Galatians 3:1-14 - Justified By The Law, Or Justified By Faith?
1 You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified? 2 I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the actions of the Law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having started out with the Spirit, are you now ending up with the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so much for nothing? (If it really was for nothing!) 5 Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the actions of the Law or because you believe what you heard?
6 In the same way, Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 You see, then, that those who have faith are Abraham's real descendants. 8 Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, "Through you all nations will be blessed." 9 Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the one who believed.
10 Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!" 11 Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because "The righteous will live by faith." 12 But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, "The person who keeps the commandments will have life in them." 13 The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!" 14 This happened in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.