1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Galatians had fallen so hard for the lie that they had to keep their salvation through works that it was like they’d fallen under a spell. Paul had publicly preached about Jesus’ cross, death, and resurrection when he was with them. Having heard and believed in his message, did they receive the Holy Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Of course, by faith. The if they began by the Spirit (through faith) how does it make sense that they need to continue to the end in the flesh (by works)? It doesn’t. The Galatians had also suffered for their faith, but why suffer for a message they no longer believed in? Was that in vain? Also, God had given them the Holy Spirit and validated Paul’s message through miracles. Did those things happen because of works of the law? No, it was all related to faith just as with Abraham who “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). Abraham was justified by believing in God and His promise of a future Messiah, not in his obedience.
Paul explains that it is those who have faith in Jesus who are the sons of Abraham. God’s promise to Abraham that in him all the nations would be blessed was a prophecy of the gospel eventually coming to the Gentiles (to you and me). Those of us who have faith in Jesus are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
How is your faith journey? Is it a journey that began with belief and is now lived by acts of obedience? Abraham obeyed God because he believed God. Is your obedience flowing from a life of faith or are you trying to be obedient in your own strength. How’s that working for you?