 |  |
Furthermore, their belief had been followed by persecution from their fellow
countrymen. Had this been to no purpose and been utterly valueless? (3: 4). In verse 3
we have "spirit" and "flesh" put in antithesis. When Paul does this the normal meaning is
the new nature given by the Holy Spirit at the new birth as opposed to the sinful old
nature inherited from fallen Adam. The ensuing conflict from these two opposites is
described by Paul from his own experience in Rom. 7: Here the Galatian believers are
forcibly reminded that their salvation commenced with the Holy Spirit's work, and did
they imagine that further spiritual progress could be made by something as utterly
imperfect as the sinful old nature?
The Acts period was one of evidential miracles which accompanied the ministry of the
earthly kingdom in the days of the Lord Jesus and with the renewed offer of mercy to
Israel as revealed during the Acts of the Apostles. These special kingdom gifts are
referred to in verse 5:
"He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"
To clinch his argument the Apostle immediately cites the example of Abraham, for he
did exactly what Paul was urging the Galatian believers to do, namely to believe God,
apart from any works of his own, and thereby it was accounted to him by God for
righteousness. Abraham realized he could do nothing himself, but throwing himself on
God, he reckoned that the Lord could do what he could not. Accepting this humble
position of utter dependence, he was `justified' or accounted righteous. It should have
been obvious to the Galatians that any other attitude would have been stubborn pride and
self-satisfaction:
"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know
ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen (i.e. Gentiles) through faith,
preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So
then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham" (3: 6-9).
It is striking how Scripture is personified as "seeing beforehand" and "preaching" to
Abraham. The written Word is indissolubly linked with the Living Word, and is given
the attributes of God, in this instance, foreknowledge. God's choice by grace of the
pagan Abram had one great object in view to produce a race that He would redeem and
spiritually educate so that they as His representatives could take the knowledge of
Himself and His salvation to the ends of the earth. This redemption and justification
could only be along the same lines as their progenitor, Abraham, that is by complete trust
in the salvation which God alone can provide. If they did not know in their experience
this salvation by faith alone, how could they preach it to the world? They had to go
through the long discipline of being under the law given through Moses not to save them
but to prove the opposite, that this law with its great standard of absolute righteousness
can only condemn sinners; it can never save or justify them.
All this and more the Apostle Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is going to
argue from the O.T. Scriptures, which was the Bible of believers living at this time.