Faith and Belief (James 2:14–26)
1 UST You{ fellow believers} who live in Galatia are acting mindlessly! Someone must have put an evil spell on you! I clearly explained to you what Jesus the Messiah accomplished when he died on the cross. BSB BSB: O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 UST { So,} I want to tell you this one thing: God did not give you his Holy Spirit because you obeyed the laws that he gave Moses. Surely you must know that the reason he gave you his Holy Spirit is because when you heard the good news about the Messiah you believed it. BSB BSB: I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
3 UST You are acting very foolishly! You first became Christians because God’ s Spirit enabled you. So, you should not now think that it is because of what you do by obeying the laws God gave Moses that you will continue to grow spiritually. BSB BSB: Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?
4 UST { Keep in mind that if} what God has done for you{ was because of your obeying the laws that God gave to Moses and not because of trusting in the Messiah then} you suffered many things needlessly! I certainly hope that you did not suffer like that needlessly. BSB BSB: Have you suffered so much for nothing, if it really was for nothing?
5 UST So then, when God now generously gives to you his Spirit and performs mighty deeds among you, it is not because you obey the laws that God gave to Moses? Surely you know it is because when you heard the good news about the Messiah you believed it! BSB BSB: Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?
6 UST { What you have experienced is} just as{ Moses had written in the scriptures about Abraham. He wrote that} Abraham trusted God, and{ as a result,} God considered Abraham as being righteous. BSB BSB: So also, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
7 UST You must realize, therefore, that it is those who trust in what the Messiah has done who are like Abraham’ s descendants{ because they trust in God as Abraham did}. BSB BSB: Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham.
8 UST Furthermore, God planned beforehand that it was when non- Jews trusted him that he would consider them righteous. Moses wrote in the Scriptures this good message that God told Abraham:“Through you, I will bless people in all nations.” BSB BSB: The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
9 UST So, we can conclude that it is those who trust in what the Messiah has done whom God blesses along with Abraham, the one who trusted him{ long ago}. BSB BSB: So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Christ Has Redeemed Us 10 UST That is, God will eternally punish all those who mistakenly think that God will consider them righteous as a result of their trying to obey the laws that God gave to Moses. What Moses wrote in the Scriptures is that God will eternally punish everyone who does not continuously and completely obey all the laws that God instructed him to write in the Book of the Law. BSB BSB: All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
11 UST God does not regard any person as righteous as a result of their trying to obey the laws that he gave to Moses. This is evident since{ the Scriptures say},“Every righteous person lives{ spiritually} as a result of their trusting{ God}.” BSB BSB: Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
12 UST But when God gave his laws to the Jews, he did not make them dependent upon a person believing in him. Instead{ God said that} it is those who obey{ all} God’ s laws, continuously and completely, who will live through obeying them. BSB BSB: The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”
14 UST { The Messiah rescued us} in order that as a result of what he has done, God might bless the non- Jews, in a way similar to the way God blessed Abraham. The reason for this is that as a result of our trusting in the Messiah, we all might receive the Holy Spirit whom God promised to give to us. BSB BSB: He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
The Purpose of the Law (Romans 7:1–6)
15 UST My fellow believers, I will now illustrate by referring to human relationships. After two people have signed an agreement, no one can reject it or add to it. BSB BSB: Brothers, let me put this in human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be canceled or amended.
16 UST God declared to Abraham and his descendant that he was promising to give blessings to Abraham. The words that God spoke were not“and your descendants.” He was not referring to many persons. Instead, he was referring to one person, who is the Messiah, because the words that God spoke were,“and your descendant.” BSB BSB: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is Christ.
17 UST This is what I am saying: God established an agreement with Abraham that the laws which he gave to the Jews 430 years later could not cancel. BSB BSB: What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God, so as to nullify the promise.
18 UST I want you to know that if it is because we obey the laws God gave to the Jews that he gives to us what he has promised to give to us, then he would not be giving it because he had promised to do so. However, God kindly gave to Abraham what he had promised to give to him, just because God had promised that he would give it to him.{ Similarly,} it is not because we obey God’ s laws that God kindly gives to us what he has promised to give to us. BSB BSB: For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God freely granted it to Abraham through a promise.
19 UST So, if someone should ask,“Why did God later give his laws to Moses?” I would reply that it was in order that people might realize how sinful they were. Those laws were valid until Jesus came. He was the descendant that God was referring to when he made the promises to Abraham. God gave his laws to Moses by God’ s causing angels to speak to him. Moses was the mediator, the one who told the laws to the people. BSB BSB: Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.
20 UST Now, when a mediator functions, one person is not speaking with another directly; but God himself made his promises directly to Abraham. BSB BSB: A mediator is unnecessary, however, for only one party; but God is one.
21 UST If someone should ask,“When God gave his laws to Moses long after he told Abraham what he was promising to give to him, was he changing his mind?”{ I would reply that} God certainly did not change his mind when he did that! If God had given a law that could enable people to live{ eternally and spiritually}, then it certainly would be because of people obeying that law that God would consider people righteous. BSB BSB: Is the law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the law.
22 UST But,{ in fact, it is impossible for the law to enable people to live eternally or spiritually.} Instead, the law given in the Scriptures caused all people to be unable to escape being punished for their sins, just like people in prison are unable to escape.{ God did that} in order that he might give what he promised to those who trust Jesus Christ, just because they trust him. BSB BSB: But the Scripture pronounces all things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe.
23 UST Before God revealed the good news about trusting in the Messiah, the laws that God gave to Moses were confining us, as a prisoner in jail is confined. This happened until the time we might believe the good news concerning the Messiah, the good news that God was about to reveal{ and now has}. BSB BSB: Before this faith came, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
24 UST Like a father supervises his immature child by appointing a servant to take care of that child, God was supervising us by his laws until the Messiah{ came}.{ He did this} in order that he might now declare us righteous in his sight{ only} because we trust in the Messiah. BSB BSB: So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 UST But now that God has revealed the message about trusting in the Messiah, the laws that God gave to Moses no longer supervise us. BSB BSB: Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Sons through Faith in Christ 26 UST Now all of you{ Jews and non- Jews} are{ as though you are} God’ s children because you trust in the Messiah Jesus. You are{ now} in close spiritual union with the Messiah Jesus{ because you believe in Him}. BSB BSB: You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 UST That is, you who{ began a relationship with the Messiah when you} were baptized identified yourselves with Christ. BSB BSB: For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
29 UST Furthermore, since you belong to the Messiah, you are{ like} Abraham’ s descendants because you trust God as Abraham did, and you will possess what God promised Abraham. BSB BSB: And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
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