Law or Faith
1 You foolish Galatians! Who put a spell on you? Before your very eyes you had a clear description of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross! 2 Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it? 3 How can you be so foolish! You began by God's Spirit; do you now want to finish by your own power? 4 Did all your experience mean nothing at all? Surely it meant something! 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it?
6 Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, “He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” 7 You should realize, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith. 8 The scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: “Through you God will bless all people.” 9 Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was.
10 Those who depend on obeying the Law live under a curse. For the scripture says, “Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law is under God's curse!” 11 Now, it is clear that no one is put right with God by means of the Law, because the scripture says, “Only the person who is put right with God through faith shall live.” 12 But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, as the scripture says, “Whoever does everything the Law requires will live.”
13 But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God's curse.” 14 Christ did this in order that the blessing which God promised to Abraham might be given to the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God.
The Law and the Promise
15 My friends, I am going to use an everyday example: when two people agree on a matter and sign an agreement, no one can break it or add anything to it. 16 Now, God made his promises to Abraham and to his descendant. The scripture does not use the plural “descendants,” meaning many people, but the singular “descendant,” meaning one person only, namely, Christ. 17 What I mean is that God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to keep it. The Law, which was given four hundred and thirty years later, cannot break that covenant and cancel God's promise. 18 For if God's gift depends on the Law, then it no longer depends on his promise. However, it was because of his promise that God gave that gift to Abraham.
19 What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made. The Law was handed down by angels, with a man acting as a go-between. 20 But a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.
The Purpose of the Law
21 Does this mean that the Law is against God's promises? No, not at all! For if human beings had received a law that could bring life, then everyone could be put right with God by obeying it. 22 But the scripture says that the whole world is under the power of sin; and so the gift which is promised on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ is given to those who believe.
23 But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. 24 And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith. 25 Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us.
26 It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus. 27 You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself. 28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.
1 Jūs, neprātīgie galatieši, kas jūs apmājis, jūs, kam acu priekšā ir tēlots Jēzus Kristus, krustā sistais?
2 To vien vēlētos no jums dabūt zināt: Vai jūs garu esat saņēmuši ar bauslības darbiem vai ar ticības sludi-nāšanu?
3 Vai jūs esat tik neprātīgi? Garā iesākuši, jūs tagad miesā gribat pabeigt?
4 Vai tik lielas lietas jūs velti esat piedzīvojuši? taču ne velti!
5 Vai tad nu tas, kas jums sniedz garu un jūsos modina brīnuma spēkus, to dara ar bauslības darbiem vai ar ticības sludināšanu?
6 Jau Ābrahāms „ticēja Dievam, un to viņam pielīdzināja par taisnību.“
7 Tā tad atzīstiet, ka tie, kas tic, ir Ābrahāma bērni.
8 Bet raksti, paredzēdami, ka Dievs pēc ticības taisno pagānu tautas, ir Ābrahāmam iepriekš pasludinājuši prieka vēsti: „Tevī taps svētītas visas tautas.“
9 Tā tad tie, kas tic, tiek svētīti līdz ar ticīgo Ābrahāmu.
10 Proti visi, kas dzīvo bauslības darbos, ir zem lāsta; jo ir rakstīts: „Nolādēts ir ikkatrs, kas netur un nedara visu to, kas ir rakstīts bauslības grāmatā.“
11 Bet ir skaidrs, ka ar bauslību neviens netop taisns Dieva priekšā, jo „ticībā taisnais dzīvos.“
12 Bauslībai nav daļas ar ticību, bet—„kas to ir turējis, tam tā dod dzīvību.“
13 Kristus ir mūs atpircis no bauslības lāsta, mūsu labā kļūdams par lāstu, jo ir rakstīts: „Nolādēts ir ikkatrs, kas karājas pie koka,“
14 Lai Ābrahāma svētība nāktu pār pagānu tautām Jēzū Kristū, tā ka ticībā mēs saņemam gara apsolījumu.
15 Brāļi, es runāju cilvēcīgi, ir cilvēka pēdējo gribu, kas stājusies spēkā, neviens neatceļ, nedz pieliek tai ko klāt.
16 Ābrahāmam un viņa dzimumam ir doti apsolījumi. Nav rakstīts „un dzimumiem,“ tas ir par daudziem, bet par vienu: „un tavam dzimumam,“ proti Kristum.
17 Bet es domāju to: Dieva jau sen spēkā nākušo gribas izpausmi neatceļ bauslība, kas dota četri simti trīsdesmit gadus vēlāk. Tā nevar iznīcināt apso-lījumu.
18 Jo, ja ar bauslību nāk mantojums, tad vairs ne ar apsolījumu, bet Ābrahāmam to Dievs ar savu apsolījumu ir dāvinājis.
19 Kāpēc tad nu dota bauslība? Pārkāpumu dēļ tā ir klātpielikta—līdz nāktu atvase, kam ir dots apsolījums—eņģeļu dota, ar starpnieka roku uzrakstīta.
20 Kur viens, tur nav starpnieka, bet Dievs ir viens vienīgs.
21 Vai tad nu bauslība ir pret Dieva apsolījumiem? Nekādā ziņā ne. Jo, ja būtu dota bauslība, kas spēj dzīvu darīt, tad patiesi taisnība nāktu ar bauslību.
22 Bet raksti ir it visu saslēguši grēkā, lai apsolījums taptu dots ticīgiem ticībā uz Jēzu Kristu.
23 Bet pirms nāca ticība, mēs bijām turēti ieslēgti bauslības važās, līdz parādītos ticība, kurai bij jānāk.
24 Tā tad bauslība ir līdz Kristum bijusi mūsu audzinātāja, lai mēs ticībā kļūtum taisnoti.
25 Bet, kad ticība ir nākusi, tad audzinātājai nav vairs varas pār mums.
26 Jūs jau visi ticēdami uz Jēzu Kristu esat Dieva bērni.
27 Jo jūs visi, kas esat kristīti Kristus vārdā, esat tērpušies Kristū.
28 Tur nav ne jūda ne grieķa, nav ne kalpa nedz svabadā, tur nav ne vīrieša nedz sievietes, jo jūs visi esat viens Kristū Jēzū.
29 Bet kad jūs piederat Kristum, tad jūs esat Ābrahāma dzimums, mantinieki pēc apsolījuma.
