The Gospel Unleashes the Spirit & Supplies Resources to Become Complete (Galatians 3:1-5)

1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:1-5) The Gospel: What Christ Has Done

When Paul went to Galatia with the gospel, he had clearly and powerfully depicted Jesus for them. He had publicly portrayed Jesus Christ as crucified to the Galatians (1). He had set Jesus and his cross before their eyes (1). With power, clarity, and boldness, Paul had brought these Galatians to the foot of the cross. It was like they had seen the cross, not just with their eyes, but with their souls. But now they were turning from Jesus and the sufficiency of his cross—and Paul could not believe it!

Because of that, Paul began this new doctrinal portion of his letter with a jolt, calling the Galatians a foolish group whom someone must have cast a spell on (1). He wondered aloud who had bewitched them, using a popular concept from his day that said people could be influenced for evil through the eye (1).

Paul's message to them was not about values or morals—how they should live—but how and why Christ died on the cross. The gospel was not just a message or a set of beliefs. It was an event: the brutal death of their Lord and Savior.

Because Paul wanted them—and God wants us—to see the gospel, he asked them rhetorical questions as he pivoted his letter to a defense of gospel doctrine. Each question is rooted in the cross and highlights some of the beautiful benefits of the gospel:

1. The Gospel Unleashes the Spirit (3:2)

Paul's first rhetorical question helps us remember that the gospel unleashed the Spirit. He asked them, "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?" (2). They knew the answer. When Paul and his friend Barnabas traveled through Galatia years earlier, they shared that Christ had died and risen for the Galatians to justify them before God. They needed to repent and believe the gospel, which they did. And when they did, every one of them received the Holy Spirit of God. He began residing within them at the moment of their justification. They were renewed, regenerated, and born again by the Spirit.

There was no way they received the Spirit by works of the law (2). How do we know? They were Gentiles; they had never even considered doing the works of the law. Only later, when legalists showed up in their towns, did the idea of law-keeping to gain God's approval begin to get traction. No, the Galatians had simply seen and believed the gospel of Christ. And, when they did, the Spirit immediately began residing within them.

And the Spirit-led life is much more beautiful than the legalism-led one. There’s something about airplane travel that I love. Without distractions, I enjoy writing, creating, thinking, or reading whatever I want. But, as many airlines have added screens to the back of every seat, I have noticed that as I’m sitting there, thinking, brainstorming, or creating, my eyes drift to the screens around me. Soon, I find myself watching someone else's movie for way too long. No sound. Tiny screen. Far away. Creepy, but engaged.

Legalism is a life focused on someone else's screen. The Spirit-led life is the one that is creative, renewing, and rich. But the legalistic life throws you into someone else's mold. Paul said that the Spirit gives a variety of gifts to people who then conduct a variety of ministries in a variety of ways (1 Corinthians 12:6). Legalism produces a sameness—a mold—that destroys God's personal work in our lives. Soon, we no longer need to be led by him anymore because all we need to do is look to the legalistic code someone else created for us.

Yet the gospel breaks all that man-made legalism apart. The cross created the way for God and man to know one another and unleashed the Spirit on each believer. And the Spirit, who is God, helps us interact with God.

In John 14:16, Jesus promised he would ask the Father to send another Helper, or “another advocate” (NIV), the Holy Spirit, to his people. He is like Jesus in that he is an Advocate, but the emphasis of their advocacy is different. Jesus, the first Advocate, speaks to the Father for you. But the second Advocate, the Spirit, speaks to you for the Father.

During a Formula 1 race, the team back in the paddock constantly communicates with the driver, adjusting strategy and giving updates as needed. As our Advocate, the Spirit uses the Bible, sermons, other believers, prayer, and our own devotional life to provide us with the radio updates we need. He is in constant contact with us—not because of our works, but because of the cross of Christ—available to lead and guide our lives. Paul's first rhetorical question helps us remember that the gospel unleashes the Spirit.

2. The Gospel Supplies Resources to Become Complete (3:3)

Paul's second rhetorical question helps us remember that the gospel supplies the necessary resources to become complete. He asked, "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (3) Paul's first question would have helped them admit that they had begun in the Spirit, so now Paul challenges them with how they would continue. They had become the people of God by faith in the gospel, but how would they progress as the people of God? How do we make progress as Christians?

Paul's thought is that it happens the same way we became Christians in the first place. We were confronted with our sins, saw God's provision for us on the cross of his Son, repented and believed in him and his work, and were made complete before God. Growth happens the same way—we are confronted with our sin, we see the cross, we repent and trust him, and he makes us complete by his Spirit. He grows us if we repeatedly turn to his cross.

As babies in the womb, we needed nutrients and oxygen to grow. Connected to our mothers by the umbilical cord and placenta, nutrients and oxygen flowed into our little bodies. But once born, we still need nutrients and oxygen. It might look and feel different, but we have not graduated from those needs. Similarly, after we are born again, we still need to depend regularly on the gospel as our resource for growth. By his cross, we are regenerated and justified. And by his cross, we can be renewed and sanctified.

Each of us battles many of the same sins throughout our entire lives. To use myself as an example, I have always battled with anger. At the beginning of my Christian life, I prayed that God would help me. I wanted him to, by his power, remove it from my life. It was a good prayer, and God has faithfully and gradually answered it.

But I have found it important to go back to the cross for a clear portrayal of what happened there. In Jesus' death, I died, and I am made new in him. The more I see how he has made me complete, the less rattled I am by circumstantial events in my life.

Only Jesus can complete us—and has, on his cross. In other words, we are not only saved by the gospel, but we grow by applying it to every facet of our lives. So how will you become complete? Through self-mastery and perfectionism? Through success and accomplishments? Through self-acceptance and self-esteem? All of these routes lead to a dead end. But in Christ, we have all the resources we need to become complete.

Next week, we’ll examine two more rhetorical questions Paul posed to the Galatians to help them see the gospel.