GALATIANS 3:1-4 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
NSB* - Foolish does not indicate a lack of intelligence but a lack of wisdom. Paul wonders whether something like an evil spell had prevented the Galatians from recalling the gospel of the crucified Christ, which had been portrayed or preached to them.
Foolish; Broadly signifies "not understanding" (a, negative, noeo, "to perceive, understand"), not applying nous, "the mind,".Here it signifies "senseless," an unworthy lack of understanding; sometimes it carries a moral reproach (in contrast with sophron, "sober-minded, self-controlled") and describes one who does not govern his lusts. The Greek word here is ἀνόητος anoetos. Vine's (def A-2), Strong's G453.
Bewitched; to malign, i.e. (by extension) to fascinate (by false representations). Dodson defines it as I give the evil eye to, fascinate, bewitch, overpower. The Greek word is βασκαίνω baskainō. Strong's G940. This is the only time this word is used in the bible. It is associated with the Hebrew word רעע raw-ah', A primitive root; properly to spoil (literally by breaking to pieces); figuratively to make (or be) good for nothing, that is, bad (physically, socially or morally).
Obey; to convince (by argument, true or false); by analogy, to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means); reflexively or passively, to assent (to evidence or authority), to rely (by inward certainty. The Greek word is πείθω peithō. Strong's G3982.
Portrayed; The King James uses the words "evidently set forth". Vine's has this definition under "openly". The definition is manifestly, openly: Vine's notes - In Galatians 3:1, "openly set forth" translates the verb prographo, lit., "to write before," as of the OT, Romans 15:4 (cp. Jude 1:4), and of a previous letter, Ephesians 3:3. In Galatians 3:1, however, "it is probably used in another sense, unexampled in the Scriptures but not uncommon in the language of the day, == 'proclaimed,' 'placarded,' as a magistrate proclaimed the fact that an execution had been carried out, placarding his proclamation in a public place. The Apostle carries on his metaphor of the 'evil eye;' as a preventive of such mischief it was common to post up charms on the walls of houses, a glance at which was supposed to counteract any evil influence to which a person may have been subjected. 'Notwithstanding,' he says, in effect, 'that the fact that Christ had been crucified was placarded before your very eyes in our preaching, you have allowed yourselves to be ... fascinated by the enemies of the Cross of Christ, when you had only to look at Him to escape their malignant influence;' cp. the interesting and instructive parallel in Numbers 21:9." The Greek word is φανερός phaneros. Strong's G5318.
Notes References: Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Jude 1:4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:3 - here.
Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Crucified; to impale on the cross; figuratively, to extinguish (subdue) passion or selfishness. The Greek word is stauroō σταυρόω. My Notes - this is a different word for crucified than used in Galatians 2:20.
Moving to Verse 2.
Galatians 3:2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
NSB* - In this verse Paul contrasts obedience to the law with faith. The hearing of faith is probably what Paul had in mind in Romans 10:17 when he said "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." It may also be closely related to Paul's concept of obedience to the faith since the Greek word for "hear" can also be translated "listen" or "obey" see (Romans 1:5, 16:26)
Notes References: Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 1:5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
Romans 16:26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—
Learn; I learn, ascertain, I learn; with adj. or nouns: I learn to be so and so; with acc. of person who is the object of knowledge; aor. sometimes: to ascertain. The Greek word used here is μανθάνω manthanō. Strong's G3129.
Receive; Thayer defines this as 1) to take 1a) to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it 1a1) to take up a thing to be carried 1a2) to take upon one's self 1b) to take in order to carry away 1b1) without the notion of violence, i,e to remove, take away 1. The Greek word is λαμβάνω lambanō. Strong's G2983.
Hearing; hearing (the act, the sense or the thing heard). The Greek word is ἀκοή akoē. Strong's G189.
Moving to Verse 3.
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
NSB* - Paul reminds the Galatians that their Christian life was begun in the Spirit by faith alone. (see v. 2: 2:16). Being made perfect by the flesh indicates that the Galatians were mistakenly trying to achieve perfection through their own efforts, especially through circumcision.
Foolish; This is the same word used in verse 1.
Perfect; "to bring through to the end" (epi, intensive, in the sense of "fully," and teleo, "to complete"), is used in the Middle Voice in Galatians 3:3, "are ye (now) perfected," continuous present tense, indicating a process, lit., "are ye now perfecting yourselves;" The Greek word used here is ἐπιτελέω epiteleō. Vines (def B-2), Strong's G2005.
Hebrews 7:16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
Moving to Verse 4.
Galatians 3:4 Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
NSB* - This statement implies that the Galatian Christians had previously suffered for their faith before they were tricked by the false gospel.
Suffered; Including the forms πάθω , and πένθω , used only in certain tenses for it to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful)Derivation: apparently a primary verb; Dodson denotes - I am acted upon, suffer, I am acted upon in a certain way, either good or bad; I experience ill-treatment, suffer. The Greek word is πάσχω pascho. Strong's G3958.
Vain; "to no purpose," "in vain," Strong's defines it as - idly, i.e. without reason (or effect). The Greek word is εἰκῆ eikē. Vines' (def C-3b) Strong's 1500.
Takeaway: We can not work our way to faith. Works do not prove we have faith, because lots of people that don't believe in God do "perceptually nice things". You can do all the nice things in the world, but if you do not believe in Jesus Christ (having the idea of His gospel) then everything you do is in vain, at least eternally speaking. I say this, because we shouldn't knock those doing good, but those things don't save your soul. Choosing some other religion or set of works cannot save you. Only Jesus Christ can save you. It is in response to God's saving grace that we ought to joyously go out into the world and do His will as He has called us to do. These works back up our claim of faith in Jesus Christ outwardly, but they are not the "savior".
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