You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was 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? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 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?

                                                                                                                         Galatians 3:1-5

Paul opens this chapter with a series of hypothetical questions posed to the believers in Galatia. The answers to hypothetical questions are obvious, making them a great teaching tool. Paul confronts the Galatian believers with these questions as a means of reminding them that the gospel is received by faith and not works of the Law. He refers to those who would preach a “works” message as “bewitching” the Galatian believers. By using this word, Paul is inferring that these men were speaking maliciously and being slanderous about the gospel. So let’s take a look at these questions.

Hypothetical Question #1:

Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Salvation comes by hearing the gospel and responding by faith. When we are born again, we receive the Holy Spirit, empowering us to live victorious lives in Jesus (Galatians 5:16) and confirming with our spirit that we belong to God (Romans 8:16). With the Spirit of God abiding in us, we know that we are forgiven and have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life. Some of the Galatian believers had been led away from life in the Spirit and brought into captivity to a works system of religion. Paul’s use of this question was to remind them that the Spirit is received by faith from hearing the gospel and not by works.

Hypothetical Question #2:

Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Just as salvation comes from responding to the gospel by faith, our spiritual maturity and the process of being perfected comes from life in the Spirit and not by our good works. Spiritual growth based on works is only as good as the performance of the individual. This type of attitude can set the believer up for a “one step forward, two steps back” mentality. Jesus has set us free to live for Him and this is done by the power of the Spirit at work within us. Paul’s use of this question is to remind them not to turn to human performance as a means of being perfected in the faith.

Hypothetical Question #3:

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

Perhaps this question is not meant to be hypothetical. Paul may be asking the believers in Galatia to do some self-evaluation to make sure that their faith is in the cross of Jesus and not in themselves. Doing anything “in vain” is to waste your time. Living the Christian life by the power of the Holy Spirit is never a waste of time and in the end will not disappoint (Romans 10:11). Paul is considering whether these believers had slipped into a futile existence, having been brought into the trappings of a works-related doctrine.

Hypothetical Question #4:

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?

Finally, miraculous power in the life of the believer comes by life in the Spirit and not by good works. Believers should be praying for inner strength that comes from God’s Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). As believers, we already have everything that we need to see God do miraculously more in our lives than we can ever think, ask, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). These things are done by the power that is at work within the believer. Turning to good works as a means of being accepted by God is to forfeit this power in your life. Paul’s use of this question was to remind the Galatian believers that the power of God comes to an individual as they respond by faith to the hearing of the gospel.

The juxtaposition of life in the Spirit brought about by hearing with faith and works of the Law appears in three of the four questions. Paul makes it abundantly clear that this is not a both/and question rather it is an either/or. Are we living our lives in the Spirit (i.e. are we full of love, joy, and peace) or are we living in a constant state of doubt and fear? I believe taking Paul’s challenge to examine our lives in light of the gospel will enable us to place ourselves firmly in the love and provision of God allowing us to truly become the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).