SLIDES

The Letter to the Galatians

Part 10 (Galatians 3:1-5)

4. A Defense of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith (Chapters 3&4)                     

Introduction

In 1947 something crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell incident became a conspiracy theory which alleges that the 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon near Roswell, New Mexico was actually caused by an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Operated from the nearby Alamogordo Army Air Field and part of the top secret Project Mogul, the balloon was intended to detect Soviet nuclear tests. After metallic and rubber debris was recovered by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, the United States Army announced their possession of a "flying disc". This announcement made international headlines but was retracted within a day. Obscuring the true purpose and source of the crashed balloon, the Army subsequently stated that it was a conventional weather balloon.

Despite the lack of evidence, many UFO proponents claim that the Roswell debris was derived from an alien craft and accuse the US government of a cover-up. The conspiracy narrative has become a trope in science fiction literature, film, and television. (A trope is a figure of speech to figuratively create a powerful image in one’s mind.) The town of Roswell leverages this to promote itself as a destination for UFO-associated tourism.

People have the same evidence or lack of evidence. There are people who are very passionate that it occurred and there was and cover up by the government. There are those who are very passionate that it never occurred and that that there was no cover up.  Where do you stand on the issue? Do you believe a UFO crashed at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 that had alien space men on board? They only ones that know for sure are those who were at the scene of the crash after it occurred. The rest is speculation.

Today in Galatians 3:1-5 we are going to see a situation in which Paul asked the Galatians several questions about several events that that occurred in their personal spiritual life that only they could answer. No one but themselves could have answered these questions. The reason they will be able to answer these questions is because they were there when the events occurred.  Also, each question is a rhetorical question in which Paul and those to whom he is writing know the exact answer to the question.  A rhetorical question is a figure of speech used for the sake of emphasizing something important. In chapters 3 & 4 Paul uses several different arguments to defend the doctrine of justification by faith alone and not by works of any kind. Remember that justification is a judicial act of God to declare a sinner righteous when they trust in Christ as Savior. As I stated earlier, the first argument will be from the personal experiences of the believers in Galatia as we will see in verses 1-5.

A.  Vindication of the Doctrine of Justification by faith (Chap. 3)

1. By the experiences of the Galatians (3:1-5)

I really like the way the ESV translated verse 1 better than the NASB95.

1a. O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?

The Greek Text has the letter “O as the first word at the beginning of chapter one. Some versions translate it, like the ESV, and some, like the NASB95, do not.  I think that is should be translated because it shows personal emotions. How many times have you heard someone say, “O my God.” Paul was certainly showing personal emotions toward the Galatian believers. He was upset with them because of how they were acting concerning justification being tied to obedience to the Mosaic Law.

Paul called them foolish. He wanted to make sure they understood that they were acting irrationally, unintelligently, and stupidly. The word foolish is, of course, the opposite of being wise. It just shows that they had a lack of spiritual perception about how one receives justification from the LORD. 

Verses 1-5 revolves around five rhetorical questions that Paul asked the Galatians in relation to how they received justification The first question is:

A. Who has bewitched you?

How many of you remember the TV sitcom Bewitched starring Elizabeth Montgomery and  Agnes Moorehead that ran from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972? I used to enjoy watching Bewitched. I streamed a couple of episodes recently and it is still funny. In reality witches and witchcraft are not funny, and forbidden in the Law of Moses as seen in Deuteronomy 18:10,14   

10 “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,

14 “For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so.

In Galatians 5:20 witchcraft is listed among the “works of the flesh.” The word for witchcraft here is pharmakeia (from which comes our word “pharmacy” from pharmakon, a medicine, poison, magic potion, or drug), which is the preparing and giving of medicine. From the primary notion of administering medicines and drugs, the word came to mean preparing and giving magical potions possibly with incantations.

In the rhetorical question, “who bewitched you,” the term bewitch means “to exert an evil influence through the eye, bewitch, as with the ‘evil eye’”  “Who put a spell on you?” or “Who beclouded your mind?” Paul was thinking that Galatians had lost their minds. It is not as if they had made some easily explainable mistake, but rather they made a conscience decision to add parts of the Mosaic Law to grace. The thing about it is that one cannot have grace and works at the same time as Paul explains in Romans 11:6.

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

Paul is quite clear here. Justification is either by grace or it is by works. There is no mixing of the two. They are mutually exclusive. When the believers in Galatia tried to mix law and grace, they actually lost their freedom and put themselves in bondage again. That is why Paul called them foolish. Foolish, of course, is the opposite of wise.

In the last part of verse 1, Paul makes a statement that makes it abundantly clear that the Galatians were trying the mix law and grace and that there was no excuse for them doing that. Intne second part of verse 1 Paul wrote:  

It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

This statement is not to be taken literally because none of the Galatians were actually at the crucifixion of Jesus. Through their spiritual eyes. they were able to spiritually discern that Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected to give sinners eternal life to those who by faith alone trusted in Him. Because of this, they had no excuse for trying to mix law and grace. The second rhetorical question Paul asked the Galatians in verse 2 included the Holy Spirit.

B. Did you receive the Spirit by (means of) the works of the Law, or by (means of) hearing with faith?

Both Paul and the Galatians know the correct answer. The concept of “receiving the Spirit” was essentially a technical term that refers to completion in Christ for the Jews and conversion to Christ for the Gentiles. The reception of the Holy Spirit on the Galatian believers was indisputable proof that God had accepted the Galatians faith in Christ and nothing more needed to be done.

The receiving of the Holy Spirit is certainly in contrast to doing the works of the Mosaic Law. Romans 10:17 is clear that faith come from hearing the word of Christ which is the Gospel.

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer in volume 3, p  234, of his systematic theology lists and discusses 33 riches of divine grace that are received by faith when one trusts in Christ as Savor. Justification is one of them. Receiving the Holy Spirit is another. It was and still is also received by faith. The bottom line is that the Galatians knew that had received the Holy Spirit by faith, not by works of the Mosaic law. The next rhetorical question also includes the Holy Spirit.

3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Again through a rhetorical question, Paul castigates the Galatians believers by calling them fools again. It is intensive, emphasizing the extent to which the Galatians exhibit the quality of foolishness instead of godly wisdom. The word perfected means to complete, to finish, to being to an end. Here Paul is contrasting justification, being declared righteous when one trusts in Christ as Savior which is an instantaneous event, to sanctification which is a life long process of becoming Christ like or spiritually mature.  Both justification and sanctification are a ministry and work of the Holy Spirit. Keeping the Law of Moses, which was made inactive at the death of Jesus, did not lead these believers to being Christ like.  Only the Holy Spirit can do that.

In verse four, Paul asks another one of his rhetorical questions.

4. Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Basically, what he is asking is if they had suffered for nothing. Like other believers in the early church, the Galatians had suffered persecution because of their stance that justification and sanctification came by faith not by works. The Galatians had wholeheartedly embraced Paul’s teaching on grace and faith. If they placed themselves under the authority of the Law of Moses, the persecution from the Judaizers would cease, but there would be a cost for betraying the gospel.

The final rhetorical question is seen in verse 5.

5   So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

The term “provides" in verse 5 coveys the idea that the giving of the Holy Spirit was a gift from God. The giving of the Holy Spirit is one of the things that distinguish the Mosaic Covenant from the New Covenant. The Old Testament Saints were not indwelt with the Holy Spirit as believers are today.  In Ezekiel chapters 11 & 16 God promised that the Holy Spirit would be part of the blessings of the New Covenant. We also know that in John chapters 14 & 16 Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as a Helper for the New Covenant Saints.

Like I mentioned before, the last rhetorical question is found in verse five: “On what basis did God give you the Spirit and the working of miracles? Was it on the basis of the law? No! By the hearing of faith? Yes.”

We know that the Holy Spirit is given to all believers at the moment of salvation as a gift from God. The Holy Spirit given as a gift is a promise of the New Covenant not the Mosaic Covenant. In verse 5 Paul also mentions that God did miracles among the Galatians. We see that this in Acts 14:3 during Paul’s first missionary journey when he planted the five churches in Galatia.

 Therefore, they spent a long time there (Iconium) speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.

The miracles Paul performed in the power of the Lord had nothing to do with the Mosaic Covenant and everything to do with the New Covenant. The temporary Mosaic Covenant had fulfilled its purpose and had now given over to the New Covenant that is eternal because it was ratified by the shed blood of Christ.

There are people who think that  they need to add works to their salvation as we saw today in the churches of Galatia 2000 years ago. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone does not seem to satisfy. People add the keeping of some of the laws of Moses to their salvation. Today there are demonstrations and people who believe that some works like baptism have have to be adhered to for one to be saved.  Again, others throw what is commonly known as Lordship salvation into the mix.  Especially within the messianic movement, elements like keeping Torah, adhering to Jewish customs, and observing biblical and traditional feasts tend to make favorite additions to salvation.

 There are subjects in Scripture like marriage and divorce and election and predestination that are difficult. How one is delivered from their sins to receive eternal life is not one of them.  Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum and others estimate that there are more than two hundred clear scripture references in the Bible about how to be saved. These passages consistently state that faith or belief is the sole condition for salvation. One clear example is John 1:12, which explains that those who receive Jesus by believing in His name become children of God. Another explicit reference is Acts 16:30-31, where the apostle directly answers the question "What must I do to be saved?" by stating, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved". These clear passages should be used to interpret any potentially problematic texts, rather than the other way around.