Received by works or by Faith?

Reading of the Text

Galatians 3:1–6 (ESV)

Galatians 3:1–6 ESV

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Verse 1

Who has bewitched you? - Paul uses the language of pagan magic to characterize the effects of the false teacher’s doctrine on the Galatian church - Paul is not necessarily saying that they have been bewitched by a spell

Bewitching has some vagueness in its definition, but it typically means something like charming, influencing, or attracting in a negative way, often by the power of witchcraft

To reiterate Paul is saying that these false doctrines have had such a sway over the Galatian congregation that its as if they have been bewitched by evil supernatural means

This brings up a question - Can Christians, people who of course have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, be “Bewitched”? - The short answer is yes, but i think it is more nuanced than that

As we read throughout the passage we will see that nuance come to light

It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified - So first off these Galatians were most likely not eyewitness to the crucifixion of our Lord - So what is Paul saying here?

Paul is stating that the telling and teaching of the gospel to the Galatians was so vivid among them that it was just as powerful as being an eyewitness of the crucifixion

Verse 2

Let me ask you only this - Paul is starting a series of rhetorical questions to make a point - the illogical thought that works complete salvation, especially after being taught so clearly the gospel of Christ

Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? - Paul taught that we are sealed with the spirit

Ephesians 1:13 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

If there are questions about what sealed means - That the Holy Spirit protects and perseveres Christians until they reach their inheritance or that it may “authenticate” God’s acceptance of the Christian’s faith as genuine, the Christ bears the royal seal of God

Galatians 3:14 ESV

14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Acts 15:6–9 ESV

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Now recall from a previous lesson that acts 15 covers the Jerusalem Council - we discussed this back in chapter 2 of Galatians - This event most likely took place after Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians, but not much later

We know this because Paul does not appeal to the conclusion or positions held by the other apostles, especially Peter who here is not acting hypocritical unlike what we saw in Chapter 2 of Galatians

The doctrine is constant, not only with Paul, but the other Apostles, that the receiving of the Holy Spirit comes by faith and not works of the law

Verse 3

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? - Remember this is a rhetorical question, Paul is surprised that after such acceptance of the gospel, how could the Galatians fall into such a contrary position?

Ephesians 4:11–15 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

The Galatians were immature Christians, though they knew the truth in love they were tossed to and fro by the waves and winds of human made doctrine

I often hear the question “What can I do to be saved?” and I’ve heard many different answers, and some of those answers I can’t seem to find in scripture

However we are called to “repent and believe the gospel” in Mark 1:15

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The Kingdom of God is at hand - or we can say - the Ruling of God in his people’s hearts is now being established - It is not only this but more

Repent and Believe - these two are inseparable in a genuine faith and are a product of God’s rule in his people’s hearts

There is a simplistic beauty to the gospel and yet we can be so foolish as to be cast away after doctrine’s of man - to be allured by the desire to justify ourselves and make the grace of salvation into a work of our own instead of solely a work of God

Verse 4

Did you suffer so many things in vein — if indeed it was in vein? - They suffered so many things on behalf of believing the gospel - not only so, but why lose the benefits of struggling for the gospel to a false gospel? God was not absent in their suffering

Romans 5:1–5 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The Holy Spirit is present with us through all sufferings and they knew that, so they did they not realize in their own foolishness that they were turning away from God?

Verse 5

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or hearing by faith - The Galatians had obvious fruits of the spirit prior to this false doctrine that infiltrated the church, which they knew was by faith and not by works of the law

Verse 6

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness - Paul is calling back to Gen. 15:6 showing us that the basis of our justification before God is found in trust in God’s word

Genesis 15:6 ESV

6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.