GALATIAN EXPERIENCE VS. 1-5In vs.1-3 Paul makes reference to how the Galatians became Christians. First, the Galatians had Jesus ‘clearly portrayed as crucified’ (v.1  This means that: There was a communication of a body of truth, thatIt was about Jesus Christ and especially about his work on the cross, and that It was communicated very vividly. [NIV translates it "clearly’; It is a Greek word that means "graphically"]. Paul is evidently referring to his own preaching of the gospel. It is important to notice that the burden of Paul did not bring good advice from Christ, but good news about Christ. It was not first and primarily about what we must do, but what he did for us on the cross; it is an announcement before it is instruction. Notice also that Paul says that Christ was portrayed “before your very eyes”, even though this cannot mean that the Galatians literally saw Jesus or anything physical? What does Paul mean then? He probably is conveying that conversion happens when the information about Christ "dawns" on us and awakens us. We don't just know about Jesus, but we "see" him on the cross. Our hearts are moved, we "grasp" the meaning of his work for us. We existentially grasp the power and wisdom of Jesus dying for us. This mean that we can only be saved by a heart moving but rationally clear presentation of Christ's work on our behalf.Second, they 'believed what they heard.’ The meaning of this phrase can be clarified by seeing it's relationship to two other phrases. In v.2, “believing” is contrasted with 'observing the law’; and in v.3 it is contrasted with comparing it “achievement through human effort”. Therefore, to ‘believe’ the gospel is not merely to assent to assertions about Christ (e.g. he died, he rose) but to transfer your functional trust from your own obedience and work to Christ’s work. We use the term "functional trust" because in v.3 Paul says that we naturally use "human effort" (Greek sarki, "flesh"= self-trusting effort, cf. 5:17 and 5:18) in order to “obtain your goal”. The word Paul uses for "attaining your goal" is epi-teleo, to reach perfection or completion. He is describing our normal course of life. We all are striving to "complete" ourselves, to make ourselves acceptable to God, ourselves, and others -- and we trust our efforts to attain that through moral and vocational and relational achievements. But Paul says that to believe the gospel (‘that you heard’) is to abandon that entire approach to life, to ourselves, and to God. We “believe” rather than “observing the law" (.2) or "trying to attain completion" (v.3). To "believe" is to enact a revolution in what we trust for our sense of"epi-teleo"--completion or perfection.Third, the Galatians “received the Spirit” (v.2) and “began with the Spirit” (v.3). The Holy Spirit enters the life, and it comes through the belief in salvation by grace alone through Christ alone rather than through our works. Paul says 'you receive the Spirit...by believing’; this shows that the new birth, which is what Paul is describing, is directly and inextricably connected to believing the gospel. This is why Jesus can say that we are given new birth through the Spirit (John 3:5) yet James (1:18) and Peter (I Peter 1:23) can say we are given new birth through the Word of God. They are indivisibly linked. The Spirit does not work apart from the gospel. In Romans 1:16, Paul says that the gospel does not bring the power of God, but because it is the power of God. Thus the gospel is how the power of God comes to us -- it is the channel and form of the Spirit's power.This means that the three elements in conversion are:o                   truth, o                   faith, and o                   Spirit.They cannot be separated. We are not converted by faith in God in general or a spiritual experience of some vague sort or by subscribing to doctrinal truth in general. We are converted, spiritually reborn, when we hear the work of Christ expounded to us, so that we are awakened and convicted that we have been seeking to complete ourselves through our own work, so we transfer our trust from our works to Christ's work.In verses 1 and 2, Paul reminds them that the Spirit entered their lives through ·         The vivid depiction of Christ's work, and ·         The abandoning of self-trusting efforts to complete themselves and make themselves acceptable. Then in verse 3 he comes to his major "beef' with them and the circumcision party. He says the way the Spirit entered your life is the very same way the Spirit advances in your life. He says that twice, strongly.·         First, in verse 3 ("beginning the Spirit, are you going back to human effort?').  Put another way, he is saving, "having begun with the Spirit-through-trust-transfer, are you now trying to grow through some other dynamic? It cannot be!" We are not just saved by the gospel, we grow by applying the gospel to every area of life."·         In v. 5, Paul gets even stronger. He moves into the present tense and says that right now, the works of the Spirit-even miracles--occur 'because you believe" (not because you '~believed") and because you no longer 'observe the law" This does not mean, of course, that Christians axe not obeying the law (see Galatians 2:1-18). Then what does it mean? It must means that the Spirit works as/because Christians are not relying on works/attainment, and are resting in Christ alone for their acceptability and completeness..Paul links the Spirit and the gospel in the most inseparable terms. When he says that the gospels the power of God (Rom.l:17) and hear says the Spirit works only as you believe the gospel, then he is saying that the power of God works in and through us only as the gospel is applied and used. For example, we should not simply say, "Lord, I have a problem with anger--please remove it by your power! Give me the power to forgive." Rather, we should be applying the gospel to ourselves at that point. Using Paul's paradigm, uncontrolled bitterness--and a lack of spiritual power--must be from not believing (present tense) the gospel and from somehow seeking to complete ourselves with self-trusting efforts. The gospel is the power of God; the miracles of the Spirit are a function of rejoicing and resting in and “working out” the gospel.Our failure to obey and conform to Christ's character is not a matter of simple willfulness--and we cannot treat our failures simply with "trying harder". At the root of all our disobedience are particular ways in which we continue to seek control of our lives through systems of works righteousness. The way to progress is to continually repent and uproot these systems the same way we became Christians, namely by ·         The vivid depiction of Christ's work, and ·         The abandoning of self-trusting efforts to complete ourselves[Note: In the middle of this section, v.4 says, “Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing?” We cannot be sure what exactly the Galatians suffered to become Christians. But Paul is saying that, if they lose grasp on gospel-based living, they are losing out on so much of the real "reward" and joy of Christianity that they would have virtually suffered for nothing. Paul says: "Here you suffered to become Christians, yet you are living as non-Christians, on the same basis and with the same life-dynamics and motivations. What was the use in becoming Christians?”

 

OUTLINE OF CHAPTER THREEI. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH:  THE PERSONAL ARGUMENT (1-5)  A. HOW THEY RECEIVED THE SPIRIT (1-4)·         Paul's concern that they have been misled (1)·         Did they received the Spirit by the hearing of faith, or by  the works of the Law? (2)·         Having begun the Christian life in the Spirit, did they expect to be made perfect by the flesh? (3)·         Would this not make their previous suffering in vain? (4) B. FROM WHOM THEY RECEIVED THE SPIRIT (5)·         Consider the One who supplies the Spirit and works miracles among them (5a)·         Does He do it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? (5b)II. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH:  THE SCRIPTURAL ARGUMENT (6-25) A. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM (6-9)·         Abraham's faith was accounted to him for righteousness (6)·         Those who are of faith are sons of Abraham (7)·         As foretold by Scripture, God would justify the nations by  faith (8)·         Thus, those of faith are blessed along with believing Abraham(9)  B. THE CURSE OF THE LAW (10-14)·         Those who live by the works of the Law are under a curse (10)·         The Old Testament proclaimed that one would be justified by faith, and not by the Law, which itself was based upon works (11-12)·         Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, by His death on the cross (13)·         Making it possible for Gentiles to receive the blessing of Abraham in Christ, in particular the promise of the Spirit which is received through faith (14) C. THE PRIORITY OF THE PROMISE OVER THE LAW (15-18)·         The Law, given 430 years after the promises to Abraham, did  not nullify the covenant and its promises that God made with Abraham and His "Seed" (15-17)·         Just as a man's covenant is not to be broken or added to it (15)·         God made promises to Abraham and His "Seed", that is, Christ (16)·         The Law cannot annul the covenant God confirmed with ·         Abraham, so as to make the promise of no effect (17)·         If the inheritance was based the Law, then it is no longer based upon a promise; but it is obvious that God gave the inheritance by promise, not by the Law (18) D. THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW (19-25)·         It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come (19-20)·         The Law was not against the promises of God, but served to  confine all under sin until the promise by faith in Jesus  could be given to those who believe (21-23)·         The Law served as a tutor, leading people to Christ, where  they could be justified by faith and eliminating the need for  a tutor (24-25) III. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH: THE PRACTICAL ARGUMENT(26-29)  A. THEY BECAME SONS OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS (26-27)·         It was through faith in Jesus they became sons of God (26)·         For by being baptized into Christ (an act of faith), they had put on Christ (27) B. THEY ARE ONE IN CHRIST,AND THUS ABRAHAM'S SEED(28-29)·         In Christ, there is no distinction, they are all one (28)·         In Christ, they rightfully become Abraham's seed, and thus  heirs according to the promise (29)