Galatians 3:23-4:7

International Standard Version

²³ Now before faith came about, we were held in custody and confined under the Law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed. ²⁴ And so the Law was our guardian until the Messiah^[a] came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come about, we are no longer under a guardian.

You are God’s Children

²⁶ For all of you are God’s children through faith in the Messiah^[b] Jesus. ²⁷ Indeed, all of you who were baptized into the Messiah^[c] have clothed yourselves with the Messiah.^{[d] 28} Because all of you are one in the Messiah^[e] Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female. ²⁹ And if you belong to the Messiah,^[f] then you are Abraham’s descendants indeed, and heirs according to the promise.

4 Now what I am saying is this: As long as an heir is a child, he is no better off than a slave, even though he owns everything. ² Instead, he is placed under the care of^[g] guardians and servant managers until the time set by the father. ³ It was the same way with us. While we were children, we were slaves to the basic principles of the world.^{[h] 4} But when the appropriate time had come, God sent his Son, born by a woman, born under the Law, ⁵ in order to redeem those who were under the Law, and thus to adopt them as his children. ⁶ Now because you are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our^[i] hearts to cry out, “Abba!^[j] Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if you are a child, then you are also an heir because of what God did.