Faith is the Key (Galatians 3:2-3)
"Let me ask you only this: Did you
receive the Spirit by 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?" (Galatians 3:2-3; English Standard Version)
Continuing on in our look at the book
of Galatians, we now begin looking at chapter 3. In the first two chapters, Paul had stated
his purpose in writing this letter--to proclaim the gospel of grace through
faith in Jesus Christ alone--and to correct the particular error that the
churches in
In our last lesson, we looked at
Galatians 2:16 ("Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law
but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in
order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because
by works of the law no one will be justified"). This is theme verse of the whole
epistle. In chapters 3 and 4, Paul will
present several supporting arguments that provide the theological foundation
for the theme verse. The first argument
we'll look at is the argument from the believer's experience, and it breaks
down into two parts: 1) Conversion experience; and 2) sanctification
experience.
1.
Conversion Experience ("Did
you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with
faith?"). The first thing
Paul asks his readers is "what was your conversion experience
like?" Paul's claim is that one is
justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by works. To support this, he asks us how did we come
to Christ? That is what Paul means when
he says, "Did you receive the Spirit." "Receiving the Spirit" is
synonymous with conversion ("Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say
to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
So, how are we converted? Paul gives us only two options: We are either converted by works or by
faith. I have had the privilege of
hearing a few conversion stories, and they all pretty much follow the same pattern: I previously believed so-and-so and
previously did such-and-such, came to the conclusion that what I believed and
what I did wasn't working for me, heard someone explain to me the gospel of
Jesus Christ, and decided to deep-six my previous beliefs and follow
Christ. My own conversion story was that
I had denied the possibility of the resurrection of Christ. A wise and patient pastor challenged me to
read a book that defended the truth of the resurrection. That book shattered my previously held beliefs,
and I gave my life to Christ shortly there after. I have yet to hear the story where someone
says, "Well, I came to Christ by working hard! I worked and worked, until one day I realized
I was converted."
Last word on this point. Notice that Paul says, "by hearing with
faith." Hearing is essential. What does the Bible say? "So faith comes from hearing, and
hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans
2.
Sanctification Experience ("Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the
flesh?"). The next thing
Paul points out to his readers is their sanctification experience--their
spiritual growth. The questions is: How does one grow spiritually, by faith or by
works? Let's hear what God's word has to
say: "Therefore,
as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in
him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in
thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6).
How did we receive Christ? By
faith. How are we built up in
Christ? By faith. "For we walk by faith, not by
sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). Walking
is a common picture in Scripture of the Christian life because it is a steady
progression over time; step by step; little by little. This walk is accomplished by faith.
The question Paul asks here is really a
rhetorical question; the obvious answer is "no." If it took a work of the Holy Spirit (applied
to us by our faith) to bring us to Christ, then it's going to take a work of
the Holy Spirit to keep us growing in Christ ("In the sanctification of
the Spirit" 1 Peter 1:2).
Conversely, since there is no amount of fleshly works that can save us,
there is no amount of fleshly works that keep us growing in Christ.
Now, look back on your own
experience. When were the times you
experienced the most spiritual growth?
Was it from working hard in your own strength to stay faithful and
please God, or was it by trusting God and His word and stepping out in faithful
obedience? Again, from my own
experience, it was precisely those times, after being frustrated through the
failure of my own efforts, that I trusted God and faithfully tried things His
way, that I experienced the most growth.
Application
Time: The application is simple. Faith
is the key to Christian life. I've
said it before, everything God wants to do in your life, He wants to do through
the conduit of faith. Remember your
conversion experience, and how that was triggered by an act of faith. Remember times of significant spiritual
growth in your life, and how they were triggered by an act of faith. In his book, "I Really Want to
Change...So Help Me God!" James MacDonald gives us a very practical
definition of faith: Faith is believing the Word of God and
acting upon it, no matter how I feel, knowing that God promises a good result. Remember, God gave us His word, so that we
could be "competent, equipped for every good work."
Bottom
Line: I close with this verse from the book of
Philippians. "And I am sure of this, that
he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus
Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
Have a blessed day!