CHAPTER 3
Galatians 3:1-5 | |
1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? | 1. O stulti Galatae, quis vos fascinavit, ut non obediatis veritati? quibus ante oculos Iesus Christus depictus est inter vos crucifixus. |
2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? | 2. Hoc solum volo discere a vobis: Ex operibus Legis Spiritum accepistis, an ex praedicatione fidei? |
3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? | 3. Ita stulti estis, ut, exorsi a Spiritu, nunc carne eonsummemini? |
4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. | 4. Tanta passi estis frustra? si tamen etiam frustra. |
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? | 5. Qui ergo subministrat vobis Spiritum, et operatur in vobis virtutes; ex operibus legis, an ex praedieatione fidei id (facit)? |
1.
Some think that Paul refers to the temper of the nation, that, being sprung from barbarians, it was more difficult to train them; but I rather think that he refers to the subject itself. It looks like something supernatural, that, after enjoying the gospel in such clearness, they should be affected by the delusions of Satan. He does not merely say that they were "bewitched" and "disordered in mind," because they did not obey the truth; but because, after having received instruction so clear, so full, so tender, and so powerful, they immediately fell away. Erasmus has chosen to interpret the words, "that ye should not believe the truth." I am not quite prepared to set aside that rendering, but would prefer the word
But, not satisfied with this comparison, he adds,
Let those who would discharge aright the ministry of the gospel learn, not merely to speak and declaim, but to penetrate into the consciences of men, to make them see Christ crucified, and feel the shedding of his blood. 3 When the Church has painters such as these, she no longer needs the dead images of wood and stone, she no longer requires pictures; both of which, unquestionably, were first admitted to Christian temples when the pastors had become dumb and been converted into mere idols, or when they uttered a few words from the pulpit in such a cold and careless manner, that the power and efficacy of the ministry were utterly extinguished.
2.
It may be objected, that the Spirit was not, in this respect, given to all. But, it was enough for Paul's purpose, that the Galatians knew that the power of the Holy Spirit in his Church had accompanied Paul's doctrine, and that believers were variously endowed with the gifts of the Spirit for general edification. It may likewise be objected, that those gifts were not infallible signs of adoption, and so do not apply to the present question. I reply, that it was enough that the Lord had confirmed the doctrine of Paul by the visible gifts of his Spirit. A still simpler view of the case is, that they had been distinguished by the ordinary privilege of adoption, before those impostors had brought forward their additions. "In whom," says he to the Ephesians,
"ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." (Ephesians 1:13.)
3.
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5.
1 "Baskai>nein, 'to enchant, to fascinate, to delude by magical charms,' -- -rather an uncommon word, a{pax lego>menon in the New Testament. It may amuse to notice the etumon of the word. Some grammarians have strangely thought it derived from fa>esi kai>nein, 'to kill with the eyes.' Its true etymology obviously is, ba>w, ba>skw, baska>w baskai>nw. ba>skw (equivalent to fa>skw,), 'to say, to speak,' comes, in the form baskai>nw, to signify kakologei~n, 'to calumniate,' then 'to deceive,' then 'to deceive by magical arts.'" -- Brown.
2 Kai< mh<n oujk ejn th|~~ Galatw~n cw>ra| ajll j ejn Jierosolu>moiv ejstaurw>qn. Pw~v ou+n fhsin, ejn uJmi~n; Th~v pi>stewv deiknu<v th<n ijscun kai< ta< po>rjrJwqen duname>nhv oJra~|n. Kai< oujk ei+pen, ejstaurw>qh ajlla< proegra>qh ejstaurwme>nov dhlw~n o[ti toi~v th~v pi>stewv ojfqalmoi~v ajkribe>steron ejqew>rhsan tw~n paro>ntwn ejni>wn kai< ta< gino>mena qewme>nwn. "Yet it was not in the country of the Galatians, but in Jerusalem, that he was crucified. How, then, does he say, 'Among you?' To demonstrate the power of faith, which is able to see even distant objects, And he does not say, 'Was crucified,' but 'Was painted crucified,' shewing that by the eyes of faith they beheld more distinctly than some who were present and saw the transactions." -- Chrysostom.
3 "Display the sufferings of Christ like one who was an eye-witness of those sufferings, and hold up the blood, the precious blood of atonement, as issuing warm from the cross." -- Robert Hall.
4 "Did ye receive that Spirit which was the fullest evidence of your being justified, accepted, and received as the children and people of God, by conformity to the law of Moses, or by embracing the doctrine of the gospel? If by embracing the doctrine of the gospel, then you became justified by embracing that doctrine, and consequently need not conform to the law of Moses, in order to obtain justification." -- Chandler.