O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so many things in vain?—if it really is in vain. 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?
Paul cannot believe how ridiculous the Galatians are being. He very seriously calls them foolish twice in these five verses. He goes as far as to say that they are bewitched (under a spell). When he was with them, the gospel became their hope and passion. When he left them, false teachers were able to come in and distort the gospel. They made the equation of salvation = Jesus + Good Works. This is not what Paul had preached to them at all. He preached the righteousness and perfection of Christ, His death, and resurrection was the payment for sin because of the imperfect human nature. Christ death was necessary because we lacked the ability to save ourselves (Galatians 2:16).
John Piper says it well in a sermon on this passage (http://ow.ly/7SROz) ,"...it is the people who don't take Christ into account who are in the dream-world." I would take it one step further and say that it takes more faith for someone to not believe in God and Christ than to believe that Christ was the son of God and died for the sinful, unrighteous man. But, he finds the Galatians believing that they must earn God's favor through their own works. So, he brings them right back around to the gospel by asking questions that need no answer. Christ is the only key to gaining access with God. Faith is not foolishness. The truth is that Christ died for us when we were dead in our sin and unable to do anything to save ourselves.
The best part is we can know whether or not we are truly His because of the Spirit. This Holy Spirit is given to any who believe as a seal/ mark of God's family. It's like the family crest, it's how you identify where you belong. And we can know whether or not we have the Spirit by the fruit in our lives. I'll clue you in...the fruit of the Spirit is not a strawberry. Later in this letter, Paul makes known the fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). This is the Spirit of Christ. If you are His, you will begin to desire this fruit. What kind of fruit are you producing in your life right now?
A few study/ follow up questions:
- Why is Paul calling the Galatians foolish?
- What Spirit did the Galatians receive?
- How did they receive the Spirit?
- Where/Who did the Spirit come from?
- Can we have this Spirit? (How can you know?)
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