Received you the Spirit by law or by faith.
Galatians 3:2

At the beginning of this chapter Paul commences with the words, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth,”

The Apostle had been used mightily by God in the growth, and development of the churches in the country or province of Galatia.  However, as Paul continued his itinerate ministry, travelling around different churches, directing and instructing the saints in the ways and doctrine of God.  There had come into the churches, false teachers and false apostles, teaching the ways of Judaism.  Teaching that, they were justified by what they did, by their own works, and not by faith.

In verse 2, Paul says, “this only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

The Apostle is attempting to make them realise, that they had not received the Spirit by works, whether it be works of the law, or their own works.

They only received the Spirit by the hearing of faith.  Paul yet again calls them ‘foolish’.  He deliberately does this in order to make them sit up and listen.

Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Paul also comments regarding the suffering they had endured, and asks, was all that suffering in vain.  Instead of living in the Spirit by faith, instead of being justified by faith, are ye attempting to live by the law of the flesh, rather than by the law of the Spirit of God?

In Galatians 5:25, Paul makes the statement, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”, we can not live by both codes.  We either live in the Spirit, unto life, or we live in the flesh, unto death.

Let us therefore, walk not after the flesh, but let us walk after the Spirit, for as Paul said to the church at Rome, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”.

It is only through the law of the Spirit, and not the law of the flesh, that we have our total freedom from sin and death.


Every Blessing.

Bill.