Justification with God comes not by law-keeping or moral performance but by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Paul shows that all who rely on works are under a curse because no one perfectly keeps God's law. But God gave Abraham righteousness through faith before the law or circumcision, and that same blessing—peace with God and his abiding presence—is extended to Jew and Gentile alike. Christ redeems sinners from the curse by becoming a curse for them, bearing God’s wrath on the cross so that they might receive the promised Spirit through faith and become true children of Abraham.

In Galatians 3:1–6, Paul confronts the Galatians for drifting from the gospel of grace, reminding them that they received the Spirit not by works but by “hearing with faith.” This sermon emphasizes that the Christian life—both its beginning and its continuation—is entirely dependent on God’s grace, received through faith. Good works are not the cause of salvation, but the result of it. Christians must resist the temptation to rely on self-effort and instead daily return to the gospel, trusting in the Spirit’s power for sanctification.