given the promise. In fact, angels gave the Law to Moses, and he gave it to the people. ²⁰ There is only one God, and the Law did not come directly from him.

Slaves and Children

²¹ Does the Law disagree with God's promises? No, it doesn't! If any law could give life to us, we could become acceptable to God by obeying that law. ²² But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God's promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.

²³ The Law controlled us and kept us under its power until the time came when we would have faith. ²⁴ In fact, the Law was to be our teacher until Christ came. Then we could have faith and be acceptable to God. ²⁵ But once a person has learned to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher.

²⁶ All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. ²⁸ Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman. ^29 (C) So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family,^[b] and you will be given what God has promised. 4 ¹ Children who are under age are no better off than slaves, even though everything their parents own will someday be theirs. ² This is because children are placed in the care of guardians and teachers until the time their parents have set. ³ This is how it was with us. We were like children ruled by the powers of this world.

⁴ But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, ^5 (D) so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children. ^6 (E) Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father.