The SAME SUBTLETY with which he "BEGUILED" Eve
in the garden (Genesis 3:1,6) is what he uses today to "CORRUPT" believers as to the truth
of the gospel (II Corinthians 11:3-4)
The ANSWER TO the question put forth by Paul to the "FOOLISH
Galatians" (Galatians 3:1) lies in the REASON FOR WHY Paul and Barnabas had to GO UP TO JERUSALEM
(Acts 15:1-2) - AFTER the FULFILLING of their Divinely appointed "SEPARATE"
MINISTRY TO the GENTILES (Acts 14:26-27 cf.Acts 13:1-2)
It was in the REGION of Galatia WHERE Paul FIRST PREACHED
the truth of JUSTIFICATION - "APART FROM THE LAW" (Romans 3:21,26 cf.Acts 13:38-39)
THROUGH "THE FAITH OF CHRIST" (Galatians 2:16)
By having ADDED "the WORKS of the LAW" (Galatians 3:2,5)
- they had "FRUSTRATED the GRACE of God" (Galatians 2:21) and, thereby, had BECOME DISOBEDIENT TO "THE TRUTH" (Galatians 3:1)
These SAME GALATIANS had SEEN the EVIDENCE of "CHRIST
CRUCIFIED" in their midst (Galatians 3:1) via Paul's own PHYSICAL TESTIMONY to them - "for I BEAR IN MY
BODY the MARKS of the LORD JESUS" (Galatians 6:17):
It was in one of their cities that Paul was STONED and
LEFT FOR DEAD and THEN MIRACULOUSLY RAISED UP (II Corinthians 12:2-4 cf.Acts 14:19-21)
Paul demands to learn of them - "RECEIVED ye the
Spirit BY the WORKS of the LAW, or BY the HEARING of FAITH?"
(Galatians 3:2):
At Pentecost (Acts 2:1,4), the BELIEVING JEWS received the Spirit by FAITH accompanied with WORKS [REPENTANCE and BAPTISM] (Acts 2:36-38):
God's calling concerning ISRAEL was that she was to be
a ROYAL PRIESTLY NATION (I Peter 2:9 cf.Exodus 19:5-6)
The ceremonial LAW REQUIREMENT for entrance into the PRIEST'S
OFFICE was WATER BAPTISM (Exodus 29:1,4)
It was PROPHESIED that MESSIAH will CEREMONIALLY CLEANSE
ISRAEL with the SPRINKLING of CLEAN WATER (Ezekiel 36:24-25) and, thus, John the Baptist came "BAPTIZING WITH WATER"
to MAKE MESSIAH KNOWN TO ISRAEL (John 1:31)
REPENTANT ISRAEL (Zechariah 12:10-14) will be FOREVER PURGED FROM her IDOLATROUS UNCLEAN PAST via MESSIAH'S
"OPENED FOUNTAIN" (Zechariah 13:1-2) - she will then fulfill her Divine calling to be "THE PRIESTS
OF THE LORD" unto the Gentiles (Isaiah 61:6)
God used Peter's experience with the GENTILE CORNELIUS
as the MEANS OF INTRODUCTION to God's NEW APOSTLE and his NEW MINISTRY (Acts 15:7-12), which put ISRAEL'S NATIONAL SALVATION ON HOLD - "UNTIL the FULLNESS
of the GENTILES be come in" (Romans 11:25-27 cf. Isaiah 59:20-21):
Paul asks the Galatians - are you "SO FOOLISH"
to think that AFTER having started "IN THE SPIRIT" that you will NOW be perfected "BY THE FLESH"?
(Galatians 3:3):
The LAW only served to bring us to a "FULL KNOWLEDGE"
(Romans 3:20) of SIN that is PERCEIVED THROUGH EXPERIENCE Romans 7:7) of SIN'S POWER WITHIN US (Romans 7:18) and that TRY AS WE WOULD - WE CANNOT DELIVER OURSELVES FROM ITS POWER
(Romans 7:22-24)
It is because the LAW REVEALED the WEAKNESS of the FLESH
- that it was necessary for God to CONDEMN SIN in the FLESH of the One Who came "in the LIKENESS of SINFUL
FLESH" (Romans 8:3 cf.Romans 7:4)
- so that the BELIEVER can NOW be FREE and EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT to MANIFEST the RIGHTEOUSNESS which was PREVIOUSLY
DEMANDED BY THE LAW (Romans 8:4 cf.Romans 7:6)
"Have ye suffered so many things
in vain?" (Galatians 3:4)
Paul REMINDS the Galatians of their SUFFERING "SO
MANY THINGS" and ASKS them IF those things were ALL "IN VAIN" (Galatians 3:4):
AFTER HAVING PREACHED the gospel throughout their region
- he EXHORTED them TO CONTINUE "in the faith" and of their needing TO ENDURE MUCH TRIBULATION for "the
kingdom of God" (Acts 14:21-22)
How doeth it he that "worketh
miracles among you?" (Galatians 3:5)
Lastly, Paul REMINDS them of his own MINISTERING of the
SPIRIT to them (as EVIDENCED BY their PERFORMING of MIRACULOUS WORKS) and ASKS them - was this EMPOWERING "BY
the WORKS of the LAW, or BY the HEARING of FAITH?" (Galatians 3:5):