The holy spirit is god given

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD GIVEN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Galatians 3:5 5So again I ask, does God give you his
Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of
the law, or by your believingwhat you heard?
The Message
Galatians 3:5
Answer this question: Does the Godwho lavishly provides you with his own
presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for
yourselves, does he do these things because ofyour strenuous moral striving
or because you trust him to do them in you?
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Going Back
Galatians 3:2-5
W.F. Adeney
In expostulating with the Galatians for forsaking grace for Law, St. Paul
appeals to their own experience. He is not expounding the gospelfor the first
time to strangers;he is arguing with Christians who know its power. His
argument applies to all who turn aside from the early life of faith and grace to

any supposedimprovement of human discipline. Their own experience uses
up in condemnationof them. Three proofs of the foolishness ofsuch a course
are here given.
I. THIS COURSE REVERSESTHE NATURAL ORDER OF PROGRESS. It
is absurd to think of being perfectedin the flesh after having begun in the
Spirit. These two, the flesh and the Spirit, correspondin our experience to the
two methods - by Law and by grace through faith. It is the weakness ofLaw
that it is external, and governs only external acts, that it directs the flesh, the
outer life, but infuses no inward spiritual life. Grace does not concernitself
directly with such outward acts. It is a spiritual inspiration, and faith is a
spiritual act. Now, the natural progress is from the outward to the inward. We
see this in our personalexperience. Children first learn to obey direct
commands, and gradually learn principles of right conduct, until conscience
takes the place of external authority. With the race the same progress holds
good. Earlierforms of religion are more external. The latestis the most
spiritual. To turn awayfrom the spiritual is not merely to go back;it is to
revert to a more improper method. Spiritual religion is the highest religion.
Nothing can exceedthe powerof faith and love and inward grace. If these
influences are slow in ripening the perfect character, it is absurd to think of
hastening the result by reverting to weakerinfluences of Law and formal
rules,
II. THIS COURSE STULTIFIES THE PAST ENDURANCE OF
PERSECUTION. (Ver. 4.) St. Paul's allusion implies that the Galatians had
been persecuted- as we know other Churches had been - at the instigation of
the Jews. Ifthe JewishLaw were the highest method of righteousness,
persecutionprovokedby slighting or opposing it must have been endured for
nothing. This was an argumentum ad hominem. We have to make sacrifices in
other ways if we are faithful to spiritual religion. We are also appealedto by
the memories of our fathers, who testified to spiritual liberty at the rack and
the stake. Whenwe play with the brokenchains which they castoff, and even
forge them afresh by submitting to the revival of old formalities and
superstitions, the spirits of those martyred heroes of Protestantismrise up to
rebuke us. Or does the most noble page of England's history describe only a
huge, quixotic delusion?

III. THIS COURSE CONTRADICTSTHE EVIDENCE AFFORDED BY
THE POWER THAT FLOWS FROM SPIRITUAL GRACE. (Ver. 5.)St.
Paul and other men endued with the Spirit wrought miracles. The most rigid
followerof the Law could not do so. But more than powerover material
things grew out of the grace ofthe Spirit. The conquests ofthe gospelflowed
from faith and spiritual gifts. The men of formal devotion never turned the
world upside down. There is no fire in Law, The new creationof the world
only follows spiritual activity. It is the work of the men of faith. "By their
fruits ye shall know them." Whateverfascinationthere may be in religions of
strict rules and rigid ordinances, we find that it is the free spiritual energy of
unfettered souls that moves the hearts of others. This religion of faith and
grace which possessesthe most Divine power must be for us the highest and
best. - W.F.A.
Biblical Illustrator
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and workethmiracles.
Galatians 3:5

Moralinspiration
I. ITS NATURE. The supernatural powerof the Holy Spirit in man.
1. In ordinary Christians: regeneration;Christian energy" moral influence.
2. In extraordinary ministers, as apostles and prophets: miracles;tongues;
prophecy. The latter form intermittent; the former permanent.
II. ITS ORIGIN. Divine, and therefore to be distinguished from —
1. The intellectual inspiration of genius.
2. The emotional inspiration of rhapsody.
3. The evil inspiration of imposture.On the lowestpossible hypothesis the
inspiration of Shakespeare,Mohammed, and Simon Magus must differ not
only in degree but in kind from that of St. Paul.
III. ITS MEASURE.
1. Sufficient for
(1)the age in which it works;
(2)the purpose for which it is given.
2. According to the capacityof the recipient.
IV. THE MEANS of its enjoyment.
1. Notthe works of the law. The folly of this supposition may be seenby the
endeavour to work for the inspiration of the poet; but poets are born, not
made. So are apostles and Christians.
2. By the hearing of faith. We do not call the genius a deserving man, but a
"gifted" man; so is the apostle in working miracles, and the Christian in
exerting his influence for good.
Inspiration, literary and moral

Vinet.
The great, the sublime, is almostalways something involuntary and
unforeseen. The higher we rise in literary creation, the more it seems as
though we get effaced, and no longer dispose of ourselves. The mediocre in
our achievements is thoroughly our own. We feel this by our fatigue, our
exhaustion. The greatis given us. We write under dictation; we do not know
the source, we cannotpredict the arrival. It is ours, and yet not ours. What we
are, then, we are by grace;and thus all poets have spokenof their inspiration,
of a God in us, of a mens divinior, Remarkable testimony, and too little
reflectedupon! Oh, why will man, who in his artistic life so readily believes in
grace and in the Spirit, in his moral life believe only in himself? Why not
understand this confessionof poets, and recognize in generalthat man is not
the source but the channel and the organof all that rises above the habitual
level of his life; that he is then only a medium through which the Divine
alternately appears and disappears.
(Vinet.)
Inspiration to be respected
Vinet.
Let, us respectin eachman, whether he be poet or no, the moment — so well
named that of inspiration — when he says more than he knows, does more
than he can, and becomes more than he is; that mysterious moment when he
ceases to comprehend himself, when he honours himself not in what he
himself is, but in the word he has just pronounced, the act he has just
accomplished;when, perhaps, he trembles at the unforeseenheight on which
that effort has placedhim, because wellaware that his own strength cannot
sustain him there. It is the Titan raising himself beneath the mountain that
crushes him, or some imprisoned godthat sighs within our breast.
(Vinet.)

The use of miracles
R. C. Trench.
"Miracles,"says Fuller, "are the swaddling-clothes ofthe infant churches";
and, we may add, not the garments of the full-grown. They were as the
proclamation that the king was mounting his throne; who, however, is not
proclaimed every day, but only at his accession. Whenhe sits acknowledged
on his throne, the proclamationceases. Theywere as the bright clouds which
gather round and announce the sun at his first appearing: his midday
splendour, though as full, and fuller indeed, of light and heat, knows not those
bright heralds and harbingers of his rising. Or they may be likened to the
framework on which the arch is rounded, which framework is takendown as
soonas that is completed.
(R. C. Trench.)
Miracles ofto-day
H. W. Beecher.
Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out.
Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects andChurches talk about having
evidence of Divine authority, because they have miracles. Miracles in our time
are like candles in the streetat midday. We do not want miracles. They are to
teachmen how to find out truths themselves;and, after they have learned this,
they no more need them than a wellman needs a staff, or than a grown-up
child needs a walking-stool. Theyare the educating expedients of the early
periods of the world. As such, they are divinely wise. After they have served
their purpose as such, it is humanly foolish for persons to pretend to have
them. There is no teaching in Scripture of a statedprovidence of miracles.
They are not daily helps. They do not even belong to the mere economic
relations of men. In secularthings, God helps the men that help themselves.
(H. W. Beecher.)

Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Going Back
Galatians 3:2-5
W.F. Adeney
In expostulating with the Galatians for forsaking grace for Law, St. Paul
appeals to their own experience. He is not expounding the gospelfor the first
time to strangers;he is arguing with Christians who know its power. His
argument applies to all who turn aside from the early life of faith and grace to
any supposedimprovement of human discipline. Their own experience uses
up in condemnationof them. Three proofs of the foolishness ofsuch a course
are here given.
I. THIS COURSE REVERSESTHE NATURAL ORDER OF PROGRESS. It
is absurd to think of being perfectedin the flesh after having begun in the
Spirit. These two, the flesh and the Spirit, correspondin our experience to the
two methods - by Law and by grace through faith. It is the weakness ofLaw
that it is external, and governs only external acts, that it directs the flesh, the
outer life, but infuses no inward spiritual life. Grace does not concernitself
directly with such outward acts. It is a spiritual inspiration, and faith is a
spiritual act. Now, the natural progress is from the outward to the inward. We
see this in our personalexperience. Children first learn to obey direct
commands, and gradually learn principles of right conduct, until conscience
takes the place of external authority. With the race the same progress holds
good. Earlierforms of religion are more external. The latestis the most
spiritual. To turn awayfrom the spiritual is not merely to go back;it is to
revert to a more improper method. Spiritual religion is the highest religion.
Nothing can exceedthe powerof faith and love and inward grace. If these
influences are slow in ripening the perfect character, it is absurd to think of
hastening the result by reverting to weakerinfluences of Law and formal
rules,

II. THIS COURSE STULTIFIES THE PAST ENDURANCE OF
PERSECUTION. (Ver. 4.) St. Paul's allusion implies that the Galatians had
been persecuted- as we know other Churches had been - at the instigation of
the Jews. Ifthe JewishLaw were the highest method of righteousness,
persecutionprovokedby slighting or opposing it must have been endured for
nothing. This was an argumentum ad hominem. We have to make sacrificesin
other ways if we are faithful to spiritual religion. We are also appealedto by
the memories of our fathers, who testified to spiritual liberty at the rack and
the stake. Whenwe play with the brokenchains which they castoff, and even
forge them afresh by submitting to the revival of old formalities and
superstitions, the spirits of those martyred heroes of Protestantismrise up to
rebuke us. Or does the most noble page of England's history describe only a
huge, quixotic delusion?
III. THIS COURSE CONTRADICTSTHE EVIDENCE AFFORDED BY
THE POWER THAT FLOWS FROM SPIRITUAL GRACE. (Ver. 5.)St.
Paul and other men endued with the Spirit wrought miracles. The most rigid
followerof the Law could not do so. But more than power over material
things grew out of the grace ofthe Spirit. The conquests ofthe gospelflowed
from faith and spiritual gifts. The men of formal devotion never turned the
world upside down. There is no fire in Law, The new creationof the world
only follows spiritual activity. It is the work of the men of faith. "By their
fruits ye shall know them." Whateverfascinationthere may be in religions of
strict rules and rigid ordinances, we find that it is the free spiritual energy of
unfettered souls that moves the hearts of others. This religion of faith and
grace which possessesthe most Divine power must be for us the highest and
best. - W.F.A.

Biblical Illustrator
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and workethmiracles.
Galatians 3:5
Moralinspiration
I. ITS NATURE. The supernatural powerof the Holy Spirit in man.
1. In ordinary Christians: regeneration;Christian energy" moral influence.
2. In extraordinary ministers, as apostles and prophets: miracles;tongues;
prophecy. The latter form intermittent; the former permanent.
II. ITS ORIGIN. Divine, and therefore to be distinguished from —
1. The intellectual inspiration of genius.
2. The emotional inspiration of rhapsody.
3. The evil inspiration of imposture.On the lowestpossible hypothesis the
inspiration of Shakespeare,Mohammed, and Simon Magus must differ not
only in degree but in kind from that of St. Paul.
III. ITS MEASURE.
1. Sufficient for
(1)the age in which it works;
(2)the purpose for which it is given.

2. According to the capacityof the recipient.
IV. THE MEANS of its enjoyment.
1. Notthe works of the law. The folly of this supposition may be seenby the
endeavour to work for the inspiration of the poet; but poets are born, not
made. So are apostles and Christians.
2. By the hearing of faith. We do not call the genius a deserving man, but a
"gifted" man; so is the apostle in working miracles, and the Christian in
exerting his influence for good.
Inspiration, literary and moral
Vinet.
The great, the sublime, is almostalways something involuntary and
unforeseen. The higher we rise in literary creation, the more it seems as
though we get effaced, and no longer dispose of ourselves. The mediocre in
our achievements is thoroughly our own. We feel this by our fatigue, our
exhaustion. The greatis given us. We write under dictation; we do not know
the source, we cannotpredict the arrival. It is ours, and yet not ours. What we
are, then, we are by grace;and thus all poets have spokenof their inspiration,
of a God in us, of a mens divinior, Remarkable testimony, and too little
reflectedupon! Oh, why will man, who in his artistic life so readily believes in
grace and in the Spirit, in his moral life believe only in himself? Why not
understand this confessionof poets, and recognize in generalthat man is not
the source but the channel and the organof all that rises above the habitual
level of his life; that he is then only a medium through which the Divine
alternately appears and disappears.
(Vinet.)
Inspiration to be respected
Vinet.

Let, us respectin eachman, whether he be poet or no, the moment — so well
named that of inspiration — when he says more than he knows, does more
than he can, and becomes more than he is; that mysterious moment when he
ceases to comprehend himself, when he honours himself not in what he
himself is, but in the word he has just pronounced, the act he has just
accomplished;when, perhaps, he trembles at the unforeseenheight on which
that effort has placedhim, because wellaware that his own strength cannot
sustain him there. It is the Titan raising himself beneath the mountain that
crushes him, or some imprisoned godthat sighs within our breast.
(Vinet.)
The use of miracles
R. C. Trench.
"Miracles,"says Fuller, "are the swaddling-clothes ofthe infant churches";
and, we may add, not the garments of the full-grown. They were as the
proclamation that the king was mounting his throne; who, however, is not
proclaimed every day, but only at his accession. Whenhe sits acknowledged
on his throne, the proclamationceases. Theywere as the bright clouds which
gather round and announce the sun at his first appearing: his midday
splendour, though as full, and fuller indeed, of light and heat, knows not those
bright heralds and harbingers of his rising. Or they may be likened to the
framework on which the arch is rounded, which framework is takendown as
soonas that is completed.
(R. C. Trench.)
Miracles ofto-day
H. W. Beecher.
Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out.
Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects andChurches talk about having

evidence of Divine authority, because they have miracles. Miracles in our time
are like candles in the streetat midday. We do not want miracles. They are to
teachmen how to find out truths themselves;and, after they have learned this,
they no more need them than a wellman needs a staff, or than a grown-up
child needs a walking-stool. Theyare the educating expedients of the early
periods of the world. As such, they are divinely wise. After they have served
their purpose as such, it is humanly foolish for persons to pretend to have
them. There is no teaching in Scripture of a statedprovidence of miracles.
They are not daily helps. They do not even belong to the mere economic
relations of men. In secularthings, God helps the men that help themselves.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Appeal to Experience and Scripture
R. Finlayson
Galatians 3:1-14
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the
truth…
I. FOOLISHNESSOF THE GALATIANS SHOWN FROM THEIR OWN
EXPERIENCE.
1. Expressionof astonishmentin view of their first impressions of the cross.
"O foolishGalatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes JesusChrist
was openly set forth crucified?" Paul's address to Peter concludedwith his
presenting the dreadful supposition of Christ having died for nought. He with
that turns to the Galatians, and calls to their recollectionthe memorable

impression which the first presentationof Christ crucified had made on their
minds. There had been, as it were, a localizationof the cross among them.
Christ had been so presentedto them that preacherand time and place were
all forgotten. There on Galatiansoil was the cross erected;there was the Holy
One and the Just takenand nailed to the tree; there his blood flowed forth for
the remissionof sins. And they were deeply affected, as if the crucifixion
scene]had passedbefore their eyes. It is a blessedfact that the evil of our
nature is not insuperable - that there is in the cross whatcan act on it like a
spell. Even the greatestsinners have been arrestedand entrancedby the eye
of the Crucified One. It is, on the other hand, a serious factthat evil canbe
presentedto us in a fascinating form. Here the Galatians are describedas
those who had been bewitched. It was as if some one had exerted an evil spell
on them. His evil eye had restedon them and held them so that they could not
see him by whose crucifixion they had formerly been so much affected. And
the apostle wonders who it could be that had bewitchedthem. Who had been
envious of the influence which the Crucified One had obtained over them?
What false representations had he made? What flattering promises had he
held out? Such a one had great guilt on his head; but they also were
chargeable with foolishness in allowing themselves to be bewitched by him.
The Galatians were by no means stupid; they were rather of quick perception.
They had the strong emotional qualities of the Celtic nature; their temptation
was sudden change offeeling. They were foolishin yielding to their
temptation, in not subjecting their feelings to the guidance of reason, in not
using the Divine helps againsttheir being bewitched. And the apostle, in
charging home foolishness on them, would have them recallwhat the cross
had once been in their eyes, in order to break the present spell of evil.
2. The one admission he asks ofthem in order to prove their foolishness. "This
only would I learn from you, Receivedye the Spirit by the works of the Law,
or by the hearing of faith?" He felt that he had such a hold on them from their
past experiences that he could have askedof them many admissions. With
one, however, he will be content. This had reference to the receptionof the
Spirit. The gospeldispensationwas the dispensationof the Spirit. It was by
the sacrifice ofChrist that the Spirit was really obtained. It was soonafter the

offering of that sacrifice that the Spirit was poured out, as though liberated
from previous restraints. The greatblessing, then, of that dispensation,
obtained they it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? The Law
is to be understood in the sense of the Mosaic Law, which the Judaists sought
to impose on Gentile Christians. The Law and faith are here placed in
opposition. Works are the characteristic ofthe Law; hearing is the
characteristic offaith. Was it, then, by Law-working that they had received
the Spirit? When would it quantitatively and qualitatively have sufficed for
their receiving the Spirit? Was it not the case, too, thatthe greatmajority of
them in the GalatianChurches had not been under the Law? They had not
been circumcised, and yet the Spirit had been receivedby them. Was it not,
then, by the hearing which belongs to faith? They had not tediously to
elaborate a Law-righteousness.Theyhad not to work for a righteousnessat
all. They had simply to hear in connectionwith the preaching of the gospel.
They had to listen to the proclamation of a righteousness elaboratedfor them.
And while their faith was imperfect, and could not be in itself the ground of
their justification, they had, as perfectly justified, receivedthe Spirit.
3. Two points in which their foolishness was shownatits height. "Are ye so
foolish?"
(1) They belied the beginning they had made. "Having begun in the Spirit, are
ye now perfected in the flesh?" They began by renouncing the flesh, by
confessing that, with the weak elements in their nature, they never could
arrive at perfection. In despair of the flesh, then, and in order to be delivered
from its weakness, theycastthemselves upon the Spirit. They calledin Divine
help againsttheir sinful tendencies. This was the right beginning to make.
And having thus begun, they should have gone on, in dependence on the help
of the Spirit, toward perfection. But they were proving untrue to the
beginning they had made. They were going back to the flesh which they
professedto have left behind as a source of dependence. They were now

saying that it, forsooth, with all its weakness, was able. to bring about their
'perfection.'
(2) They stultified their sufferings. Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it
be indeed in vain." It is to be inferred that they suffered persecution. They
suffered many things, though of their sufferings we have no record. They
suffered for Christ, and it may have been for liberty in him. That gave a noble
characterto their sufferings, and promised a glorious reward. But now, with
their changedrelation to Christ, those sufferings had lost their character.
There was no longera Christian halo around them. They were simply a
blunder, what might have been avoided. They could not hope, then, for the
reward of the Christian confessoror martyr. The apostle is, however,
unwilling to believe that the matter has ended with them. In the words which
he appends, "if it be indeed in vain," he not only leaves a loophole of doubt,
but makes an appealto them not to throw awaythat which they had nobly
won.
4. The one admission reverted to with specialreference to the miraculous
operations of the Spirit. "He therefore that supplieth to you the Spirit, and
workethmiracles among you, doeth he it by the works ofthe Law, or by the
hearing of faith?" It was God who supplied the Spirit to them. He especially
supplied the powerof working miracles. It is takenfor granted that miracles
were still being wrought in connectionwith the GalatianChurches. The
miraculous operations of the Spirit are not more remarkable in themselves
than his ordinary operations;but they were more exceptional. Being more
easilyappreciated, too, they were especiallyfitted to attract attention to
Christianity, and to commend it to them that were outside. And as the
Galatians had thrown doubt on their relation to Christianity, he very
naturally meets them by making his appealto the evidence of miracles. Did
God give any token of his approval to those who were identified with the
works of the Law - to the Judaizing teachers? Was there any exceptional
powerpossessedby them? Did not God work miracles through those who

were identified with the hearing of faith - through the preachers ofthe gospel?
And was that not conclusive evidence that he was with them in their teaching?
II. THE CASE OF ABRAHAM WITH REFERENCETO JUSTIFICATION.
1. He was justified by faith. Scripture statement. "Evenas Abraham believed
God, and it was reckonedunto him for righteousness." There couldbe no
question regarding the high authority of Abraham's example. And the best
way to deal with it was in connectionwith Scripture. What, then, was the
Scripture accountof Abraham's justification? In Genesis 15:6 it is said, "He
believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness."It is not "He
was circumcised, and that was reckonedunto him for righteousness."There is
no mention of his justification in connectionwith his circumcision. Indeed, he
was justified before he was circumcised. Abraham's case, then, tells against
justification by the works of the Law. On the other hand, he was a signal
example of the hearing of faith. He heard God saying to him, "Getthee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land
that I will show thee;" and he went forth, leaving country and kindred and
home, not knowing whither he went. He heard Godsaying that he should have
a seednumerous as the stars of heaven, and it was his crediting this as God's
word, though it conflictedwith all human experience, that was reckonedunto
him for righteousness. Again, he heard God commanding him to offer up the
son of the promise, and, notwithstanding all the difficulties it involved, he
actedupon what he heard. It is true that this was personalrighteousnessso
far as it went. It was the right disposition towards God. Abraham approved
himself before God by his faith, and by his works which evidenced his faith.
But it is not saidthat this was his righteousness. It was not meritorious
righteousness;it was simply faith grasping the Divine word which made him
righteous. It was imperfect faith, and therefore could not be the ground of his
justification. But the language is that "it was reckonedunto him for
righteousness."Thoughhis faith was not meritorious, was imperfect, it was
reckonedunto him as though he had fulfilled the whole Law. From the

moment of his hearing in faith he was fully justified. Inference. "Know
therefore that they which be of faith, the same are sons of Abraham." The
contention of the Judaists would be that the keepers ofthe Law were the true
sons of Abraham. The apostle regards this Scripture as a disproof of their
position. Abraham was notably a believer. He heard God speaking to him on
various occasions,and it was his humbly distrusting his own judgment and
listening to the voice of God for which he was commended. It was, therefore,
to be known, to be regarded as indisputable, that believers, those who have
faith as the source of their life, and not those who are of the works ofthe Law,
are the true sons of Abraham.
2. The promise on which his faith rested. Scripture with preface. "And the
Scripture, foreseeing thatGod would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached
the gospelbeforehandunto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed." The Scripture is here put in place of the Author of Scripture, and
foresightis ascribedto it which is properly to be ascribedto God. The
foresightof God was shown in the form in which the promise was given. It
had nothing of Jewishexclusivenessaboutit, but was suitable to gospeltimes.
Indeed, it could be describedas the gospelpreachedbeforehand unto
Abraham. The language recalls ourLord's words, "Your father Abraham
rejoicedto see my day, and he saw it, and was glad." It was the promise of
blessing without any restrictionof contents. It was the promise of blessing to
all nations. There was thus the same ring about it that there was about the
angelic messagewhenJesus was born: "Behold, I bring you goodtidings of
greatjoy, which shall be to all people." And God, having in view the extension
of the blessing to the Gentiles, promised it in Abraham. He did not promise it
in Moses, who was identified with the Law; but he promised it in Abraham,
who was characteristicallya believer. The being in him points to Abraham,
not only as a believer, but as holding the position of the father of believers. He
was thus more than an example of the mode of justification. It was in him that
the blessing was given, that the connectionwas formed betweenfaith and
justification. It is as his seed, or sons, that it is to be obtained by us. General
inference. "So then they which be of faith are blessedwith the faithful
Abraham." He has alreadyshown who the sons of Abraham are, viz. "they

which be of faith." Founding, then, upon that, as well as upon what he has just
quoted, his conclusionis that believers are sharers with Abraham in his
blessing. He not only stoodin the relation of father to believers: as a believer
himself, he was blessed. He had especiallythe blessing of justification, which
has been referred to. And along with him do all believers enjoy especiallythe
blessing of justification.
(1) A curse lies on the workers of the Law. "For as many as are of the works
of the Law are under a curse." So far from enjoying the blessing, they are
under the curse. Having laid down this proposition, he establishes it in the
most conclusive manner. Even the form of the syllogismis apparent. Major
proposition. "Forit is written, Cursed is every one which continueth not in all
things that are written in the book of the Law, to do them." The words are a
quotation from Deuteronomy27:26. They form the conclusionof the curses
pronounced from Mount Ebal. The Law requires obedience to be rendered to
it in every precept. And it requires obedience to all time. If a person kept all
the precepts and transgressedonly one, or if he transgressedone at last after
having kept all for a lifetime, he would thereby be placed in a wrong relation
to the Law, and would be subject to its curse, as really as though he had been
a flagrant and lifelong transgressor. All are cursedwho do not render whole
and continued obedience to the Law. Minor proposition. "Now that no man is
justified by the Law in the sight of God, is evident." Of the major proposition
he did not need to offer any proof because it is Scripture; but this minor
proposition, in his singular love for proof, especiallyfrom Scripture, he will
not assume. It therefore becomes the conclusionof another syllogismMajor
proposition of secondsyllogism. "For, The righteous shall live by faith." This
is cited from Habakkuk 2:4, and is also cited in Romans 1:17 and Hebrews
10:38. The spirit of the Old Testamentpassageis given. The reference was to a
seasonofdangerfrom the Chaldeans. An announcement of deliverance was
made in plain terms. "Behold," it is added, "his soul [either of the Chaldean
or of the heedless Jew]which is lifted up is not upright in him;" i.e. priding
himself in his ownsufficiency, he was destitute of righteousness, andtherefore
it was to be presumed, from the theocratic standpoint, would perish; "but the
just shall live by faith;" i.e. relying on promised help, he would be righteous,

and thus obtain the theocratic blessing of deliverance. The New Testament
bearing is obvious. Relying on Divine righteousness, he is righteous, and thus
has title to life. Formally, what the apostle lays down here is that none but
believers are justified. Minor proposition of secondsyllogism. "And the Law
is not of faith; but, He that doeth them shall live in them." The principle of
faith is reliance on the promise in order to obtain a title to life. The principle
of the Law, as brought out in the quotation from Leviticus 18:5, is reliance on
our own doing of all the precepts in order to obtain a title to life. Thus all
doers must be excluded from the class ofbelievers. And thus, by formal proof,
is the minor proposition of the first syllogismestablished, viz. No man is
justified by the Law in the sight of God. And, it being established, the
conclusionof that syllogismfollows, which is given in the first clause of the
tenth verse, "As many as are of the works ofthe Law are under a curse."
(2) How the blessing is enjoyed by believers. Redemption from the curse.
"Christ redeemedus from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." The Jews (with
whom Paul identifies himself) were under the curse of the Law for many
precepts transgressed, and transgressedmany times. They found a Redeemer
from the curse in Christ, who redeemed them by becoming a curse for them,
i.e. on their behalf, and, by implication at least, in their stead. The
transference ofthe curse, as of sin, was quite familiar to the Jewishmind. He
not only became cursed, but abstractly and more strongly he became a curse;
he became the receptacle ofthe curse of the Law. And in his greatfondness
for Scripture exhibited in the whole of this paragraph, the apostle points out
that this was in accordancewithwords found in Deuteronomy 21:23, "Cursed
is every one that hangeth on a tree." The words did not refer to crucifixion,
which was not a Jewishmode of putting to death; but referred to the hanging
of the body of a criminal on a tree after death as a public spectacle. The words
were applicable to Christ, because he was made a public spectacle, notonly in
hanging on a tree, but in being nailed to a tree. The infamy which Christ was
subjectedto from men was a very subordinate element in his death. There was
especiallythe wrath which he endured from God, the hiding of the Father's
face from him as the Representative ofsinners. This was the curse (all curses

in one) by bearing which he became Redeemer. Twofoldaim of redemption.
Extension of the blessing to the Gentiles. "Thatupon the Gentiles might come
the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus." The effectofthe endurance of the
curse was the opening of the blessing to the Gentiles. The Law, in its precepts
and curse, no longer presentedan obstacle. The whole meaning of the Law
was realized; the whole curse of the Law was exhausted. So complete was the
satisfactionrendered, that there could be no supplementing it by works of the
Law. All that was neededwas faith to receive the satisfactionpresentedin
Christ, and not in the Law, for justification. Thus did the blessing attain its
world-wide character, announcedto Abraham. Gentiles had simply to believe,
like Abraham, in order to be blessedin and with Abraham. Receptionof the
Spirit. "Thatwe might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Not
only was there the extension of the blessing enjoyedamong the Jews, which
was eminently justification (as appears from the whole strain of this
paragraph); but this extensionwas signalizedby the sending of a richer
blessing. This was the realization of the promise of the Spirit. In this the Jews
were sharers. All alike were recipients of the Spirit, simply through faith. And
thus the apostle, after a remarkable chain of arguments, comes back to the
point from which he started. - R.F.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Appeal to Experience and Scripture
R. Finlayson
Galatians 3:1-14
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the
truth…

I. FOOLISHNESSOF THE GALATIANS SHOWN FROM THEIR OWN
EXPERIENCE.
1. Expressionof astonishmentin view of their first impressions of the cross.
"O foolishGalatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes JesusChrist
was openly set forth crucified?" Paul's address to Peter concludedwith his
presenting the dreadful supposition of Christ having died for nought. He with
that turns to the Galatians, and calls to their recollectionthe memorable
impression which the first presentationof Christ crucified had made on their
minds. There had been, as it were, a localizationof the cross among them.
Christ had been so presentedto them that preacherand time and place were
all forgotten. There on Galatiansoil was the cross erected;there was the Holy
One and the Just takenand nailed to the tree; there his blood flowed forth for
the remissionof sins. And they were deeply affected, as if the crucifixion
scene]had passedbefore their eyes. It is a blessedfact that the evil of our
nature is not insuperable - that there is in the cross whatcan act on it like a
spell. Even the greatestsinners have been arrestedand entrancedby the eye
of the Crucified One. It is, on the other hand, a serious factthat evil canbe
presentedto us in a fascinating form. Here the Galatians are describedas
those who had been bewitched. It was as if some one had exerted an evil spell
on them. His evil eye had restedon them and held them so that they could not
see him by whose crucifixion they had formerly been so much affected. And
the apostle wonders who it could be that had bewitchedthem. Who had been
envious of the influence which the Crucified One had obtained over them?
What false representations had he made? What flattering promises had he
held out? Such a one had great guilt on his head; but they also were
chargeable with foolishness in allowing themselves to be bewitched by him.
The Galatians were by no means stupid; they were rather of quick perception.
They had the strong emotional qualities of the Celtic nature; their temptation
was sudden change offeeling. They were foolishin yielding to their
temptation, in not subjecting their feelings to the guidance of reason, in not
using the Divine helps againsttheir being bewitched. And the apostle, in

charging home foolishness on them, would have them recallwhat the cross
had once been in their eyes, in order to break the present spell of evil.
2. The one admission he asks ofthem in order to prove their foolishness. "This
only would I learn from you, Receivedye the Spirit by the works of the Law,
or by the hearing of faith?" He felt that he had such a hold on them from their
past experiences that he could have askedof them many admissions. With
one, however, he will be content. This had reference to the receptionof the
Spirit. The gospeldispensationwas the dispensationof the Spirit. It was by
the sacrifice ofChrist that the Spirit was really obtained. It was soonafter the
offering of that sacrifice that the Spirit was poured out, as though liberated
from previous restraints. The greatblessing, then, of that dispensation,
obtained they it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? The Law
is to be understood in the sense of the Mosaic Law, which the Judaists sought
to impose on Gentile Christians. The Law and faith are here placed in
opposition. Works are the characteristic of the Law; hearing is the
characteristic offaith. Was it, then, by Law-working that they had received
the Spirit? When would it quantitatively and qualitatively have sufficed for
their receiving the Spirit? Was it not the case, too, thatthe greatmajority of
them in the GalatianChurches had not been under the Law? They had not
been circumcised, and yet the Spirit had been receivedby them. Was it not,
then, by the hearing which belongs to faith? They had not tediously to
elaborate a Law-righteousness.They had not to work for a righteousnessat
all. They had simply to hear in connectionwith the preaching of the gospel.
They had to listen to the proclamation of a righteousness elaboratedfor them.
And while their faith was imperfect, and could not be in itself the ground of
their justification, they had, as perfectly justified, receivedthe Spirit.
3. Two points in which their foolishness was shownatits height. "Are ye so
foolish?"

(1) They belied the beginning they had made. "Having begun in the Spirit, are
ye now perfected in the flesh?" They began by renouncing the flesh, by
confessing that, with the weak elements in their nature, they never could
arrive at perfection. In despair of the flesh, then, and in order to be delivered
from its weakness, theycastthemselves upon the Spirit. They calledin Divine
help againsttheir sinful tendencies. This was the right beginning to make.
And having thus begun, they should have gone on, in dependence on the help
of the Spirit, toward perfection. But they were proving untrue to the
beginning they had made. They were going back to the flesh which they
professedto have left behind as a source of dependence. They were now
saying that it, forsooth, with all its weakness, was able. to bring about their
'perfection.'
(2) They stultified their sufferings. Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it
be indeed in vain." It is to be inferred that they suffered persecution. They
suffered many things, though of their sufferings we have no record. They
suffered for Christ, and it may have been for liberty in him. That gave a noble
characterto their sufferings, and promised a glorious reward. But now, with
their changedrelation to Christ, those sufferings had lost their character.
There was no longera Christian halo around them. They were simply a
blunder, what might have been avoided. They could not hope, then, for the
reward of the Christian confessoror martyr. The apostle is, however,
unwilling to believe that the matter has ended with them. In the words which
he appends, "if it be indeed in vain," he not only leaves a loophole of doubt,
but makes an appealto them not to throw awaythat which they had nobly
won.
4. The one admission reverted to with specialreference to the miraculous
operations of the Spirit. "He therefore that supplieth to you the Spirit, and
workethmiracles among you, doeth he it by the works ofthe Law, or by the
hearing of faith?" It was God who supplied the Spirit to them. He especially
supplied the powerof working miracles. It is takenfor granted that miracles

were still being wrought in connectionwith the GalatianChurches. The
miraculous operations of the Spirit are not more remarkable in themselves
than his ordinary operations;but they were more exceptional. Being more
easilyappreciated, too, they were especiallyfitted to attract attention to
Christianity, and to commend it to them that were outside. And as the
Galatians had thrown doubt on their relation to Christianity, he very
naturally meets them by making his appealto the evidence of miracles. Did
God give any token of his approval to those who were identified with the
works of the Law - to the Judaizing teachers? Was there any exceptional
powerpossessedby them? Did not God work miracles through those who
were identified with the hearing of faith - through the preachers ofthe gospel?
And was that not conclusive evidence that he was with them in their teaching?
II. THE CASE OF ABRAHAM WITH REFERENCETO JUSTIFICATION.
1. He was justified by faith. Scripture statement. "Evenas Abraham believed
God, and it was reckonedunto him for righteousness." There couldbe no
question regarding the high authority of Abraham's example. And the best
way to deal with it was in connectionwith Scripture. What, then, was the
Scripture accountof Abraham's justification? In Genesis 15:6 it is said, "He
believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness."It is not "He
was circumcised, and that was reckonedunto him for righteousness."There is
no mention of his justification in connectionwith his circumcision. Indeed, he
was justified before he was circumcised. Abraham's case, then, tells against
justification by the works of the Law. On the other hand, he was a signal
example of the hearing of faith. He heard God saying to him, "Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land
that I will show thee;" and he went forth, leaving country and kindred and
home, not knowing whither he went. He heard Godsaying that he should have
a seednumerous as the stars of heaven, and it was his crediting this as God's
word, though it conflictedwith all human experience, that was reckonedunto
him for righteousness. Again, he heard God commanding him to offer up the

son of the promise, and, notwithstanding all the difficulties it involved, he
actedupon what he heard. It is true that this was personalrighteousnessso
far as it went. It was the right disposition towards God. Abraham approved
himself before God by his faith, and by his works which evidenced his faith.
But it is not saidthat this was his righteousness. It was not meritorious
righteousness;it was simply faith grasping the Divine word which made him
righteous. It was imperfect faith, and therefore could not be the ground of his
justification. But the language is that "it was reckonedunto him for
righteousness."Thoughhis faith was not meritorious, was imperfect, it was
reckonedunto him as though he had fulfilled the whole Law. From the
moment of his hearing in faith he was fully justified. Inference. "Know
therefore that they which be of faith, the same are sons of Abraham." The
contention of the Judaists would be that the keepers ofthe Law were the true
sons of Abraham. The apostle regards this Scripture as a disproof of their
position. Abraham was notably a believer. He heard God speaking to him on
various occasions,and it was his humbly distrusting his own judgment and
listening to the voice of God for which he was commended. It was, therefore,
to be known, to be regarded as indisputable, that believers, those who have
faith as the source of their life, and not those who are of the works ofthe Law,
are the true sons of Abraham.
2. The promise on which his faith rested. Scripture with preface. "And the
Scripture, foreseeing thatGod would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached
the gospelbeforehandunto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed." The Scripture is here put in place of the Author of Scripture, and
foresightis ascribedto it which is properly to be ascribedto God. The
foresightof God was shown in the form in which the promise was given. It
had nothing of Jewishexclusivenessaboutit, but was suitable to gospeltimes.
Indeed, it could be describedas the gospelpreachedbeforehand unto
Abraham. The language recalls ourLord's words, "Your father Abraham
rejoicedto see my day, and he saw it, and was glad." It was the promise of
blessing without any restrictionof contents. It was the promise of blessing to
all nations. There was thus the same ring about it that there was about the
angelic messagewhenJesus was born: "Behold, I bring you goodtidings of

greatjoy, which shall be to all people." And God, having in view the extension
of the blessing to the Gentiles, promised it in Abraham. He did not promise it
in Moses, who was identified with the Law; but he promised it in Abraham,
who was characteristicallya believer. The being in him points to Abraham,
not only as a believer, but as holding the position of the father of believers. He
was thus more than an example of the mode of justification. It was in him that
the blessing was given, that the connectionwas formed betweenfaith and
justification. It is as his seed, or sons, that it is to be obtained by us. General
inference. "So then they which be of faith are blessedwith the faithful
Abraham." He has alreadyshown who the sons of Abraham are, viz. "they
which be of faith." Founding, then, upon that, as well as upon what he has just
quoted, his conclusionis that believers are sharers with Abraham in his
blessing. He not only stoodin the relation of father to believers: as a believer
himself, he was blessed. He had especiallythe blessing of justification, which
has been referred to. And along with him do all believers enjoy especiallythe
blessing of justification.
(1) A curse lies on the workers of the Law. "Foras many as are of the works
of the Law are under a curse." So far from enjoying the blessing, they are
under the curse. Having laid down this proposition, he establishes it in the
most conclusive manner. Even the form of the syllogismis apparent. Major
proposition. "Forit is written, Cursed is every one which continueth not in all
things that are written in the book of the Law, to do them." The words are a
quotation from Deuteronomy27:26. They form the conclusionof the curses
pronounced from Mount Ebal. The Law requires obedience to be rendered to
it in every precept. And it requires obedience to all time. If a person kept all
the precepts and transgressedonly one, or if he transgressedone at last after
having kept all for a lifetime, he would thereby be placed in a wrong relation
to the Law, and would be subject to its curse, as really as though he had been
a flagrant and lifelong transgressor. All are cursedwho do not render whole
and continued obedience to the Law. Minor proposition. "Now that no man is
justified by the Law in the sight of God, is evident." Of the major proposition
he did not need to offer any proof because it is Scripture; but this minor
proposition, in his singular love for proof, especiallyfrom Scripture, he will

not assume. It therefore becomes the conclusionof another syllogismMajor
proposition of secondsyllogism. "For, The righteous shall live by faith." This
is cited from Habakkuk 2:4, and is also cited in Romans 1:17 and Hebrews
10:38. The spirit of the Old Testamentpassageis given. The reference was to a
seasonofdangerfrom the Chaldeans. An announcement of deliverance was
made in plain terms. "Behold," it is added, "his soul [either of the Chaldean
or of the heedless Jew]which is lifted up is not upright in him;" i.e. priding
himself in his ownsufficiency, he was destitute of righteousness, andtherefore
it was to be presumed, from the theocratic standpoint, would perish; "but the
just shall live by faith;" i.e. relying on promised help, he would be righteous,
and thus obtain the theocratic blessing of deliverance. The New Testament
bearing is obvious. Relying on Divine righteousness, he is righteous, and thus
has title to life. Formally, what the apostle lays down here is that none but
believers are justified. Minor proposition of secondsyllogism. "And the Law
is not of faith; but, He that doeth them shall live in them." The principle of
faith is reliance on the promise in order to obtain a title to life. The principle
of the Law, as brought out in the quotation from Leviticus 18:5, is reliance on
our own doing of all the precepts in order to obtain a title to life. Thus all
doers must be excluded from the class ofbelievers. And thus, by formal proof,
is the minor proposition of the first syllogismestablished, viz. No man is
justified by the Law in the sight of God. And, it being established, the
conclusionof that syllogismfollows, which is given in the first clause of the
tenth verse, "As many as are of the works ofthe Law are under a curse."
(2) How the blessing is enjoyed by believers. Redemption from the curse.
"Christ redeemedus from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." The Jews (with
whom Paul identifies himself) were under the curse of the Law for many
precepts transgressed, and transgressedmany times. They found a Redeemer
from the curse in Christ, who redeemed them by becoming a curse for them,
i.e. on their behalf, and, by implication at least, in their stead. The
transference ofthe curse, as of sin, was quite familiar to the Jewishmind. He
not only became cursed, but abstractly and more strongly he became a curse;
he became the receptacle ofthe curse of the Law. And in his greatfondness

for Scripture exhibited in the whole of this paragraph, the apostle points out
that this was in accordancewithwords found in Deuteronomy 21:23, "Cursed
is every one that hangeth on a tree." The words did not refer to crucifixion,
which was not a Jewishmode of putting to death; but referred to the hanging
of the body of a criminal on a tree after death as a public spectacle. The words
were applicable to Christ, because he was made a public spectacle, notonly in
hanging on a tree, but in being nailed to a tree. The infamy which Christ was
subjectedto from men was a very subordinate element in his death. There was
especiallythe wrath which he endured from God, the hiding of the Father's
face from him as the Representative ofsinners. This was the curse (all curses
in one) by bearing which he became Redeemer. Twofoldaim of redemption.
Extension of the blessing to the Gentiles. "Thatupon the Gentiles might come
the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus." The effectofthe endurance of the
curse was the opening of the blessing to the Gentiles. The Law, in its precepts
and curse, no longer presentedan obstacle. The whole meaning of the Law
was realized; the whole curse of the Law was exhausted. So complete was the
satisfactionrendered, that there could be no supplementing it by works of the
Law. All that was neededwas faith to receive the satisfactionpresentedin
Christ, and not in the Law, for justification. Thus did the blessing attain its
world-wide character, announcedto Abraham. Gentiles had simply to believe,
like Abraham, in order to be blessedin and with Abraham. Receptionof the
Spirit. "Thatwe might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Not
only was there the extension of the blessing enjoyedamong the Jews, which
was eminently justification (as appears from the whole strain of this
paragraph); but this extensionwas signalizedby the sending of a richer
blessing. This was the realization of the promise of the Spirit. In this the Jews
were sharers. All alike were recipients of the Spirit, simply through faith. And
thus the apostle, after a remarkable chain of arguments, comes back to the
point from which he started. - R.F.
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES

Galatians 3:5
by Grant Richison| Jan 31, 2000 |Galatians | 0 comments
ReadIntroduction to Galatians
“Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you,
does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—”
Paul’s fourth appeal to the Galatians is about God’s provision of rich
resources andwonders among them. This is an argument from God’s point of
view.
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you
The word “supplies” means to supply fully, abundantly. SecularGreek
literature used this term for a wealthy sponsorwho supplied enormous funds
to operate Greek plays. The Holy Spirit is a grant from God. God, in His great
generosity, gave the Galatians more than they deserved. God is a Provider.
and works miracles among you,
God workedapostolic miracles among the Galatians (Acts 14:3,8-11).
Galatians was an early book of the New Testament. Godused apostolic
miracles to give credibility to the New Testament. His ability to give us
whateverwe need humbles us.
does He do it by the works of the law,
Christians do not have to earn God’s favor or grace. Legalismimplies that
God begrudges what He gives us. God is more than willing to give us what we
need.
or by the hearing of faith?

God is no miser, as the legalists would have it. We do not have to bribe Him
for blessings. We appropriate by faith what He has provided to help us live
the Christian life.
Principle:
God is a generous provider.
Application:
The reasonwe operate by faith is that we believe God is a generous provider.
The Christian can confidently appealto God’s grace to provide what he needs
for Christian living. Faith sustains our spirituality. We can forgive others as
Christ forgave us. We do not bribe God for blessings;He gives blessings by
His free will. By faith we acceptwhatHe gives.
What is the meaning of Galatians 3:5?

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8 Answers
Robert Nicholas Smith, God, Jesus Christ, The Bible, Scripture, Truth
Answered May 27, 2018 ·Author has 327 answers and185.1k answerviews
Thank you for this question, the answeris found within the scriptures.
You referencedGal3:5… Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and
works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
The scriptures answerthis question elsewhere in Galatians…
Gal 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by
faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works ofthe law; for by the works
of the law no flesh shall be justified.

We are not justified in keeping with Jewishlaw or any other religious law.
Romans 2:28–29 Forhe is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision
that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and
circumcisionis that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is
not from men but from God.
If you have faith/belief in Jesus Christ that means you believe everything that
Christ believes. We are not justified by sacrificing sheepon an alter or being
circumcised. One of the hardest things for us to getover, is the belief that
there is no such thing as free will. God works all things after the council of His
own will, not ours.
Eph 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined
according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel
of His will,
Phil 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good
pleasure.
All scripture is from the NKJV of the Bible. I hope this has been beneficial to
you in some way. If you have any further comments or questions, please leave
a comment.
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Jeff Harrison, Pastor, Bible Teacher, Missionary
Paul is writing to a group of Gentile believers in Jesus who had been misled by
a false teaching known historically as Judaizing, that is, requiring Gentile
believers in Jesus to obey the Law of Moses. As he continues on to prove in the
rest of the letter, salvation is by faith, not by obedience to the Law of Moses.

This is not because the message ofthe gospelhas replacedthe Law of Moses,
but because the Law of Moses was neverintended to bring salvation (Gal.
2:21, 3:21). Rather it was given to prepare a people for the coming of the
Messiah(Gal. 3:19,24). Thatpeople was the Jewishpeople. But now that
Messiahhas come, it is not necessaryfor Gentiles to come under the Law.
They have direct accessto God through the Spirit because offaith, which is
what the Law was given to prepare for (Gal. 3:5).
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Christianity
231 views · View 1 Upvoter
David Kugel, former Burned Out High SchoolMath Teacher
Answered Jun 12, 2018 · Author has 801 answers and109.8k answerviews
Gal 3:5 ESV “Does he who supples the Spirit and works miracles among you
do so by works of the law or by hearing with faith?”
The Apostle Paul is teaching the Galatian church not to go back to basing
their faith on obeying the laws of the Old Testament. Christians are sharers of
the New Testamentofgrace. The New Covenantis basedon grace through
faith in Christ not on keeping the rules of the Old Testament. Paulwas angry
at the young Galatians for receiving and accepting the false message ofthe
Judaizers, a first century hereticalgroup. These false teachers taughtthat the
Gentile Christians had to become Jews first. Then they could become
followers of Christ. Unfortunately, throughout church history legalistic
heretics like the Judaizers have reappearedand led many astray.
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Dick Harfield
Answered May 26, 2018 ·Author has 10.5k answers and6.7m answerviews
Originally Answered:What is the meaning of Galatians 3 verse 5?
In Galatians 3:1–4, Paul calls the Galatians stupid because they have been
informed that Jesus was crucified, and should have faith in what they heard,
not in supposedbenefits in observing the Old Testamentlaw.
Paul emphasises the point by asking in verse 5 whether God performs
miracles for the Galatians because theyfollow laws such as kosherand
circumcisionof babies, or because they have faith. He answers his own
question in verses 6–7 by saying that Abraham had faith and it was because of
his faith (an allusion to the story of his willingness to sacrifice Isaac)that he
was accountedas righteous. Forthe remainder of the chapter, Paul harangues
againstreliance on the “curse” ofthe Old Testamentlaw.
355 views · View 4 Upvoters
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More Answers Below
What does the Bible verse Galatians 5:22-23 mean to you?

What is Galatians chapter 5 verse 5–10 talking about in the Bible?
What does it mean when the Bible says to avoid genealogiesin Titus 3:9?
What is the answerto the six questions of Galatians 2:20?
What does Romans 5:8 mean or pertain to ‘I loved you at your darkest’?
Erin Schram, Formerstatisticianand cryptanalyst. I apply math as if it were
engineering.
Originally Answered:What is the meaning of Galatians 3:5?
This question showedup in my Mathematics feedby mistake. Nevertheless,
we Lutherans are fond of the justified-by-faith-alone theme, so I know the
meaning of Galatians 3:5,
Paul was continuing the topic from Galatians 2:15, "We ourselves are Jews by
birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the
works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to
believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not
by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of
the law."
When Paul in Galations 3:5 said, "Well then, does God supply you with the
Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by
your believing what you heard?" he is pointing out that the works ofGod
among the believers is not because the believers gainedrighteousness through
their obedience and purity. Rather, God is working through them because
they believe and trust in God.
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Garry de Vries, studied Christian Theologyand Philosophy
Answered May 26, 2018 ·Author has 2k answers and 582.6kanswerviews
The first thing we need to do in this verse is resolve an ambiguity as to the
subject of this sentence ? Is it God or the apostle ? The word “supplies” is a
more accurate rendering than the AV’s “ministereth”, and though the apostle
might be said to “minister” the Spirit, he can hardly be said to “supply” the
Spirit to believers. It follows that Paul is speaking here of the direct ministry
of God among them. This ministry took two forms:
An outward ministration of miracles, and an inward supply of the Holy Spirit
as in Galatians 3:2, but the emphasis in 3:5 is slightly different. While
Galatians 3:2 drew our attention to the fact and experience of receiving the
Spirit, 3:5 points to the actions that follow, namely, the believers ‘work of
faith’ (1 Thessalonians 1:3). This is implied rather than expressed, but the
stress in Galatians 3:5 is undoubtedly upon God’s workings among them.
True faith issues in works, in fruit, in God-honoring actions (as in James 2:18
and Hebrews 11:7–11). Now this ‘work of faith’ is also the fruit of the Spirit’s
indwelling. God ‘supplies the Spirit … by the hearing of faith’ , and those who
thus receive the Spirit are thereby empoweredto accomplishworks.
So what we have here, is the secret, or the mechanics if you like, of godly
living. As part of the work of regeneration, Godthe Holy Spirit imparts the
gift of faith (which may be thought of as spiritual sight). By the exercise ofthis
faith, the believer receives, oris supplied with, the powerof the Spirit. In this
power, the believer then accomplishesthe ‘work of faith’ — acting and living
in a way that pleases God. Only faith can function in this manner. The works
of the Law involve no gift from God, no spiritual sight, no empowering by the
Spirit. They depend instead upon the arm of the flesh, the powerless
‘strength’ of human nature.

The secondaspectofGod’s ministry among them says Paul, was the working
of miracles (3:5). The miracles of the New Testamentwere, with few (if any)
exceptions, divine acts of authentication. They point to the authenticity of
Christ as God’s anointed one, either directly in his own miracles, or indirectly
in the signs and wonders wrought by those who testified of Christ (Hebrews
2:3–4). Thus Paul could claim that the gospelhe preached, was authenticated
by the ‘signs of an apostle’(2 Corinthians 12:12). Such miracles, therefore,
attachonly to Christ himself and to those through whom the gospelwas first
revealed. These historicalmiracles still serve the same purpose today, that is,
to authenticate Christ and the Scriptures which declare his gospel. There is no
need for them to be repeated.
The signs and wonders witnessedby the Galatians, therefore, had but one
purpose: to confirm their faith in the Christ-centeredgospel, preachedby
Paul. In the absence offaith, miracles are meaningless, forthey themselves do
not persuade unregenerate men to believe. Indeed, in the face of unbelief, such
signs may become impossible. Of Christ himself we read — “He did not do
mighty works there because oftheir unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). In this realm
also, therefore, it is only faith that ‘makes things happen’.
This is a generaltruth. As I meant by citing Hebrews 11 above, Hebrews 11
recounts the exploits of men and women of faith. Without faith they could
have achievednothing of value in the sight of God. The works of the Law can
do none of these things, because suchworks are the fruit of human effort,
carried out in spiritual blindness, and in the strength and discernment of
sinful human nature (the flesh).
Reference:Free in Christ, by Edgar Andrews, EP books 1996.
183 views
James Wood, studied at Fauquier High

Answered May 26, 2018
Originally Answered:What is the meaning of Galatians 3 verse 5?
Who can possibly know? Paul’s basic belief is that a man who was never
anointed by a priest or a prophet (as required by the Torah) is the end times
king. Becauseofthis we know that nothing that he says is to be trusted. Read
my book, Leaving Jesus, for more details.
45 views
Chad Loveless, studied at Lipscomb University
Answered May 28, 2018 ·Author has 59 answers and 7k answerviews
The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to those who have obeyed (Acts 2:37-39)
This is shown by Abraham who believed God to the point of sacrificing Isaac.
And if we obey like they did in Acts 2:38, we are Abraham's seedand heirs —
Gal. 3:27-28
8 views
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Sermon: The Spirit's Work:From Start to Finish - Galatians 3, 5

by Mike Leake onWednesday, January 01, 2014 at7:00 AM
Share:
Sermon series:God, The Holy Spirit
The Spirit's Role:Helping Us See Jesus
The Spirit's Identity: A PersonWho Is God
The Spirit's Work:From Start to Finish
The Spirit Defined
Scripture: Galatians 3:1-3, 5:5
Connectionto unit theme
Believers rely on the Spirit's work - past, present, and future.
Introduction idea
The painting of George Washingtonwe find on our American one-dollar bill,
known as The Athenaeum, is the work of Gilbert Stuart. This well-respected
painter createdportraits of many kings and presidents. However, Stuart
never completed his famous portrait of Washington. Stuart reasonedthat if he
held on to the painting he could easilymake copies that would sell for a steep
price. Legend has it that Martha Washingtondemanded Stuart give her the
portrait once he was finished. So, he never finished.
Some may wonder if the ministry of the Spirit is similar. Does He begin the
work of transformation in the believer, but leave it unfinished? Through his
letter, the apostle Paul helped the church in Galatia, and us, see that the Spirit
not only begins God's work in our lives but also carries it to completion.
I. The Spirit begins God's work (3:1-3)

Paul's opponents, whom he called"Judaizers," believedthat in order for
Gentiles to participate in God's family they would have to be circumcised.
Paul argues throughout that it was not by "works ofthe law", such as
circumcision, that the Galatians had receivedGod's Spirit. Receiving God's
Spirit was the hallmark of being a child of God. Therefore, Paul arguedthat it
was through faith and not works that one became a member of God's family.
In verse 3 Paul reminds the Galatians it was the Spirit who had begun the
work. Paul compares the work of the Spirit to the work of the flesh. The latter
is "referring to reliance on the old Adam, the unregenerate person. " It will
not be through the works ofman that dead mean are brought to life. It is only
through the work of the Spirit that new life begins. Only when we are "born
of the Spirit" are we truly born again.
Application: Has the Spirit begun God's work in you? If so, what does this
mean for those that have not come to Christ in faith? How does this motivate
us to pray for the Spirit's work on behalf of the lost people around us? How
does this truth cause us to relate to those that are not yet believers? What does
this do to our pride?
II. The Spirit finishes God's work (5:5)
Paul reminded the Galatians that not only did the Spirit begin the work, but it
would be through Him that His work would finish. We finish the same way we
begin, by grace through faith, both of which come by the Spirit's work in the
life of the believer.
In Galatians 5:5 Paul says that it is "through the Holy Spirit" that we
"eagerlywaitfor the hope of righteousness."This hope of righteousness is the
ultimate hope of believers, our final declarationof righteousness. "Inthe
interim believers wait for that end-time declarationin reliance on the Holy
Spirit and place their trust in Christ."
The rest of the Scriptures colorin for us what this "waiting" looks like. We
see that the Spirit gifts believers for service and empowers them to carry out
kingdom work. We also see that He causes spiritual fruit to grow in our lives.
The Spirit will continue working in us and on our behalf as we eagerlywait

for the day of complete redemption. We are calledto cooperate withthe Spirit
as He does His work within us.
Application: Are you bearing the fruit of the Spirit as you eagerlyawaitthe
return of Christ? Are you exercising the gifts God has given to you through
His Spirit? The Spirit assures us He will complete His work. Therefore, letus
confidently cooperate withHim.
Conclusionidea
Ephesians 2:10 says that as God's new creations "we are his workmanship,
createdin Christ Jesus forgoodworks, which God prepared beforehand, that
we should walk in them." Goddoes not leave any painting unfinished. He
completes His work from start to finish. Therefore, letus boldly venture out in
obedience knowing that Godis at work within us to will and to actaccording
to His goodpleasure.
Mike Leake is the husband of Nikki, father of Isaiah and Hannah, as wellas
the associatepastorat First BaptistChurch, Jasper, Indiana. He frequently
writes at SBC Voices and his personal blog, mikeleake.net. He is also slowly
working toward completing his Master's of Divinity degree atSouthern
Baptist TheologicalSeminary.
RelatedContent
Downloada free manuscript of this sermon | PDF
View all sermonseries on LifeWay.com
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Galatians 3:5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works
miracles among you, do it by the works ofthe Law, or by hearing with faith?
that (KJV): Ga 3:2 2Co 3:8

worketh(KJV): Ac 14:3,9,10 19:11,12Ro 15:19 1Co 1:4,5 2Co 10:4 12:12 13:3
by the works (KJV): Ga 3:2
Galatians 3 Resources - Multiple sermons, commentaries, etc (including those
below)
Galatians 3: The Purpose of the Law - John MacArthur
Galatians 3:1-5 Bewitched- John MacArthur
Galatians 3:1-3: WhateverHappened to Holy Spirit? - John MacArthur
Galatians 3:1-5: Ministries of the Holy Spirit- 1 - John MacArthur
Galatians 3:1-5 Bewitched:An Argument from Experience - John Newton
Greek - o oun epichoregon(PAPMSN)humin to pneuma kaienergon
(PAPMSN)dunameis en humin ex ergonnomou e' ex akoes pisteos
Amplified: Then does He Who supplies you with His marvelous [Holy] Spirit
and works powerfully and miraculously among you do so on [the grounds of
your doing] what the Law demands, or because of your believing in and
adhering to and trusting in and relying on the messagethat you heard?
BarclayDid He who generouslygave you the Spirit, and Who wrought mighty
things among you, do so because you produced the deeds the law lays down,
or because you heard and believed?
ESV Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do
so by works ofthe law, or by hearing with faith--
KJV He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and workethmiracles
among you, doeth he it by the works ofthe law, or by the hearing of faith?
NET Does Godthen give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your
doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?

NLT I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles
among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because youbelieve
the messageyouheard about Christ.
Phillips Does God, who gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you,
do these things because you have obeyedthe Law or because you have
believed the Gospel? Ask yourselves that.
Wuest Therefore, the One who is constantlysupplying the Spirit to you in
bountiful measure, and constantly working miracles among you, by means of
law works is He doing these things, or by means of the message which
proclaims faith?
YLT He, therefore, who is supplying to you the Spirit, and working mighty
acts among you -- by works oflaw or by the hearing of faith is it?
SO THEN (or "therefore") - Paul is continuing the thought from Gal 3:2-3.
Wuest explains " In Gal 3:2, Paul is speaking ofthe initial entrance of the
Spirit into the hearts al the Galatians at the moment they placed their faith in
the Lord Jesus. In Gal 3:3, he refers to the sanctifying work of the Spirit in
the believer’s life. In this verse, the subjectof the charismatic manifestations
of the Spirit is introduced, namely, the actof the Holy Spirit in enduing
certain members of the Galatianchurches with specialgifts of the Spirit. All
these Paul brings to bear upon his contentionthat the grace wayof salvation
must be God’s way since it is accompaniedby the supernatural ministry of the
Holy Spirit."
HE WHO PROVIDES YOU WITH THE SPIRIT AND WORKS MIRACLES
AMONG YOU - referring to God the Father.
Provides (supplies) (2023)(epichoregeofrom epi = upon + choregeo = supply)
means to furnish upon and conveys the picture of a generous and lavish
provision. Epichoregeo means “to defray the expense of providing a chorus at
the public feast” while the preposition (epi-) expresses stronglythe idea, “to
supply abundantly." The present tense indicates that this "lavish supply" of
the Holy Spirit (cp Titus 3:6, cp "lavished upon us" in Eph 1:8-note) is a the
believer's blessedcontinual provision. If we refuse to acceptthis provision,

that is our choice. Butthe only alternative for living the spiritual life is our
empty, weak fleshly works, ofwhich Jesus saidwould amount to absolutely
nothing apart from Him (we are "connected" to Him by complete dependence
on the supernatural "sap" of the Spirit to bear any fruit of eternal value. Jn
15:5)!
Wuest adds that epichoregeo was "derivedfrom chorus, a chorus, such as was
employed in the representationof Greek tragedies. The verb originally meant
‘to bear the expense of a chorus,’ which was done by a person selectedby the
state, who was obligedto defray all the expense of training and maintenance.”
Strachanadds, “It was a duty that prompted to lavishness in execution. Hence
choregeo came to mean ‘supplying costs forany purpose,’ a public duty or
religious service, with a tending, as here, towards the meaning, ‘providing
more than is barely demanded.’ ” Thus, the word means “to supply in copious
measure, to provide beyond the need, to supply more than generously.”
(Galatians Commentary - Verse by Verse - online)
Even as this picturesque verb meant to richly supply everything an ancient
chorus neededso that it might be a grand production, so believers are richly
supplied with the Holy Spirit so that our life might be a "grand production"
that brings glory to our Father (Mt 5:16).
Who works miracles among you - see some of these miracles in Galatia Acts
14:3, 8–11
Wuest explains why Paul described the Spirit as the one Who works miracles -
"The word miracles is from dunamis (word study), used in 1 Cor12:10 and in
2 Cor 12:12. In eachplace, the reference is to the Holy Spirit conferring
miracle-working powerupon certain members of the early Church. In the
view of Paul, it was the same Spirit Who was performing His work of
sanctificationin the lives of the Galatiansaints, who was also bestowing
miraculous powers upon them." (Galatians Commentary - Verse by Verse -
online)
What were these "miracles"? We cannotknow for certain, but we can know
He is still at work performing these supernatural acts. Take forexample the

situation when a wife genuinely, from the heart grants her unfaithful but
repentant husband forgiveness. Thatis a miracle!
THE SOURCE OF A SUPERNATURAL LIFE
THE "ENERGY" OF THE SPIRIT
Works (1754)(energeo fromen = in + érgon = work. ~ "energetic")means to
work effectively to cause something to happen. To energize. It is used only of
superhuman power. The present tense pictures the "energizing" supernatural
work of the Spirit in believers as an ongoing, continual process. In Php
2:13NLT-note Paul writes that "Godis working (energeo which is in the
present tense = continuously working)in you (Who is this, but the indwelling
Spirit, the Gift of God, His "ChiefOperating Officer" if you will!), giving you
the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
Wuest comments on Paul's use of the present tense - The present tense of the
participles (epichoregeoand energeo)informs us that the work of the Holy
Spirit in both respects was continuallygoing on in the Galatianchurches, even
at the time of the inroad of the Judaizers, although His work was being
hindered by the act of the Galatians slowlyturning away from His
ministrations and depending instead upon self effort. The point however is
that these Galatians still had the attesting powerof the miracles among them,
proving that grace and not works was the way of salvation. Yet in spite of all
this irrefutable proof, they were forsaking the place of grace to take their
stand under law. Over againstall this, the Judaizers had nothing as an
evidence that their messagewas from God. (Galatians Commentary - Verse
by Verse - online)
Ralph Earle adds that "While there is a crisis moment in which the Holy
Spirit comes into the believer's heart, yet there is also a sense in which the
Spirit is being supplied richly to us as we walk in the light." (Word Meanings
in the NT)
DO IT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, OR BY HEARING WITH FAITH?
In other words Paul wants to know whether God has given they the Spirit and

and the miracles because they had "earned" this by their obedience to the
Law or because they had believed the Gospel?
HEARING WITH FAITH: Campbell has "from the hearing that leads to
faith." MacArthur has "through saving faith granted when hearing the
Gospel." Amplified has "because ofyour believing in and adhering to and
trusting in and relying on the messagethatyou heard?" What had they heard
from Paul? The truth of the Gospelof grace.
The point of this question would be "How then, can you be duped by the
Judaizers into thinking that He came to you, or will eventually come to you,
by works of the Law?” Like the Judaizers, many groups and movements
today want to introduce specialconditions or requirements that supposedly
add blessings to the finished and perfectwork of Christ-such as a greater
fullness of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, or a more complete salvation. But
all such things are forms of works righteousness, adding things that men can
do to what Christ has already done and that only He could have done."
(MacArthur)
How Do You Answer Paul's Five Questions?
Galatians 3:1-5
Do you clearly understand the gospelof salvationin Christ through His
substitutionary death on the cross? (Gal3:1)
"You foolish Galatians!" - This is a serious rebuke that is addresseddirectly
to these believers!
baskaino (bewitched)= to speak ill of, to slander, to bring evil upon, to charm
or fascinate.
"Publicly portrayed" (pro-egraphen) = postedon a placard or billboard, a
clearpicture of the truth.

The crucifixion of Christ is emphasized because of its importance to the gospel
message.
Why did Jesus come to die?
Were you given the indwelling Holy Spirit and all of the blessings ofsalvation
because ofyour obedience to a setof rules, or by faith? (Gal 3:2)
Even the Jews, althoughthey were Law-keepers, did not receive the Spirit
exceptby putting their faith in Christ.
The "hearing" of faith = the receiving of a message;more than the physical
sense ofhearing - it was receiving the messageofsalvationby faith in Christ.
What things did you receive when you put your trust in Christ for your
salvation?
Having been totally justified (declared righteous)by God, do you now believe
there was something lacking in what God did and that you must somehow
finish your salvation by your own works? (Gal3:3)
"Having begun your salvationin the Spirit, are you completing your salvation
by works of the flesh?"
The FLESH = "The worldly principle or element of life representedby the
legalrighteousness ofthe Jew." In the following chart, notice how the flesh is
in the same column as the Law. The Law (and any other systemof self-effort)
is at best a work of the flesh.
Do you want to be pleasing to God, but you want to come to Him on your own
terms, in your own way, and in your own strength?
Paul's Question
The Wrong Answer
The Right Answer
Receiving the Spirit (Gal 3:2)
By the works of the Law

By the hearing of faith
Being perfected (Gal 3:3)
By the flesh
By the Spirit
Receiving the Spirit and
other mighty works (Gal3:5)
By the works of the Law
By the hearing of faith
Was it all in vain that you gave up things or suffered after putting your faith
in Christ's work for your salvation? (Gal3:4)
When did the Galatians sufferpersecutionfor their faith?
(see Acts 14:2,5,19,22)
Paul holds out hope for the Galatians - "if indeed it was in vain"
What have you given up in order to follow Jesus Christ?
Was it because ofyour obedience to the law or by faith that you have
experiencedGod's mighty working in your life? (Gal 3:5)
It is God who gave us the Spirit, but not through our obedience to the Law.
God workedmightily on our behalf, but not because ofour adherence to a
code of conduct.
What evidence have you seenof God's hand bringing you to salvationand
working mightily within you?
Copyright 2006 Some Rights Reservedby Steve Lewis

JOHN MACARTHUR
I want to talk to you on the subject of the sufficiency of the Spirit, the
sufficiency of the Spirit. A number of years ago I gave a message entitled
"The Sufficiency of Spiritual Resources." Since that time I gave a two-part
messagecalled"The Sufficiencyof Scripture." And as I was thinking through
those particular matters, it was very obvious in my mind that there was
something important left out in that regardand that is the sufficiency of the
Holy Spirit. And so, I would like to ask you, if you will, to turn your thinking
this morning and next Lord's Day to this matter of examining the unique
ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
I feel that perhaps I need to tell you something a little more deeply about
what's in my heart, and so I want to do that. I love the Holy Spirit. I love the
communion with the Holy Spirit that I as a believer enjoy. I love the truth
about the Holy Spirit that I have come to understand from Scripture. I love
the intimacy of having Him leadin my life and direct me. I love the way He
comes to me, as it were, through the lives of other believers who by His gifts
minister to me. I love all that Scripture says about the Holy Spirit. And I
think you, if you think about it, understand why I sayall of that. The gift of
the Holy Spirit is precious to me and I'm sure to you as well.
I can remember when I was in college and then in seminary and the few years
after seminary when I was preaching all around the country that almost
everywhere I went it was practically mandated that I give a messageonthe
ministry of the Holy Spirit. You canhardly do a Bible conference ora youth
camp or a specialmeeting series without at leastone time, and very often
more than that, speaking onthe ministry of the Holy Spirit. Christians were
talking about what it was to walk in the Spirit, what it was to be filled with the
Spirit. In fact there was a... a movement practically built on the idea of being
filled with the Spirit.

Christians were talking about the gifts of the Spirit. There was a tremendous
interest in how the Spirit of God gifts believers and how He works through
them in the manifestation and operation of those gifts for the building of the
body. And the Holy Spirit was at the very focalpoint of life in the church and
interest in the body of Christ.
That's all changed. And now I would have to saythat the Holy Spirit is the
forgottenmember of the Trinity. And so in a sense in my own frail way I...I
come this morning to defend the priority of the Holy Spirit. I want you to
open your Bible, if you will, with me to Galatians chapter3, Galatians chapter
3. And I do not intend to do a full exposition of this text but I do want to draw
from it one very important spiritual principle that will act as the foundation
for what is to be said. As Paul writes to the Galatians in this chapterhe
begins in verse 1 by saying, "You foolishGalatians, who has bewitched you
before whose eyes Jesus Christwas publicly portrayed as crucified? This is
the only thing I want to find out from you, did you receive the Spirit by the
works of the law? Or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish having begun
by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" We really don't
need to read anymore than that.
The question that I want to pose to you is the question in verse 3, are you so
foolish, having begun by the Spirit are you now being perfectedby the flesh?
That's the question. Now all of us who are Christians will acknowledgethat
our life in Christ was begun by the Spirit. We would probably tacitly
acknowledge thatit therefore cannotbe perfectedby the flesh. And yet it is to
that very issue that we must direct our attention because whetherwittingly or
unwittingly, we have in the church today a kind of Christianity that from a
pragmatic viewpoint believes that though it was begun in the Spirit it
somehow canbe perfected in the flesh. The Galatians would have to admit
that they were savedby the hearing of faith; that salvationcame by faith in
Christ. And Paul wants them to understand that sanctificationcomes by
trusting in the powerof the Holy Spirit, that as you were savedby faith you
are sustainedand perfectedby faith. As you trusted in the saving work of the
Spirit, so you must trust in the sanctifying work of the Spirit. And no one who
has begun by the Spirit and entered into eternallife can have that life
perfectedby the flesh. It's little wonder that Paul calls them foolish twice,

once in verse 1 and once in verse 3. They were foolish because theystarted
out trusting in God, in the Holy Spirit, for their salvation, and then
compromised the gospelof grace by developing a system of human effort by
which they would then be sanctified.
You will notice also in verse 1 that he uses the term "bewitched." It's an
interesting term, baskain. It means to fascinate. Itmeans to charm someone
in a misleading way. Theyhad been fascinatedby their own capabilities, by
their own works, by their own effort. They had been fascinatedor charmed
by some who in effecttold them that sanctificationis something you can
accomplishon your own. They receivedthe Holy Spirit by faith. They began
their Christian life in the powerof the Holy Spirit. And now all of a sudden
they had become willing victims who succumbed to a flesh-pleasing, self-
attainment pattern of sanctification. So Paul's point is very clearhere. He
says if a person receives eternalsalvationthrough trusting in the crucified
Christ and receiving the fullness of the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment
of salvation, and if a person retains the indwelling Spirit through all of his
Christian experience, then why in the world would he trade in supernatural
powerfor human effort? You cannotachieve a spiritual goalwith a natural
means. That's his point. Since the Holy Spirit is the source of spiritual life
initially He is the source of spiritual life continually. The Holy Spirit, you
might say by way of analogy, is to the Christian what the Creatoris to the
creation.
For example, without God, the Creator, the world would never have come into
existence. And without God, the Creator, also holding up, sustaining,
persevering, the world would go out of existence. He brought it into existence
and He maintains its existence. So it is with the Christian. Without the Holy
Spirit none of us would ever be born again, none of us would ever enter into
supernatural eternal life. And without the Holy Spirit's constant, sanctifying,
sustaining, preserving work, the spiritual life of the Christian would drop
back into spiritual deadness from whence it came. We are securedeternally
because the Spirit of God sustains and sanctifies us. Paul put it in these terms,
"He that has begun a goodwork in you will perform it until the day of
Christ." He, the Spirit of God, who beganthe work sustains the work. That's

why Paul said, "We live in the Spirit.” We live in the Spirit, Galatians 5. He is
the source ofour life. He is the sphere of our spiritual existence.
So why would we begin with the Spirit and then try to perfectourselves in the
flesh? Now you might be saying to yourself, "Well, who would want to do
that?" And I submit to you that that is pretty much what I see happening in
the church today, the church that we're a part of. You say, "Well, how is this
relevant?" WellI think this passage maybe as relevant in our day as it has
ever been because I'm convinced that the evangelicalchurch today, which
beganin the Spirit, is now trying to perfect itself in the flesh.
Let me see if I can't help you to understand what I mean. I guess the bottom
line of what I mean is simply this: There has been systematicallyand perhaps
somewhatsubtly a process by which the church has eliminated the Holy Spirit
from the matter of sanctification. This has come to be of greatconcernto me
and I never would have thought I would come to the day when I would need to
give a messagelike this but here we are. The rapid, subtle elimination of the
Holy Spirit from the core of Christian living poses a monumental threat to the
church, because unless we are perfectedby the Holy Spirit, all of our efforts
are in vain.
Now you say, "How could we ever getto the point where we who begun in the
Spirit would turn to the flesh? What have been the contributing factors to the
elimination of the Holy Spirit from the core of Christian living?" Let me see
if I can't give you three. Number one, I think one contributing factorto the
demise of the Holy Spirit as the priority personalityin Christian sanctification
has been the charismatic movement, the charismatic movement. You see, in
the charismatic movement there is a misrepresentationof the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. There's a misrepresentationof the significance ofthe baptism
with the Spirit. There's a misrepresentationof what is really involved in the
filling of the Spirit. There is, I believe, a confusion about the work of the
Spirit of Godin the life of the believer in terms of illumination. So you have a
movement that basically misrepresents the Holy Spirit. And when a...whena
movement misrepresents the Holy Spirit it really tries then to perfectin the
flesh what was begun in the Spirit because unless you rightly understand and

submit to and seek the proper work of the Spirit, then you cannot come to
spiritual growth.
What has the charismatic movement done? Wellthe charismatic movement I
guess in great measure has misrepresentedthe ministry of the Holy Spirit in
the sense that they have associatedthe Holy Spirit strictly with that which is
supernatural, sort of sign, wonder, a sort of a magicalmember of the Trinity
who does these very external things that can be seenand felt and heard. And
they thus have downplayed and diminished that internal, sanctifying, purging,
purifying work that the Spirit of Goddoes in the heart. They have reduced
the Holy Spirit in my judgment to a sort of a genie. They rub their little sort of
religious bottle and out pops the Holy Spirit who then is demanded to do
whateverthey want the Holy Spirit to do. "Holy Spirit, I want this. Holy
Spirit, I command You to do this," the genie who does the signs and the
wonders.
Becausethe charismatic movement has misrepresentedthe filling and the
baptizing work of the Holy Spirit and because theyhave externalized the Holy
Spirit reducing Him to a genie who does tricks, I believe that biblical
Christians have sortof retreateda little bit. And we've backedoff of the
doctrines of the Holy Spirit. We don't want to talk about them. We don't
want to deal definitively with...definitively with the ministry of the Spirit of
God. In fact, wheneverwe put a series onthe Holy Spirit on the radio, we get
ready because we know some stations are going to cancelus. And it's
basicallybecause there are some people who don't want anyone to talk
definitively about the Holy Spirit because that alienates certainpeople, so we
sort of back off. And in retreating from error about the Holy Spirit, we
become fearful of speaking the truth for fear that someone might be offended.
And so there's been kind of a retreat from the Holy Spirit, the...the Holy
Spirit sort of disappeared out of traditional biblical evangelicalchurches.
There's very little talk about Him, very little conversation, very little teaching,
very little preaching. I would daresaythat in my own experience I rarely ever
hear anyone anymore preach definitively, specificallyon the ministry of the
Holy Spirit.

The holy spirit is god given

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The holy spirit is god given