Galatians 3:1-9: a reflection

1Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified? 2I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 3Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? 4Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain? 5He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? 6Even so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” 7Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.

Paul rebukes the Galatians for a dangerous drift: having begun the Christian life by faith, by the Spirit, they were now trying to complete it by their own works. Are you so foolish? he asks. Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? They had received the Spirit not by works of the law but by hearing with faith; yet now they were reverting to their own effort, as though what began by faith must be finished by works. Paul calls this foolish: the Christian life is continued as it was begun, by faith, not by lapsing into self-effort. What faith began, faith is to continue; we do not finish in the flesh what we began in the Spirit.

Notice the drift Paul rebukes: beginning by faith, then reverting to self-effort. The Galatians had begun the Christian life rightly, receiving the Spirit by faith, not by their own works; but they were now sliding back into trying to complete it by the law, by their own effort. Paul calls this foolish. What was begun by faith is to be continued by faith, not finished by works. To revert to self-effort, as though our own striving must complete what faith began, is to go backward. The Spirit was received by faith, and the life is to go on by faith, not by lapsing into the flesh. Having begun in the Spirit, we are not completed by our own effort; the Christian life is lived by faith throughout, as it was begun.

That is worth taking to heart, for the Christian life is continued by faith as it was begun, not by reverting to our own effort. We can begin the Christian life by faith, trusting Christ, receiving the Spirit; and then drift back into self-effort, trying to complete by our own striving what faith began, as the Galatians did. But Paul calls this foolish: what faith began, faith is to continue. The life is lived by faith throughout, not by lapsing into the flesh. Do not revert to your own effort to complete what faith began; continue in the Christian life by faith, as you began it, not by self-effort. Continue the Christian life by faith as you began it, not reverting to your own effort to complete what faith began, as Paul rebuked the Galatians for beginning in the Spirit and trying to be completed in the flesh; for the Christian life is lived by faith throughout, and we do not finish by our own striving what was begun by faith, but go on trusting Christ as we started.

Lord, Paul rebukes the Galatians for a dangerous drift: having begun the Christian life by faith, by the Spirit, they were now trying to complete it by their own works. Are you so foolish? he asks. Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh? They had received the Spirit not by works of the law but by hearing with faith; yet now they were reverting to their own effort, as though what began by faith must be finished by works. Paul calls this foolish: the Christian life is continued as it was begun, by faith. Show me the drift Paul rebukes: beginning by faith, then reverting to self-effort. The Galatians had begun the Christian life rightly, receiving the Spirit by faith, not by their own works; but they were now sliding back into trying to complete it by their own effort. Paul calls this foolish. What was begun by faith is to be continued by faith, not finished by works. To revert to self-effort, as though my own striving must complete what faith began, is to go backward. The Spirit was received by faith, and the life is to go on by faith. Take that to my heart, for the Christian life is continued by faith as it was begun, not by reverting to my own effort. I can begin the Christian life by faith, trusting Christ, receiving the Spirit; and then drift back into self-effort, trying to complete by my own striving what faith began, as the Galatians did. But Paul calls this foolish. Keep me from reverting to my own effort to complete what faith began; help me continue the Christian life by faith, Lord, as I began it, trusting Christ throughout rather than lapsing into my own striving.