Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
Summary: Paul is very concerned about what is happening to the churches in Galatia.
When Paul first traveled through the region of Galatia (See Acts 16:6, 18:23), he taught them the gospel as he had learned it from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12). Later, others came in after Paul had left and taught what Paul calls ”a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all” (Gal 1:6-7).
What is the true gospel? Paul tells us plainly:
“[A] person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” (Gal 2:16)
Using our metaphor of a fence and gate, the Law is the fence that divides the ungodly from the godly. There is one gate in the fence, and that gate is called Jesus (John 10:9). Unfortunately, the “gate” we pass through is not a door that locks behind us once we are safely in the fold. The gate swings both ways.
People who have gone in the gate can go out again. This is not a wise thing to do for many reasons. When Paul challenges the Galatians, he calls them “foolish.” His question is direct:
“After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”
To restate this in terms of our metaphor: After having become godly by entering God’s fold through the gate called “Jesus,” are you now going to go back outside the fence again to try and get in without Jesus?
Whether or not this “going out” puts a person’s salvation into question is a matter of personal conviction. Yet, there is a reason Paul is worked up on this topic. He didn’t write this letter to the Galatians because they simply misbehaved. He seems seriously concerned about their future salvation.
Is there any hope of being able to “finish by means of the flesh?” Absolutely not! The Law is absolute. No man or woman, outside of Jesus Christ, has been able to love God with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves. The command is not just for a moment in time. This is a command for all time.
Is it foolish to put our salvation at risk? Yes, absolutely.
Someone might suggest that there is no real harm in teaching circumcision if people still believe in Jesus. Personally, the more I understand God’s Word, the more I see the need for trusting Jesus and only Jesus.
Application: Trust Jesus!
Food for Thought: What does Paul mean by saying “by means of the Spirit?”
“By means of” in Greek syntax is something called the dative case. It is someone transmitting or giving something to someone. At the beginning of our faith walk – after hearing and receiving the gospel about Christ – the Spirit gives us life (John 6; 63; Roman’s 8: 1 – 2, 9 -11, 14 – 15; 2 Corinthians 3: 6; Titus 3: 4 – 7).
John 3: 3 – 6: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
Thank you, Rich!
So would you say that I ended up being married because I was “dative” in high school??
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I like Rich’s answer.
Our beginning by means of the Spirit, our rebirth and awakening of our spiritual selves, began by the Spirit. That rebirth is the redemption of our spiritual selves through Christ. That our spiritual selves were “dead” and are resurrected by His sacrifice and resurrection. Only by accepting His gift can we receive His Spirit.
Something that came to my heart this morning is that the Law, which was supposed to help mankind live a life that honored and pleased God, became something that itself separated mankind from God when mankind placed the law above loving God first and their neighbor as themselves. The Spirit of the law “died” in the hearts of mankind, not by God’s design, but by mankind’s application of it. Christ came and fulfilled the law, and in doing so, brought life back into it, not as a means of salvation, but as a way of honoring and loving God and their neighbor. It is because of the salvation Christ made possible that His Spirit gives us life, and through His Spirit we are able to honor God by obeying His commandments. Christ didn’t come to “get us started” and then “ok, you have to do the rest.” God is faithful, Christ is faithful, and the Holy Spirit is faithful. That faithfulness is redemption, rebirth, reconciliation through Him and to Him. To return to the law for justification is like saying to God “ok, I just needed a jump start.” It denies the presence of the Spirit throughout our walk with the Lord. It denies our dependence of the Lord for our redemption and reconciliation to Him.
Chris,
Today’s question was a “big one.” Your comment is as deep as the question. I’ve been wrestling with the same things as we go through this passage and I find myself on similar trails. The depth of meaning behind the Law is mind-boggling! Thank you for sharing!
03-11-2024, What does Paul mean by saying “by means of the Spirit?.”
As always, todays Meditation and Responses are Great!
As believers we are purified, set apart from this world, empowered by the Spirit for the works which glorify Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:18, He set us free from the curse of the law.
John 6:63, He gives us Life.
Romans 8:14, He defines who we have become.
Romans 8:16, He defines who we belong to.
John 4:19, He gives us spiritual discernment.
2 Timothy 1:7, He gives us power.
Galatians 5:16, He will keep us from falling into sin.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing;
The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
The woman *said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Romans 8:9, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
1 Corinthians 2:14, But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Thank you, Ron!
I like the phrase “empowered by the Spirit.” “Empowerment” is a big deal in our world today, yet the secular world has no idea of how vast the empowerment of the Spirit is compared to the pale copy offered by the world.