Gal.3.1 blas

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Gal.3.1 blas

You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the Cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

Gal.3.1 blas

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

Gal.3.1 blas

Oh, foolish Galatians! What magician has cast an evil spell on you? For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ's death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross.

Gal.3.2 blas

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Gal.3.2 blas

Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you?

Gal.3.2 blas

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?

Gal.3.2 blas

Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ.

Gal.3.3 blas

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Gal.3.3 blas

Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?

Gal.3.3 blas

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Gal.3.3 blas

Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

Gal.3.4 blas

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Gal.3.4 blas

Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!

Gal.3.4 blas

Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing?

Gal.3.4 blas

You have suffered so much for the Good News. Surely it was not in vain, was it? Are you now going to just throw it all away?

Gal.3.5 blas

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Gal.3.5 blas

Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you?

Gal.3.5 blas

Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

Gal.3.5 blas

I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

Gal.3.6 blas

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Gal.3.6 blas

Don't these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

Gal.3.6 blas

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Gal.3.6 blas

In the same way, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him righteous because of his faith."

Gal.3.7 blas

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Gal.3.7 blas

Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ (not persons who put their trust in the law!) are like Abraham: children of faith?

Gal.3.7 blas

Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

Gal.3.7 blas

The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God.

Gal.3.8 blas

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Gal.3.8 blas

It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed in you."

Gal.3.8 blas

The 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."

Gal.3.8 blas

What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would accept the Gentiles, too, on the basis of their faith. God promised this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you."

Gal.3.9 blas

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Gal.3.9 blas

So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith--this is no new doctrine!

Gal.3.9 blas

So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Gal.3.9 blas

And so it is: All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

Gal.3.10 blas

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Gal.3.10 blas

And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: "Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law."

Gal.3.10 blas

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."

Gal.3.10 blas

But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all these commands that are written in God's Book of the Law."

Gal.3.11 blas

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Gal.3.11 blas

The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: "The person who believes God, is set right by God--and that's the real life."

Gal.3.11 blas

Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."

Gal.3.11 blas

Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

Gal.3.12 blas

And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Gal.3.12 blas

Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: "The one who does these things [rule-keeping]continues to live by them."

Gal.3.12 blas

The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."

Gal.3.12 blas

How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says, "If you wish to find life by obeying the law, you must obey all of its commands."

Gal.3.13 blas

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Gal.3.13 blas

Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the Cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse.

Gal.3.13 blas

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 tree."

Gal.3.13 blas

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Gal.3.14 blas

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Gal.3.14 blas

And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing--just the way Abraham received it. [JC]

Gal.3.14 blas

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.

Gal.3.14 blas

Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

Gal.3.15 blas

Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Gal.3.15 blas

Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it.

Gal.3.15 blas

Brothers, 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.

Gal.3.15 blas

Dear brothers and sisters, here's an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.

Gal.3.16 blas

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Gal.3.16 blas

Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say "to descendants," referring to everybody in general, but "to your descendant" (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ.

Gal.3.16 blas

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

Gal.3.16 blas

God gave the promise to Abraham and his child. And notice that it doesn't say the promise was to his children, as if it meant many descendants. But the promise was to his child--and that, of course, means Christ.

Gal.3.17 blas

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Gal.3.17 blas

This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will.

Gal.3.17 blas

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.

Gal.3.17 blas

This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.

Gal.3.18 blas

For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Gal.3.18 blas

No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham.

Gal.3.18 blas

For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

Gal.3.18 blas

For if the inheritance could be received only by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God gave it to Abraham as a promise.

Gal.3.19 blas

Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Gal.3.19 blas

The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses.

Gal.3.19 blas

What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.

Gal.3.19 blas

Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made. And there is this further difference. God gave his laws to angels to give to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

Gal.3.20 blas

Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

Gal.3.20 blas

But if there is a middleman as there was at Sinai, then the people are not dealing directly with God, are they? But the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith.

Gal.3.20 blas

A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

Gal.3.20 blas

Now a mediator is needed if two people enter into an agreement, but God acted on his own when he made his promise to Abraham.

Gal.3.21 blas

Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

Gal.3.21 blas

If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti-promise, a negation of God's will for us? Not at all. Its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time.

Gal.3.21 blas

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.

Gal.3.21 blas

Well then, is there a conflict between God's law and God's promises? Absolutely not! If the law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it.

Gal.3.22 blas

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Gal.3.22 blas

Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law.

Gal.3.22 blas

But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Gal.3.22 blas

But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.

Gal.3.23 blas

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Gal.3.23 blas

The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for.

Gal.3.23 blas

Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.

Gal.3.23 blas

Until faith in Christ was shown to us as the way of becoming right with God, we were guarded by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until we could put our faith in the coming Savior.

Gal.3.24 blas

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Gal.3.24 blas

But now you have arrived at your destination:

Gal.3.24 blas

So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.

Gal.3.24 blas

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God.

Gal.3.25 blas

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Gal.3.25 blas

By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God.

Gal.3.25 blas

Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

Gal.3.25 blas

But now that faith in Christ has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

Gal.3.26 blas

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal.3.26 blas

Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe--Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise.

Gal.3.26 blas

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,

Gal.3.26 blas

So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal.3.27 blas

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Gal.3.27 blas

In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.

Gal.3.27 blas

for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Gal.3.27 blas

And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him.

Gal.3.28 blas

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal.3.28 blas

Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises.

Gal.3.28 blas

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal.3.28 blas

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians--you are one in Christ Jesus.

Gal.3.29 blas

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal.3.29 blas

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal.3.29 blas

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal.3.29 blas

And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.