1
You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Was not Jesus Christ, the crucified One, plainly set before your eyes?
2
This only would I learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the law, or by believing the message of the gospel?
3
Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now going to finish in the flesh?
4
Have you suffered so many things in vain? If indeed it was in vain!
5
So then, does He who supplies the Spirit to you abundantly and works miracles among you do so by your doing the law, or by your believing the message of the gospel?
6
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.
7
Know then that those who are of faith, these are the children of Abraham.
8
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
9
So then those who are of faith are blessed together with Abraham, the man of faith.
10
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things written in the book of the law.”
11
Now that no one is justified before God by doing the law is clear, because: “The righteous shall live by faith.”
12
But the law is not of faith; rather, the one who does them shall live by 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 hangs on a tree!”
14
Jesus Christ did this, so that in Him the blessing of Abraham might come to the nations, and so that by faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
15
Brothers and sisters, let me use an example from everyday life. Even a covenant that has been confirmed, though it be from a man, no one can set aside or add to.
16
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say, “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but to one: “and to your seed,” that is, Christ.
17
What I mean is this: the covenant previously confirmed by God cannot be annulled by the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to make the promise void.
18
For if the inheritance comes from the law, it is no longer from a promise; but it was by promise that God graciously gave it to Abraham.
19
Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions — until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made — and it was put in place through angels by the hand of a mediator.
20
Now a mediator is not for one party only, but God is one.
21
Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not. For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed have come through the law.
22
But the Scripture has confined all things under the power of sin, so that the promise might be given through faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.
23
Before faith came, we were held in custody under the law, confined until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
24
So the law has been our guardian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.
25
Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26
For you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
27
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to God’s promise.
📖 Galatians 3 – Only by Faith, Not by the Law
🧾 Summary of the Content
In this chapter, Paul affirms that Christians are not justified by the law of Moses, but through faith in Jesus Christ. He uses the example of Abraham, who was justified by faith, as the basis of his argument. Paul also explains that the law is not the way of salvation, but serves as a “guardian” until Christ came.
✨ Explanation by Section
| Verse | Main Point | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | Faith vs. law | Paul rebukes the Galatian believers for returning to dependence on the law after receiving the Spirit through faith. |
| 6–9 | Abraham justified by faith | Paul shows that even Abraham was blessed because of faith, not because of the law, and all who believe are children of Abraham. |
| 10–14 | The curse of the law | The law brings a curse if it is not kept perfectly. But Christ has borne that curse through the cross. |
| 15–18 | God’s promise came before the law | God’s covenant with Abraham came 430 years before the law—and God’s promise was not annulled by the law. |
| 19–25 | The purpose of the law | The law was given to make transgressions known until the Messiah came. It was a guide (tutor) toward Christ. |
| 26–29 | Unity in Christ | All believers are children of God, one in Christ, and heirs of the promise to Abraham, without distinction of nation, status, or sex. |
📘 Main Teaching
- Salvation is God’s gift through faith, not the result of human effort.
- The law cannot save; rather, it shows humanity’s need for a Savior.
- Christ bore the curse of the law so that we might receive spiritual blessing.
- We become children of God and heirs of the promise through faith, not by birthright.
- There is no difference in Christ – all are equal: Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
Galatians 3 shows that faith in Christ unites and frees us from the curse and bondage of the law. We are called to live in a loving relationship with God, not in fear of regulations.
➡️ Am I still relying on my religious works to feel “worthy”?
➡️ Am I living out my identity as a free child of God?
