THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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and deeply until this glorious truth thrills and masters our whole being. Paul goes on to say: “Do not make void the grace o f God (as Peter does by his present con duct) : for if righteousness is through the law (as the Judaizers who are troubling you assert), then Christ died for naught (i. e., Christ’s death as an atonement for sin and way of justification was needless, if justification can be obtained by law keeping).” Every legalist pours contempt, though he may do it unwittingly, on the atoning work accomplished by Christ’s death. Monday, April 22 . Gal. 3 : 1 . Paul thus far has given two proofs that the gospel which he preached, the gospel that men are justified on the sole ground o f the atoning death o f Jesus Christ, and on the single condition o f faith in Jesus Christ apart from works o f the law (cf. Rom. 3:20-26; 4:4, 5, 6 ^ .Gal. 3:10-14) is the true gospel. The first proof that he gave was that he had received this gospel by direct revelation from Jesus Christ (ch. 1 :6-24). The second proof was that he had proved Peter wrong to his face when Peter took a position that seemed to imply the necessity in any sense o f the Jewish ordinances. Now Paul presents a third proof, viz., the proof from their own expe rience. As a matter o f experience they had received the Spirit. This they knew by their own experience, and this Spirit had been given to them, not through their keep ing the works o f the law, which they had not kept, but upon the’ simple “hearing o f faith,” i- e., believing the truth about Jesus, and not “by the works o f the law,” i. e., observing Jewish ordinances, circumcision, and the rest. “ Oh, foolish Galatians,” Paul begins. Wherein their folly consisted the following verses explain, for example, verses 2 and 3: “Who did bewitch you ?” Paul continues. They acted as if a fasci nation or spell had been cast over them. In our modern way of putting things we would say: “Who did hypnotize you?” The "you” in the Greek is emphatic: it
means “you o f all people.” How often it is that those whom we would least expect are the ones who are fascinated by some 'fa lse but magnetic teacher. The reason why it was not to be expected that the Galatians would be fascinated and led astray was. that before their eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified. The sight o f Jesus Christ crucified, and the understanding o f the meaning o f that atoning death, ought to have been enough to overcome all fascination by a magnetic errorist. But today how many are' so bewitched by a glib teacher o f false doc trine, by some specious “ Christian Scien tist,” for example, that they forget the real meaning o f the cross. Tuesday, April 23 . Gal. 3 : 2 . Paul continues: “ This only (that is to say, this one question ought to settle it wiithout saying anything else) would I learn from you, Receive ye the Spirit by the works o f the law, or by the hearing of faith?” A paraphrase may give to'som e a clearer understanding o f Paul’s argument. It can be put in this way: “This one question would I put: How did 'you receive the Spirit ? Did you receive Him by the works o f the law? You know that you did not. Or did you receive Him by the hearing o f faith? You know that you did.” This question o f Paul’s and the implied answer, makes two things clear besides the main point that Paul was aiming at, The main point that Paul was aiming at was that God sets His seal upon those who are seeking justification by the simple hearing o f faith, and not upon those who are seeking justification by works o f the law. The other two points that it makes clear are: First, that there .is for indi vidual believers a definite conscious receiv ing o f the Holy Ghost, to which appeal can be made (cf. Acts 8:15-17; 19:2-6). The Galatians had received the Holy Spirit in a way so conscious and definite that 'Paul Could appeal to this:experience as a con clusive argument.. This is an evidence of a work o f the Holy Spirit entirely differ-
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