Letters from Heaven (2020 Edition) E-Book

Brian Simmons

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: The Passion Translation
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 284

Beschreibung

Letters from Heaven is a compilation of some of the Bible's most beautiful truths. Written by the apostle Paul, these letters invite us to understand the heart of the gospel.   Galatians teaches us to live in heaven's freedom, Ephesians lays the exciting foundation for our faith, and Philippians fills our hearts with joy. In Colossians, we uncover the revelation of Christ in us, and Paul's Thessalonian letters extend comfort and encouragement to remain faithful. To his spiritual sons Timothy and Titus, Paul offers sage advice, stirring our hearts to serve God and love him supremely. Concluding this compilation is Paul's letter to Philemon, in which he champions forgiving love as the key to unity.   It feels as if Paul himself is in the room, sharing his experiences and messages of life. We sense the Holy Spirit and the urgency to persevere through suffering so that upon his glorious return, Christ finds us passionate lovers of God.   At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past. Galatians 5:1

Leseprobe

The Passion Translation®Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon: Letters from Heaven

Published by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLCBroadStreetPublishing.comThePassionTranslation.com

The Passion Translation is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.

Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except as noted below, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The text from Letters from Heaven may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio), up to and inclusive of 40 verses or less, without written permission from the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not amount to a complete chapter of the Bible, nor do verses quoted account for 20 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work. When quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon: Letters from Heaven. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

All Scripture quotations are from The Passion Translation®, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon: Letters from Heaven. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

When quotations from The Passion Translation (TPT) are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, sermons, newsletters, or projected in worship settings, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials TPT must appear at the end of each quotation.

Quotations in excess of these guidelines or other permission requests must be approved in writing by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC. Please send requests through the contact form at ThePassionTranslation.com/permissions.

For information about bulk sales or customized editions of The Passion Translation, please contact [email protected].

The publisher and TPT team have worked diligently and prayerfully to present this version of The Passion Translation Bible with excellence and accuracy. If you find a mistake in the Bible text or footnotes, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

978-1-4245-6332-6 (paperback)978-1-4245-6333-3 (e-book)

Printed in the United States of America

21 22 23 24 25 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Information

A Note to Readers

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Your Personal Invitation to Follow Jesus

About the Translator

A NOTE TO READERS

It would be impossible to calculate how many lives have been changed forever by the power of the Bible, the living Word of God! My own life was transformed because I believed the message contained in Scripture about Jesus, the Savior.

To hold the Bible dear to your heart is the sacred obsession of every true follower of Jesus. Yet to go even further and truly understand the Bible is how we gain light and truth to live by. Did you catch the word understand? People everywhere say the same thing: “I want to understand God’s Word, not just read it.”

Thankfully, as English speakers, we have a plethora of Bible translations, commentaries, study guides, devotionals, churches, and Bible teachers to assist us. Our hearts crave to know God—to not just know about him, but to know him as intimately as we possibly can in this life. This is what makes Bible translations so valuable, because each one will hopefully lead us into new discoveries of God’s character. I believe God is committed to giving us truth in a package we can understand and apply, so I thank God for every translation of God’s Word that we have.

God’s Word does not change, but over time languages definitely do, thus the need for updated and revised translations of the Bible. Translations give us the words God spoke through his servants, but words can be poor containers for revelation because they leak! Meaning is influenced by culture, background, and many other details. Just imagine how differently the Hebrew authors of the Old Testament saw the world three thousand years ago from the way we see it today!

Even within one language and culture, meanings of words change from one generation to the next. For example, many contemporary Bible readers would be quite surprised to find unicorns are mentioned nine times in the King James Version (KJV). Here’s one instance in Isaiah 34:7: “And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.” This isn’t a result of poor translation, but rather an example of how our culture, language, and understanding of the world has shifted over the past few centuries. So, it is important that we have a modern English text of the Bible that releases revelation and truth into our hearts. The Passion Translation (TPT) is committed to bringing forth the potency of God’s Word in relevant, contemporary vocabulary that doesn’t distract from its meaning or distort it in any way. So many people have told us that they are falling in love with the Bible again as they read TPT.

We often hear the statement, “I just want a word-for-word translation that doesn’t mess it up or insert a bias.” That’s a noble desire. But a word-for-word translation would be nearly unreadable. It is simply impossible to translate one Hebrew word for one English word. Hebrew is built from triliteral consonant roots. Biblical Hebrew had no vowels or punctuation. And Koine Greek, although wonderfully articulate, cannot always be conveyed in English by a word-for-word translation. For example, a literal word-for-word translation of the Greek in Matthew 1:18 would be something like this: “Of the but Jesus Christ the birth thus was. Being betrothed the mother of him, Mary, to Joseph, before or to come together them she was found in belly having from Spirit Holy.”

Even the KJV, which many believe to be a very literal translation, renders this verse: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

This comparison makes the KJV look like a paraphrase next to a strictly literal translation! To some degree, every Bible translator is forced to move words around in a sentence to convey with meaning the thought of the verse. There is no such thing as a truly literal translation of the Bible, for there is not an equivalent language that perfectly conveys the meaning of the biblical text. Is it really possible to have a highly accurate and highly readable English Bible? We certainly hope so! It is so important that God’s Word is living in our hearts, ringing in our ears, and burning in our souls. Transferring God’s revelation from Hebrew and Greek into English is an art, not merely a linguistic science. Thus, we need all the accurate translations we can find. If a verse or passage in one translation seems confusing, it is good to do a side-by-side comparison with another version.

It is difficult to say which translation is the “best.” “Best” is often in the eyes of the reader and is determined by how important differing factors are to different people. However, the “best” translation, in my thinking, is the one that makes the Word of God clear and accurate, no matter how many words it takes to express it.

That’s the aim of The Passion Translation: to bring God’s eternal truth into a highly readable heart-level expression that causes truth and love to jump out of the text and lodge inside our hearts. A desire to remain accurate to the text and a desire to communicate God’s heart of passion for his people are the two driving forces behind TPT. So for those new to Bible reading, we hope TPT will excite and illuminate. For scholars and Bible students, we hope TPT will bring the joys of new discoveries from the text and prompt deeper consideration of what God has spoken to his people. We all have so much more to learn and discover about God in his holy Word!

You will notice at times we’ve italicized certain words or phrases. These portions are not in the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic manuscripts but are implied from the context. We’ve made these implications explicit for the sake of narrative clarity and to better convey the meaning of God’s Word. This is a common practice by mainstream translations.

We’ve also chosen to translate certain names in their original Hebrew or Greek forms to better convey their cultural meaning and significance. For instance, some translations of the Bible have substituted James for Jacob and Jude for Judah. Both Greek and Aramaic manuscripts leave these Hebrew names in their original forms. Therefore, this translation uses those cultural names.

The purpose of The Passion Translation is to reintroduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader. It doesn’t merely convey the literal meaning of words. It expresses God’s passion for people and his world by translating the original, life-changing message of God’s Word for modern readers.

We pray this version of God’s Word will kindle in you a burning desire to know the heart of God, while impacting the church for years to come.

Please visit ThePassionTranslation.com for more information.

Brian Simmons and the translation team

GALATIANS

(return to table of contents)

Introduction • One • Two • Three • Four • Five • Six

GALATIANS

Introduction

AT A GLANCE

Author: The apostle Paul

Audience: The church of Galatia

Date: AD 47–48, or early 50s

Type of Literature: A letter

Major Themes: Grace gospel, justification, the law, legalism, freedom and behavior, and Jesus Christ

Outline:

Letter Opening — 1:1–10

Paul Defends His Ministry and Message — 1:11–2:21

Paul Defends His Theology and Gospel — 3:1–4:31

Paul Applies His Message Practically — 5:1–6:10

Letter Closing — 6:11–18

ABOUT GALATIANS

Heaven’s freedom! This “grace gospel” brings heaven’s freedom into our lives—freedom to live for God and serve one another, as well as freedom from religious bondage. We can thank God today that Paul’s gospel is still being preached and heaven’s freedom is available to every believer. We are free to soar even higher than keeping religious laws; we have a grace-righteousness that places us at the right hand of the throne of God, not as servants, but as sons and daughters of the Most High!

When Paul wrote his letter, the grace gospel was under attack. So too was his apostolic ministry—it was also debunked by those who wanted to mix grace with the keeping of Jewish law. Paul begins his letter to the Galatians by making it clear that it was not a group of men who commissioned him; instead, he was a “sent one” by the direct commissioning of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the message of grace that he preached was not a secondhand truth that he got from someone else, for he received it through a direct encounter with Jesus. Paul’s ministry can be trusted and his gospel can be believed.

Who was this man, Paul? He was born with the name Saul in the city of Tarsus, the once prosperous capital of Cilicia in southern Turkey. Apparently there was a large Jewish colony in that region. Yet Saul was raised in Jerusalem and tutored by the venerated Jewish rabbi Gamaliel.

Before Saul was converted through a divine encounter, he was considered one of the most brilliant Jewish Pharisees of his day. After his conversion to Christ, however, his name became Paul and his ministry began. Reaching the non-Jewish nations with the glorious gospel of Christ was Paul’s passion and pursuit. We can thank God that this brilliant man has left us his inspired letters to the churches.

PURPOSE

What a wonderful purpose is found in this letter from heaven! Shortly after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus), the gospel spread to other ethnicities as well. By the apostolic mandate given to Jesus’ disciples, they were sent into every nation. The first converts among the non-Jewish people needed clarity as to the “Jewishness” of the gospel. Was the gospel revelation to be based upon grace or upon keeping the law of Moses? Galatians was written by the apostle Paul to put those questions to rest.

AUTHOR AND AUDIENCE

The chronological order of the books of the New Testament is somewhat certain. However, the first book Paul wrote is often debated; some say it was 1 Thessalonians and others claim it was Galatians. It is my conclusion that Galatians was the first book he penned, possibly around AD 47–48, in order to passionately defend the gospel of grace from those who would confuse and twist the truth. The apostolic burden is always for purity, both in doctrine and in practice, which is why he confronted those who were distorting the gospel of Christ and reminded the Galatian church of the true message of grace.

MAJOR THEMES

Grace Gospel. When Paul wrote his letter proclaiming heaven’s freedom, there were people perverting his original message of rescue from sin and death by grace through faith in Christ alone. These Judaizers, as they were called, added religious works to Paul’s gospel, which placed non-Jewish believers under the thumb of religious bondage to Jewish laws. Thanks to Paul, we are reminded that a Christ-plus-something-gospel is no gospel at all; it is Christ-plus-nothing all the way!

Justification. One of the central issues for Paul in Galatians—and throughout his “Letters from Heaven”— is the issue of how people become right with God and find a “not guilty” verdict for their rebellion against him. The Reformation leader Martin Luther said that justification by grace through faith was the belief by which the church stands or falls. He’s right! And Paul explains how it’s possible a person can stand before a holy God without being condemned.

The Law and Legalism. The message of Galatians is clear: Christ’s redemptive work on the cross prevents Jews and non-Jews alike from trying to become right with God through religious works; rescue and re-creation come on the basis of faith in Jesus alone. Through his grace, we are freed from the religious bondage that comes from laws and rituals.

Freedom and Behavior. The grace gospel brings heaven’s freedom from religious bondage. Yet while Christians are free from the law, we are not free to live as we please. Instead, we are called to use that freedom to produce fruit, the “fruit of the Spirit,” as Paul says. And it is through the Spirit of God that we not only find freedom but are also empowered to please God with our behavior.

Jesus Christ. As you might expect in a letter about salvation, Jesus Christ stands at the center of this letter. We see that Jesus is fully divine and should alone be worshiped. His cross also plays a pivotal role in Paul’s grace-letter, for it is through his sacrifice alone that believers are made right with God.

GALATIANS

Heaven’s Freedom

Introduction

1From Paul,a an apostleb of Jesus Christ. My apostleship was not granted to me by men, for I was appointed by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. 2All the brothers and sistersc join with me as I write this letter to the churches throughout the region of central Turkey.d

3May God’s undeserved kindness and total well-beinge that flow from our Father God and from the Lord Jesus be yours.f4He’s the Anointed One who offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins! He has rescued us from this evil world systemg and set us free, just as our Father God desired. 5May all the glory be to God alone, throughout time and eternity. Amen!

One Gospel

6I am shocked over how quickly you have strayed away from the One who called you in the grace of Christ. I’m astounded that you now embrace a distortedh gospel! 7That is a fake “gospel” that is simply not true. There is only one gospel—the good news of Christ! Yet you have allowed those who mingle law with grace to confuse you.

8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel different than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

9Let me make it clear: Anyone, no matter who they are, that brings you a different gospel than the gospel that you have received, let them be condemned and cursed!

10I’m obviously not trying to flatter you or water down my message to be popular with men, but my supreme passion is to please God. For if all I attempt to do is please people, I would fail to be a true servant of Christ.

How Paul Became an Apostle

11Beloved ones, let me repeat emphatically that the gospel entrusted to me was not given to me by any man. 12No one taught me this revelation, for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

13By now you have heard stories of how severelyi I harassed and persecuted Christians and how systematically I endeavored to destroy God’s church, all because of my radical devotion to the Jewish religion.j14My zeal and passion for the doctrines of Judaism distinguished me among my people, for I was far more advanced in my religious instruction than others my age.

15But then God called me by his grace, and chose me from my birth to be his. 16He was pleased to unveil his Son in me so that I would proclaim him to the peoples of the world. After I had this encounter, I kept it a secret for some time, sharing it with no one. 17And I had no desire to run to Jerusalem and try to impress those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I withdrew into the Arabian Desert. Then I returned to Damascus, where I had first encountered Jesus. 18I remained there for three years until I eventually went up to Jerusalem, met the apostle Peter,k and stayed with him for a couple of weeks. 19The only other apostle I met during that time was Jacob,l the Lord’s brother.

20Everything I’m describing to you I confess before God to be the absolute truth. 21After my stay in Jerusalem, I went to Syria and southeast Turkey,m22but I remained unknown to the churchesn in Judea. 23The only thing they heard about me was this: “Our former enemy, who once brutally persecuted us, is now preaching the good news of the faith that he tried to destroy!” 24Because of the transformation that took place in my life, they praised God even more!

a1:1 The name Paul means “little.” His name before his conversion was Saul, which means “significant one” or “sought after.” What great transformation takes place when we experience a profound change as Saul did! God transforms us from being “important” to being “small” in our own eyes. This is what qualifies God’s apostolic servants.

b1:1 The word apostle means “one who is sent on a mission” or “an ambassador.” By implication, an apostle carries the delegated authority of the one who sends him. Jesus Christ chose Paul to be an apostle to plant churches and impart the revelation of Christ and his true gospel. The New Testament refers more often to the gift of apostle than all the other ascension gifts (prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher) combined. See Eph. 4:11.

c1:2 The Greek word adelphos is used throughout the New Testament for brothers (and sisters). It is used in classical Greek by physicians to describe “those who came from the same womb.” Every believer is born from the same “womb” of the Father’s heart and the wounded side of Jesus Christ. In the time of Alexander the Great, the word adelphos was used not only for brothers (and sisters), but for “faithful soldiers.” How wonderful it is in our journey to know that we have partners in battle fighting for the faith alongside of us.

d1:2 Or “Galatia.” This was the region in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) that Paul visited during his first and second missionary journeys. See Acts 16:1–5.

e1:3 This is the word peace, which in the Hebraic mindset means “health, prosperity, peace, and total well-being.” The phrase grace and peace appears as a greeting in Rom. 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:3, 2 Cor. 1:2, Gal. 1:3, Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2, Col. 1:2, 1 Thess. 1:1, 2 Thess. 1:2, Titus 1:4, 1 Peter 1:2, 2 Peter 1:2, and Rev. 1:4.

f1:3 Grace was not just a “message” that Paul taught; it was the way he dealt with deceived people. Even over the confused churches that were mixing works and grace, Paul spoke words of blessing and peace. When we learn to bless and release “undeserved kindness” and “well-being” over those who oppose us, perhaps then they will listen to us.

g1:4 This “evil world system” would include the religious system that is based on duty and performance instead of love and grace.

h1:6 Or “another gospel.”

i1:13 The Aramaic can be translated “beyond measure.”

j1:13 The Jewish way of life includes not only religion but also culture. Paul is using the word religion broadly, not only to include the rich culture of Judaism, but also to include the various religious traditions not found in the Torah.

k1:18 The Aramaic name of Peter is kefa, which means “rock.”

l1:19 Or “James.” However, his true name was not James, but Jacob. See the introduction to the book of James (Jacob).

m1:21 Or “Cilicia,” which was the southeastern province of Asia Minor, directly adjoining Syria.

n1:22 Today we would call these Jewish believers in Messiah “Messianic Jews”— not only Jewish (by birth) but also Christian (by faith).

Church Leaders Accept Paul as an Apostle

2Fourteen years later, I returned to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabasa and Titus,bmy coworkers. 2God gave me a clear revelationc to go and confer with the other apostles concerning the message of grace I was preaching to the gentiles. I spoke privately with those who were viewed as senior leaders of the church, wanting to make certain that my labor and ministry for the Messiah had not been based on a false understanding of the gospel.d

3Even though Tituse was a Syrian,fthey accepted him as a brother without demanding that he first be circumcised. 4I met with them privately because false “brothers” had been secretly smuggled into church meetings. They were sent to spy on the wonderful freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. Their agenda was to bring us back into the bondage of religion. 5But you must know that we did not submit to their religious shackles,g not even for a moment, so that we might keep the truth of the gospel of grace unadulterated for you.

6Even those most influential among the brothers were not able to add anything to my message. Who they are before men makes no difference to me, for God is not impressed by their reputations.h7So they recognized that I was entrusted with taking the gospel to the gentilesi just as Peter was entrusted with taking it to the Jews.j8For the same God who empowered Peter’s apostolic ministry to the Jews also flowed through me as an apostle to those who are gentiles.

9When they all recognized this grace operating in my ministry, those who were recognized as influential pillarsk in the church—Jacob, Peter, and John—extended to Barnabas and me the warmth of Christian fellowshipl and honored my calling to minister to the gentiles, even as they were to go to the Jews. 10They simply requested one thing of me: that I would remember the poor and needy, which was the burden I was already carrying in my heart.

Paul Confronts Peter

11When Peter visited Antioch,m he caused the believers to stumble over his behavior, so I confronted him to his face. 12He enjoyed eating with the gentile believers who didn’t keep the Jewish customs—up until the time Jacob’s Jewish friends arrived from Jerusalem. When he saw them, he withdrew from his gentile friends—fearing how it would look to themnif he ate with gentile believers.

13And so, because of Peter’s hypocrisy,o many other Jewish believers followed suit, refusing to eat with gentile believers. Even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocritical behavior!

14So when I realized they were acting inconsistently with the revelation of the gospel, I confronted Peter in front of everyone:

“You were born a Jew, but you’ve chosen to disregard Jewish regulations and live like a gentile.p Why then do you force gentiles to conform to these same rules?”

Jews and Gentiles Are Saved by Faith

15Although we’re Jews by birth and not gentile “sinners,” 16we know that no one receives God’s perfect righteousness as a reward for keeping the law, but only by the faith of Jesus, the Messiah!q His faithfulness has saved us, and we have received God’s perfect righteousness. Now we know that God accepts no one by the keeping of religious laws!r

17If we are those who desire to be righteous through our union with the Anointed One, does that mean our Messiah condones sin even though we acknowledge that we are sinners? How absurd! 18For if I start over and reconstruct the old religious system that I had torn down with the message of grace, I would appear to be a lawbreaker.s

19For through the law I died to the law,t so that I might live to God.u

20My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me— we live in union as one!v My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, dispensing his life into mine!

21So that is why I don’t view God’s grace as something peripheral.w For if keeping the law could release God’s righteousness to us, then Christ would have died for nothing.

a2:1 Barnabas is an Aramaic name that means “son of encouragement.”

b2:1 Titus was a gentile convert to Christ and was a frequent companion of Paul’s. Later Paul wrote a beautiful letter to Titus. Titus’ name means “nurse.”

c2:2 Although we don’t know exactly what the “clear revelation” might have been, it is possible it came in the form of a dream, a vision, a prophecy, or an angel that appeared to Paul.

d2:2 Or “to make sure I was not running the race for nothing.”

e2:3 Titus was converted through Paul’s ministry and was later sent out by Paul as an apostolic church planter. The book of Titus was written by Paul to his spiritual son to give him encouragement and revelation for his ministry.

f2:3 Or “Aramean,” which is an Aramaic-speaking gentile. Syrians are Arameans, but Greeks are not. Most Greek manuscripts identify Titus as a Greek when, in fact, he was Syrian. It is believed that the Greek scribes changed Titus’ ethnicity to Greek, but the Aramaic text correctly identifies him as a Syrian.

g2:5 Or in Aramaic “their efforts to enslave us” or “their oppression.”

h2:6 Or “God does not accept the face (mask) of a man.”

i2:7 Or “the uncircumcised.”

j2:7 Or “the circumcised.”

k2:9 See Rev. 3:12.

l2:9 Or “gave me the right hand of fellowship.”

m2:11 Antioch was a large city in Syria with a significant Jewish population. It was in Antioch that believers were first called Christians and it was the first church to send out missionaries to the nations. See Acts 11:25–26; 13:1–3.

n2:12 Or “fearing those of the circumcision.”

o2:13 The incident of Acts 10–11 happened before this account in Gal. 2. Peter was shown by a heavenly vision that God views gentile believers as “clean.” This amplifies Peter’s hypocrisy. Even Jesus’ apostles had conflicts that needed to be worked out and healed.

p2:14 Some Aramaic translators translate this word “Syrian” or “Aramean.”

q2:16 The Aramaic and Greek can be translated “the faith of Jesus, the Messiah” or “faith in Jesus Christ.” It is not simply our faith, but his—the faithfulness of Jesus to fulfill the Father’s pleasure in his life and the sacrifice for our sins in his death. Salvation is found in the “faith of Jesus.”

r2:16 Or “by the works of the law.”

s2:18 Or “I prove myself to be a sinner.”

t2:19 See Rom. 6:2; 7:4.

u2:19 See Rom. 6:10, 11, 14; 2 Cor. 5:15.

v2:20 We are one with him, and he lives in us. See John 14:20.

w2:21 Or “I do not nullify the grace of God (by adding works).”

Faith Brings Freedom

3What has happened to you foolish Galatians? Who has put you under an evil spell?a Did God not open your eyes to see the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion? Was he not revealed to you as the crucified one?b

2So answer me this: Did the Holy Spirit come to you as a reward for keeping Jewish laws? No, you received him as a gift because you believed in the Messiah. 3Your new life began when the Holy Spirit gave you a new birth. Why then would you so foolishly turn from living in the Spirit by trying to finish by your own works?c

4Have you endured so many trials and persecutions for nothing?

5Let me ask you again: What does the lavish supply of the Holy Spirit in your life and the miracles of God’s tremendous power have to do with you keeping religious laws? The Holy Spirit is poured out upon us through the revelation and power of faith!

6Abraham, our father of faith, believed God, and the substance of his faith released God’s righteousness to him.d7So the true children of Abraham have the same faith as their father! 8And the Scripture prophesied that on the basis of faith God would declare gentiles to be righteous. God announced the good news ahead of time to Abraham:

“Through your example of faith, all the nations will be blessed!”e

9And so the blessing of Abraham’s faith is now our blessing too! 10But if you rely on works of keeping the law for salvation, you live under the law’s curse. For it is clearly written:

“Utterly cursed is everyone who fails to practice every detail and requirement that is written in this law!”f

11It is obvious that no one achieves the righteousness of God by attempting to keep the law, for it is written:

“The one who is in a right relationship with God will live by faith!”g

12But keeping the law does not require faith, but self-effort. For the law teaches,

“If you practice the principles of law, you must follow all of them.”h

13Yet, Christ paid the full price to set us free from the curse of the law. He absorbed the curse completely as he became a curse in our place. For it is written:

“Everyone who is hung upon a tree is cursed.”i

14Jesus Christ dissolved the curse from our lives, so that in him all the blessings of Abraham can be poured out upon gentiles. And now through faith we receive the promised Holy Spirit who lives in us.

The Law versus God’s Promises

15Beloved friends, let me use an illustration that we can all understand. Technically, when a contract is signed, it can’t be changed after it has been put into effect; it’s too late to alter the agreement.j

16Remember the royal proclamationk God spoke over Abraham and to Abraham’s child? God said that his promises were made to pass on to Abraham’s “Child,”l not children. And who is this “Child?” It’s the Son of promise, Christ himself!

17–18This means that the covenant between God and Abraham was fulfilled in Messiah and cannot be altered. Yet the written law was not even given to Moses until 430 years after God had “signed” his contract with Abraham! The law, then, doesn’t supersede the promisem since the royal proclamation was given before the law.n

If that were the case, it would have nullified what God said to Abraham. We receive all the promises because of the Promised One—not because we keep the law!

19Why then was the law given at all? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the “Seed,” the child who was promised. When God gave the law, he gave it first to angels; they gave it to Moses, his mediator, who then gave it to the people. 20Now, a mediator does not represent just one party alone, but God fulfilled it all by himself!o

21Since that’s true, should we consider the written law to be contrary to the promise of new life? How absurd!p Truly, if there was a law that we could keep which would give us new life, then our salvation would have come by law-keeping. 22But the Scriptures make it clear that the whole world is imprisoned by sin! This was so the promise would be given through faith to people who believe in Jesus Christ.

God’s Sons Inherit the Promises

23So until the revelation of faith for salvation was released, the law was a jailer, holding us as prisoners under lock and key until the “faith,” which was destined to be revealed, would set us free. 24The law was our guardian until Christ came so that we would be saved by faith. 25But now that faith has comeq we are no longer under the guardian of the law.

26You have all become true children of God by faith in Jesus Christ! 27Faith immersed you into Christ, and now you are covered and clothed with his life. 28And we no longer see each other in our former state— Jew or non-Jew, rich or poor,r