Saturday 22 March 2025
Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? (v. 2)
Background
Having established in the previous two chapters that his calling and gospel were from divine revelation and not human origin, Paul now begins the next section of his letter. He starts in a similar tone to the beginning of chapter 1 by not holding back in his thoughts about the Galatian churches.
His style has changed. Rather than a narrative, he is talking in a series of rhetorical questions. The answers to all of them should be obvious to the Galatians.
The central question which appears twice in this passage is whether the Galatians think they receive the Spirit of God through fulfilling works of the law, or through believing the message of Christ. Clearly the people who had come and bewitched the Christians in Galatia (who Paul also mentions in 1:7) had been teaching that, though they had come to faith through the preaching about Christ, the only way to fully enter into the covenant of God was by obeying all the stipulations of the Jewish law. While never named, it can be speculated that these other preachers were Jewish followers of Christ.
What isn’t clear is what Paul means by 'fulfilling the Jewish law'. Does he mean that none of it is needed? Certainly elsewhere in his letters he speaks about the moral and ethical expectations of those who have responded to God’s love. It may be that is referring to those features that made the Jewish people distinct – circumcision, dietary regulations, and the festivals.
For Paul this ritual observance was to miss the point. Although none of them had witnessed the crucifixion of Christ, in Paul’s mind the preaching of it contains such power it was as though they had all been there. This wasn’t a choice between two human responses – fulfilling the law or believing. Rather, it was the choice between human activity in fulfilling the law, and the divine activity of the work of Christ. To then believe that something additional was needed to continue receiving the Spirit was foolishness.
To Ponder:
- Have you had experiences when reflecting on the life of Christ has led to you feeling you were actually there? What medium of reflection aided this?
- In what ways can ritual practices aid our discipleship and in what ways might they hinder it?
Prayer
Christ crucified and raised back to life for us, may we discover more fully your life on offer to us. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Will Fletcher
Will Fletcher is a presbyter in the Central Sussex United Area. Alongside his church duties, Will is the Ecumenical Officer for the Sussex part of the South-East District. He is married to Helen and they have one son. When not working, Will makes up part of the bass section of Patcham Silver Band.