Bible Study September 30, 2026
GALATIANS 3 (NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION)
Faith or Works of the Law
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
The Galatian believers had become fascinated by the false teachers' arguments, almost as though an evil spell had been cast on them. Magic was common in Paul's day (Acts 8:9-11; 13:6-7). Magicians used both optical illusions and Satan's power to perform miracles, and people were drawn into the magicians' mysterious rites without recognizing their dangerous source. By equating the smooth arguments of the false teachers with the hypnotic effects of magic, Paul would have grabbed the attention of the Galatian churches.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
The believers in Galatia, some of whom may have been in Jerusalem at Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit there, knew that they hadn't received God's Spirit by obeying the Jewish laws. Paul stressed that just as they began their Christian lives in the power of the Spirit, they should also grow by the Spirit's power. The Galatians had taken a step backward when they decided to insist on keeping the Jewish laws. We grow spiritually because of God's work in us by his Spirit, not by human effort or by following special programs and rules.
4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
The Galatians knew that they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed, not when they obeyed the law. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy. They prefer trying to get closer to God by following rules because there's something about earning what we get that makes us feel like we deserve it. While certain disciplines (like Bible study and prayer) and service may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. By asking these questions, Paul hoped to get the Galatians to focus again on Christ alone as the foundation of their faith.
3:5 The Holy Spirit gives Christians great power to live for God. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. The tedium of everyday living leads them to conclude that something is wrong or missing spiritually. Often the Holy Spirit's greatest help comes to from teaching us to persist, to keep on doing what God wants even when it no longer seems interesting or exciting. The Galatians quickly turned from Paul's Good News to the ideas of the newest teachers in town; but what they needed was the Holy Spirit's gift of persistence. If the Christian life seems mundane, you may need the Spirit to stir you up. Every day offers a challenge to live for Christ.
6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 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.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
The main argument of the Judaizers was that Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians. Paul exposed the flaw in this argument by showing that real children of Abraham are those who have faith, not those who keep the law. Abraham himself was saved by his faith (Genesis 15:6). All believers in every age and from every nation share Abraham's blessing. This is a comforting promise to us, a great heritage for us, and a solid foundation for living.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
Trying to be right with God (justified) by our own effort doesn't work. Good intentions such as I'll do better next time or I'll never do that again usually end in failure. Paul points to Habakkuk's declaration that by faith--believing in God's provision for our sins and living each day under his direction and in his power--we can break this cycle of failure and live the new life he promises (Habakkuk 2:4).
12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will 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 is hung on a pole.” 14 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.
When God gave Moses the law, he established blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). A curse is a strong condemnation. Jesus was the most faithful Israelite to ever live--he fulfilled the law completely. Yet he willingly paid our penalty for us. He took a curse upon himself on the cross in our place.
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers and sisters, 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. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 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. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
God has kept his promise to Abraham (Genesis 17:7-8); he has not revoked it, though thousands of years have passed. God saved Abraham through his faith, and he has blessed the world through Abraham by sending Jesus, the Messiah, as one of his descendants. Circumstances may change, but God remains constant and does not break his promises. He has promised to forgive our sins through Jesus Christ, and we can be sure he will do so.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
The law has two functions. On the positive side, it reveals the nature and will of God and shows people how to please God and treat others as he desires. On the negative side, it points out people's sins and shows them that it is impossible to please God by trying to obey all his laws completely. God's promise to Abraham dealt with Abraham's faith; the law focuses on actions. Faith does not annul the law, but the more we know God and his standards, the more we see how sinful we are. That drives us to depend on our faith in Christ alone for our salvation. The Judaizers had it backwards: They believed the law led to faith. But actually, obedience to the law flows from faith. Similarly, godly living is not the condition for faith but the result of it. When we understand the transforming power of faith, we will want to live in a way that demonstrates this transformation, and we will be moved by the Holy Spirit to do it.
20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
When God gave his promise to Abraham, he did it directly, without angels or any other mediators. Although it is not mentioned in Exodus, Jews believed that the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses by angels. (Stephen referred to this in his well-known speech; Acts 7:38, 53.) Paul was showing the superiority of salvation and growth by faith over trying to be saved by keeping the Jewish laws. Faith is superior because Abraham's faith came first in history before God gave the law to Moses. Now God has given us Jesus, our mediator and the only way to come to him (1 Timothy 2:5).
21 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. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
The iron grip of sin is a reality for all people. Before faith in Christ delivers us, we are imprisoned by sin, beaten down by past mistakes, and bound up by desires that we know are wrong. God knew we were sin's prisoners, and he provided a way of escape--faith in Jesus Christ. Without Christ, sin holds everyone in its grasp, but those who place their faith in Christ break out of these chains. Look to Christ--he is reaching out to set you free.
Children of God
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
The picture of the law as a guardian brings to mind a tutor giving a young child supervision. We no longer need that kind of supervision. The law teaches us the need for salvation; God's grace gives us that salvation. The Old Testament still has much to teach us, however. In it, God reveals his nature, his will for humanity, his moral laws, and his guidelines for worshiping him and loving others. But we cannot be saved by keeping that law; the law has always pointed to salvation in Jesus alone.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
In Roman society, when a youth became an adult, the young person would take off his or her youthful garment and put on an adult toga. When we are joined with Jesus in baptism, we put on his righteousness like new clothes (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 4:23-24). We take up a new identity and a new nature. Have you updated your wardrobe?
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Some Jewish men greeted each new day by praying, Lord, thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Under the Holy Spirit's inspiration, Paul showed clearly how Christianity enhanced the role of women immeasurably. Faith in Christ transcends all differences and makes all believers one in him. Make sure you do not impose distinctions that Christ has removed. Because all believers are his heirs, we all have equal privileges and standing with him.
3:28 Jesus created a new, multiethnic family of faith. All believers are one in him. It's our natural inclination to feel uncomfortable around people who are different from us and to gravitate toward those who are similar to us. But when we allow our differences to separate us from our fellow believers, we are disregarding clear biblical teaching. Make a point to seek out and appreciate people who are not just like you and your friends. You may be surprised by how much you have in common.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The original promise to Abraham was intended for the whole world, not just for Abraham's physical descendants (see Genesis 12:3). All believers participate in this promise and are blessed as children of Abraham.