Gal 3:1-5 | KingComments | STEP | Now Paul begins with the dogmatic part of the letter. Some Christians think if they hear the word ‘dogmatic’ that it means tough, dry explanations, which you cannot use in practice. Well, let me tell you that there never can be a good practice, without a sound ‘doctrinal’ knowledge or training. That’s also how it is in social life, isn’t it? First learn at school, and then apply in practice what you have learned. That’s why this part of the letter is of great importance. And even this dogmatic part begins in a practical way. . Paul is going to ask some questions to let them think about it. Is this practice or not? He is lashing out against them, because they have become so foolish. In his voice we don’t hear contempt, but indignation. How was it possible that they came under the spell of false teachers? If they had kept in mind what Paul had shown them when he preached the gospel to them, this wouldn’t have happened. You can see now how important it is in practice to remain with the clear, pure gospel. If you think about the situation in professing Christianity now, Paul would, I think, say to a number of Christians today: ‘O, foolish Christians!’ It is also necessary for us to be reminded again and again of the Lord Jesus as the Crucified One. The cross is mentioned seven times in this letter. It takes a central position in resisting the deception which found entrance among the Galatians. He who has taken his refuge in the cross has consciously taken the place of being despised and rejected; he has thereby said that from himself there is no good to be expected anymore. . In the second question you detect a certain irony, because the answer to the question is so obvious. Of course the Holy Spirit came into their life solely on the ground of the faith that was preached to them and was accepted by them. Paul doesn’t doubt that they had received the Spirit. He is sure about that. He just wants to show that the Spirit and the faith go together and not the Spirit and the law. They hadn’t received the Spirit by their own efforts. A person receives the Holy Spirit if he believes the gospel of his salvation and rests therein. Such a person knows Who God is, Who the Lord Jesus is, he knows who he himself is, and he knows what the law is. This is the first time in this letter that the Holy Spirit is mentioned. He dwells in every believer on earth. In chapter 2 it is about Someone Who is in heaven ( ). The Lord Jesus as Man in heaven and God the Holy Spirit on earth are the core or essence of Christendom. This shows how crucial the apostle’s argument is! . The answer to the third question doesn’t need much reflection. This question he also puts with an indignant “are you so foolish?” They had received the Holy Spirit and had started their way in faith under His power and His guidance. How could they ever think that flesh could finish the work of the Holy Spirit? . Furthermore, as he says in his fourth question, they had to consider what they had suffered after they had accepted the gospel. They had suffered a lot. Was it all in vain? Persecution by the Judaists ( ) had not shaken their faith. Would that still happen now by the deception of these people? . But he clings to the genuineness of their faith. Hence his fifth question, here in , which connects to his question in . There he spoke about receiving the Holy Spirit once and for all; here he speaks about the ongoing work of the Spirit. He is pointing to the undeniable proofs of the operation of the Holy Spirit. The question he connects to that fact is: Does God do these works in response to obedience to commandments or as the result of accepting the gospel in faith? . After what you might call the subjective experience in , Paul switches in this verse to the objective proofs of Scripture. Scripture remains the perfect touchstone, whether it concerns experiences, or it concerns doctrine. The opponents stated that the Galatians should be circumcised. They therefore appealed to Genesis 17 ( ). For the origin of circumcision every Jew would refer to Abraham. Paul’s defense to that is superb. He beats the Judaists with their own weapons and breaks down their entire building of doctrines. He actually refers to the same Abraham to demonstrate that Abraham was not justified by circumcision, but by faith. Abraham was a sinner by nature just like everyone else and had no righteousness. Righteousness was reckoned to him by the faith he already had before he was circumcised ( ). It had nothing to do with works. On the contrary, Abraham did nothing but believe in what God had said about a numerous posterity, even when there was nothing to expect anymore of him and Sara. His faith rested in what God had said. That faith was by God “reckoned to him as righteousness”. That means: God declared him righteous. Therefore he was able to be connected with the righteous God. . All who have such faith are sons of Abraham. They all resemble him and are in the same position before God. Perhaps the letter to the Galatians has only now come into its full power, in our time. With the Galatians the evil could be excluded, but professing Christianity in our day has placed itself under the law. How many Christians believe they are acceptable to God because of outward ordinances such as baptism or belonging to the – in their own eyes – right church? This letter has a clear message, especially for them. Now read Galatians 3:1-7 again. Reflection: What contrasts do you find in these verses?

‏ Galatians 3:1-5

Foolish Galatians

Now Paul begins with the dogmatic part of the letter. Some Christians think if they hear the word ‘dogmatic’ that it means tough, dry explanations, which you cannot use in practice. Well, let me tell you that there never can be a good practice, without a sound ‘doctrinal’ knowledge or training. That’s also how it is in social life, isn’t it? First learn at school, and then apply in practice what you have learned. That’s why this part of the letter is of great importance. And even this dogmatic part begins in a practical way.

Gal 3:1. Paul is going to ask some questions to let them think about it. Is this practice or not? He is lashing out against them, because they have become so foolish. In his voice we don’t hear contempt, but indignation. How was it possible that they came under the spell of false teachers? If they had kept in mind what Paul had shown them when he preached the gospel to them, this wouldn’t have happened. You can see now how important it is in practice to remain with the clear, pure gospel.

If you think about the situation in professing Christianity now, Paul would, I think, say to a number of Christians today: ‘O, foolish Christians!’ It is also necessary for us to be reminded again and again of the Lord Jesus as the Crucified One. The cross is mentioned seven times in this letter.

It takes a central position in resisting the deception which found entrance among the Galatians. He who has taken his refuge in the cross has consciously taken the place of being despised and rejected; he has thereby said that from himself there is no good to be expected anymore.

Gal 3:2. In the second question you detect a certain irony, because the answer to the question is so obvious. Of course the Holy Spirit came into their life solely on the ground of the faith that was preached to them and was accepted by them. Paul doesn’t doubt that they had received the Spirit. He is sure about that. He just wants to show that the Spirit and the faith go together and not the Spirit and the law. They hadn’t received the Spirit by their own efforts. A person receives the Holy Spirit if he believes the gospel of his salvation and rests therein. Such a person knows Who God is, Who the Lord Jesus is, he knows who he himself is, and he knows what the law is.

This is the first time in this letter that the Holy Spirit is mentioned. He dwells in every believer on earth. In chapter 2 it is about Someone Who is in heaven (Gal 2:20). The Lord Jesus as Man in heaven and God the Holy Spirit on earth are the core or essence of Christendom. This shows how crucial the apostle’s argument is!

Gal 3:3. The answer to the third question doesn’t need much reflection. This question he also puts with an indignant “are you so foolish?” They had received the Holy Spirit and had started their way in faith under His power and His guidance. How could they ever think that flesh could finish the work of the Holy Spirit?

Gal 3:4. Furthermore, as he says in his fourth question, they had to consider what they had suffered after they had accepted the gospel. They had suffered a lot. Was it all in vain? Persecution by the Judaists (Acts 14:1-5) had not shaken their faith. Would that still happen now by the deception of these people?

Gal 3:5. But he clings to the genuineness of their faith. Hence his fifth question, here in Gal 3:5, which connects to his question in Gal 3:2. There he spoke about receiving the Holy Spirit once and for all; here he speaks about the ongoing work of the Spirit. He is pointing to the undeniable proofs of the operation of the Holy Spirit. The question he connects to that fact is: Does God do these works in response to obedience to commandments or as the result of accepting the gospel in faith?

Gal 3:6. After what you might call the subjective experience in Gal 3:1-5, Paul switches in this verse to the objective proofs of Scripture. Scripture remains the perfect touchstone, whether it concerns experiences, or it concerns doctrine. The opponents stated that the Galatians should be circumcised. They therefore appealed to Genesis 17 (Gen 17:9-10). For the origin of circumcision every Jew would refer to Abraham.

Paul’s defense to that is superb. He beats the Judaists with their own weapons and breaks down their entire building of doctrines. He actually refers to the same Abraham to demonstrate that Abraham was not justified by circumcision, but by faith. Abraham was a sinner by nature just like everyone else and had no righteousness. Righteousness was reckoned to him by the faith he already had before he was circumcised (Rom 4:9-10). It had nothing to do with works.

On the contrary, Abraham did nothing but believe in what God had said about a numerous posterity, even when there was nothing to expect anymore of him and Sara. His faith rested in what God had said. That faith was by God “reckoned to him as righteousness”. That means: God declared him righteous. Therefore he was able to be connected with the righteous God.

Gal 3:7. All who have such faith are sons of Abraham. They all resemble him and are in the same position before God. Perhaps the letter to the Galatians has only now come into its full power, in our time. With the Galatians the evil could be excluded, but professing Christianity in our day has placed itself under the law. How many Christians believe they are acceptable to God because of outward ordinances such as baptism or belonging to the – in their own eyes – right church? This letter has a clear message, especially for them.

Now read Galatians 3:1-7 again.

Reflection: What contrasts do you find in these verses?