Galatians 3 - Easy To Read Version

¹ You people in Galatia were told very clearly about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But you were very foolish. You let someone trick you.

² Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Spirit {\cf2\super [19]} ? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law {\cf2\super [20]} ? No! You received the Spirit because you heard \{the Good News {\cf2\super [21]} \} and believed it.

³ You began \{your life in Christ\} with the Spirit. Now do you try to complete it by your own power? That is foolish.

⁴ You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope they were not wasted!

⁵ Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? No! Does God work miracles {\cf2\super [22]} among you because you follow the law? No! God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard \{the Good News\} and believed it.

⁶ \{The Scriptures {\cf2\super [23]} say\} the same thing about Abraham. {\cf2\super [24]} “Abraham believed God. And God accepted Abraham’s faith. That made Abraham right with God.” {\cf2\super [25]}

⁷ So you should know that the true children of Abraham are the people who have faith.

⁸ The Scriptures told what would happen in the future. These writings said that God would make the non-Jewish people right through their faith. God told this Good News {\cf2\super [26]} to Abraham before it happened. God said to Abraham, “I will use you to bless all the people on earth.” {\cf2\super [27]}

⁹ Abraham believed this. Because Abraham believed, he was blessed. \{It is the same today.\} All people who believe are blessed the same as Abraham was blessed.

¹⁰ But people who depend on following the law \{to make them right\} are under a curse. Why? Because the Scriptures say, “A person must do all the things that are written in the law. {\cf2\super [28]} If he does not always obey, then that person is under a curse!” {\cf2\super [29]}

¹¹ So it is clear that no person can be made right with God by the law. \{The Scriptures say,\} “The person who is right with God by faith will live forever.” {\cf2\super [30]}

¹² The law does not use faith; \{it uses a different way.\} The law says, “A person who wants to find life by following these things (the law) must do the things the law says.” {\cf2\super [31]}

¹³ The law put a curse on us. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us. Christ put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, “When a person’s body is put (hung) on a tree, {\cf2\super [32]} that person is under a curse.” {\cf2\super [33]}

¹⁴ Christ did this so that God’s blessing could be given to all people. God promised this blessing to Abraham. The blessing comes through Jesus Christ. \{Christ died\} so that we could have the Spirit {\cf2\super [34]} that God promised. We receive this promise by believing.

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example: Think about an agreement that one person makes with another person. After that agreement is made official, no person can stop that agreement or add anything to it. And no person can ignore that agreement.

¹⁶ God made promises to Abraham {\cf2\super [35]} and his Descendant. {\cf2\super [36]} The Scripture does not say, “and to your descendants.” {\cf2\super [37]} (That would mean many people.) But it says, “and to your Descendant.” (That means only one person; that person is Christ.)

¹⁷ This is what I mean: The agreement \{that God gave to Abraham\} was made official long before the law {\cf2\super [38]} came. The law came 430 years later. So the law could not take away the agreement and change God’s promise.

¹⁸ Can following the law give us the things God promised? No! If we could receive those things by following the law, then it is not God’s promise that brings us those things. But God freely gave \{his blessings\} to Abraham through the promise God made.

¹⁹ So what was the law {\cf2\super [39]} for? The law was given to show the wrong things people do. The law would continue until the special Descendant of Abraham came. This is the Descendant mentioned in the promise. \{The promise came directly from God.\} But the law was given through angels. The angels used \{Moses for\} a mediator {\cf2\super [40]} to give the law to people.

²⁰ But a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God, \{who gave the promise,\} is only one.

²¹ Does this mean that the law {\cf2\super [41]} is against God’s promises? No! If there was a law that could give life to people, then we could be made right by following law.

²² But this is not true, because the Scriptures {\cf2\super [42]} showed that all people are bound by sin. Why did the Scriptures do this? So that the promise would be given to people through faith. The promise is given to people who believe in Jesus Christ.

²³ Before this faith came, we were all held prisoners by the law. {\cf2\super [43]} We had no freedom until God showed us the way of faith that was coming.

²⁴ So the law was our master until Christ came. After Christ came, we could be made right with God through faith.

²⁵ Now the way of faith has come. So we don’t live under the law now.