I Will Walk with Integrity

A Psalm of David.

By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ^zIt was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly ^aportrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: ^bDid you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by ^chearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? ^dHaving begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by¹ the flesh? 4 ^eDid you suffer² so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and ^fworks miracles among you do so ^gby works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as ^hAbraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

7 Know then that it is ⁱthose of faith who are ^jthe sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that ^kGod would justify³ the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ^l“In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

10 For all who rely on works of the law are ^munder a curse; for it is written, ⁿ“Cursed be everyone who does not ^oabide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that ^pno one is justified before God by the law, for ^q“The righteous shall live by faith.”⁴ 12 But the law is not of faith, rather ^r“The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ ^sredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ^t“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^uon a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might ^vcome to the Gentiles, so that ^wwe might receive ^xthe promised Spirit⁵ through faith.

The Law and the Promise

15 ^yTo give a human example, brothers:^{6 z}even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now ^athe promises were made ^bto Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, ^c“And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came ^d430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as ^eto make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but ^fGod gave it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then the law? ^gIt was added because of transgressions, ^huntil the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was ⁱput in place through angels ^jby an intermediary. 20 Now ^kan intermediary implies more than one, but ^lGod is one.

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For ^mif a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture ⁿimprisoned everything under sin, so that ^othe promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given ^pto those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, ^qimprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, ^rthe law was our ^sguardian until Christ came, ^tin order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus ^uyou are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as ^vwere baptized ^winto Christ have ^xput on Christ. 28 ^yThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave⁷ nor free, ^zthere is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And ^aif you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, ^bheirs according to promise.