Title: The Foolish Galatians

Text: Gal 3:1-5

Paul’s changes the direction of his argument or defense of the gospel in chapter three and four. He moves from arguing the validity of Justification by faith by own personal salvation experience, to presenting Six different arguments in defense of this doctrine. First in verses 1-5 he turns from his own experience and appeals to their own personal experience. It’s important to remember Paul is writing to believers about fall away from the truth of the gospel. He’s not talking about losing salvation. Justification by faith, which Paul has been preaching and is now defending means our salvation is eternally secure because it’s not based on our personal righteousness to obtain, nor is it based on our personal righteousness to maintain it. It’s based on Christ’s perfect righteousness alone which is imputed or credited to us by grace through faith.

Paul’s frustration with the situation in Galatia is reflected in the first verse of chapter three where he refers to these believers as “foolish Galatians.”

There is a tone of unbelief in his words and a stern reprimand of the Galatians for having been so easily seduced by the deceitfulness of cunning men away from the simplicity of the gospel of grace. This causes two major problems. It, of course, affects their own fellowship with God in Christ, because spiritually they move away from God. Think of it as a pot luck fellowship, being Baptist that’s not hard for us to do. We’re having a pot-luck in the fellowship hall and you take what you’ve prepared and go to the park across the street. You’re still a part of the church, but you’re not experiencing fellowship because you’ve moved from where the fellowship is. That’s what these believers are doing, by following this doctrinal perversion of adding works to faith they are spiritually moving from where the fellowship and blessing with Christ is.

It is for that reason Paul calls the Galatian believers foolish. This is not the same word Jesus used in Matt 5:22 where He warned against calling someone a fool. This word refers to someone who has the ability to reason or think, but fails to use that ability. Paul used the same term in Titus 3:3. to describe himself prior to his conversion.

But not only did their foolishness affect them personal it also impacted their presentation of the gospel to future generations. By turning away from the true gospel they were in effect saying the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross was not sufficient for salvation. To say it is insufficient makes it of no affect at all, and sets up a gospel of works rather than faith in Christ, which, as Paul said is really not a gospel message at all. That means new converts were not being brought to faith in Christ, but were trusting in works for salvation, and as Paul says that can’t be done. Second and third generation church members would be members of the local church, the Galatian church, but lost and still without Christ.

Paul was so amazed by their foolishness that with tongue in cheek he wonders if someone has placed under some kind of spell. He reasons that can only be the only logical explanation because he clearly and unequivocally made the gospel clear to them, painting a picture for them of the meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Paul then appeals to their own salvation experience. It wasn’t just that Paul’s life had been changed that provided proof it was their own initial experience of Christianity as well. Paul word’s his question in a way to suggest he doesn’t want to hear anything else from them, except the basic answer to this one crucial question. He doesn’t want to hear excuses or explanation, or any spin doctoring. Just tell me this one thing, he says. Think about it, use your reasoning ability and answer me this, “did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

(Gal 3:2 NAS) Did you receive the Holy Spirit by living up to some formal standards, or observing certain rituals, or did you receive Him by hearing and believing what Paul preached about Jesus Christ and Him crucified?

Dr. Timothy George paraphrases Paul, “Since then you have received the Spirit as a gift and not as a reward, being saved through your ears, as it were, and not your hands, have you now gone completely crazy?”

There are three key words in this verse for us to pay attention to. The first is Spirit which is mentioned for the first time in Galatians in this verse, and refers to the Holy Spirit of God. I know I say these things time and again, but the Holy Spirit is not an inanimate force. The Spirit is referred to by the personal pronoun He, and in the Bible is ascribed with the personal characteristics of divinity. He seals, fills, guides, teaches, intercedes, empowers, gives gifts to, enables believers to confess Jesus is Lord, and He is grieved by their sins He is God’s very presence in the life of believers.

The second key word is receive. The Spirit was received, He was not forced on the believers, He wasn’t earned or obtained by their merits or goodness, but He was received by them as God’s unmerited gift. It’s really a rhetorical question, the answer is obvious. Most of the Galatian church was Gentile, they had never observed the Law prior to Paul’s coming. Paul preached salvation by faith alone and when they believed his message, when they placed their trust in Christ they received God’s Spirit. It was that simple and they needed to remember that.

The third word is hearing. In Rom 10:17 Paul wrote, “. . . faith {comes} from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (NAS) Paul isn’t suggesting the Galatians were saved just because they heard what he said. Paul’s focus wasn’t on the physical faculty of simply hearing with the ears. He was talking about the awakening of faith when the message proclaimed was heard, was believed and was acted on or responded to. Faith does not come unless there is something made known to be believed. In this case it shows us the importance of the message, and the fact people are brought to saving faith by truth, and of truth alone. Paul also makes known to us through the Romans passage the message heard is revealed. It is sent by the command of God. It is His word, sent by His direction. Belief comes through the message, and the message through the command of Christ. Hearing and believing also can not be understood apart from the work of God’s Spirit. In explaining the coming permanent presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in John 16, Jesus told the disciples part of the Spirit’s ministry would be to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. The Living Word and the Holy Spirit are united in the proclaimed word which is the gospel so that what is said about the Living Word in Heb 4:12 is also true of the proclaimed word. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (NAS)

Paul reminds the Galatians that when they heard the truth they were convicted, as the book of Acts describes it on the Day of Pentecost, “they were pierced to the heart. The Galatians responded by faith, they turned from their sin to faith in Christ and at that same moment they were not only saved but also received God’s gift of His Spirit indwelling them.

Paul reminds the Galatians of that fact, and he asks another rhetorical question in verse 3. Are they really so foolish, he wanted to know? Have they so completely kicked their minds out of gear they have no logical reasoning power at all? That’s the way it seems to Paul if they think they can begin the Christian life by the power of the Spirit and now somehow think they can complete it by their own inadequate, imperfect weak sinful flesh.

Dr John MacArthur in his commentary on Galatians reminds us, the Holy Spirit is not the goal of the Christian life, He is the source. He is not the product of faithful living He is the power behind it. A higher level of living does not bring the Holy Spirit; rather submission to the Holy Spirit, who indwells the believer, brings about a higher level of living. (MNTC: Galatians, p. 67)

It is God’s Spirit that brings about our salvation, He empowers the message and the messenger and quickens the heart. God’s Spirit seals us, secures us and sanctifies us; enabling, leading, guiding and empowering us to start the race, to run the race and to complete the race. For the Galatians or for us to think we can do it on our own, Paul says, is foolishness.

Paul concludes this passage by again asking them to consider their own experience. The word suffer in this verse can mean to suffer harm or persecution. In the context of verse 5, however, it seems to indicate the more correct understanding of the word is experience. Paul is referring to their personal experience of God the Father, the He referred to in verse 5, the Holy Spirit’s presence in their lives which is miraculous in and of itself and perhaps other miracles that may have taken place in their presence by the Spirits power. Paul wants to know if all they had experienced was in vain or useless.

Paul again appeals to the mind to reason what happened in the heart. Think about it, think about all the things you witnessed and experienced that can’t possible be reconciled to what you’re now being told. Then he says when you do I think you’ll see you didn’t experience them in vain, and it will call you back to the truth.

Today, just as in Paul’s day, there are so many who try to lead you away from the truth of Christian faith that men and women are justified before God by faith. In the church, out of the church, from other religions. Paul says don’t foolishly be drawn away from the truth. Paul doesn’t say close your mind, but rather open it and look at your own experience with Christ if you have had one, examine the experience of others with Christ and look at the transformation that took place and ask yourself was it by God’s Spirit at work or by personal works. This morning ask God to open you eyes that you might truly see.

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