Dear Friends,

"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" (Galatians 3:1-5)

Before we move on to Paul's brilliant theological vindication of the gospel (3:6-4:31) let's look at his appeal to the Galatians' personal experience at conversion and Christian living in order to empower our sharing of the gospel.

"You will discover, in real life, that people change their views, not as a result of logical reasoning, but as a result of arguments from authorities (if Billy Graham says so, then I believe it) or as a result of appeals to experience." (Galatians - NIV Application Commentary by Scott McKnight quoting a college lecturer which his experience has affirmed time and again.) "Did you receive the Spirit (salvation) by observing the law, or by believing what you heard ("by hearing with faith")?" Paul later refers to how these Galatians were so joyful at their conversion (4:15) and how they experienced God's power in their midst (miracles v.5). He is appealing to their personal experience with the Lord at conversion and their on-going walk to call them back to a personal relationship with God through the Spirit vs. an impersonal relationship through keeping the rules, the law.

Significant experiences as a child or an adult can dramatically affect and shape our life either positively or negatively. And in a fallen world it is often negative. But significant experiences with the Lord should always positively shape our lives.

Though personal experiences differ greatly, all of us as believers have "heard with faith" the gospel and received the Spirit. Unbelievers may know about God but they don't know Him by personal experience. I could know about my wife through reading her resume or even her biography, but I won't personally know her in any depth without face to face and heart to heart communication. Likewise, when we "hear with faith" the gospel, God the Holy Spirit personally connects us to the Triune God and we meet with Him through His Word, prayer, fellowship, and many other means of grace. "We must not lose sight of the fact that knowing God is an emotional relationship as well as an intellectual and volitional one, and could not indeed be a deep relation between persons were it not so." (J. I. Packer - Knowing God) This is what Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest theologians of all times, referred to as "religious affections" in a very positive sense.

"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal ("being made perfect" -complete, mature) by human effort ("the flesh")?" (Gal 3:3) "Human effort" is not the best translation as it implies effort and earning. Nor does faith in the Spirit mean non-effort. God's grace to grow and change is opposed to earning but it is not opposed to effort. (Phil 2:12-13) If we are not careful we can lose our sense of need for God after salvation especially if "life is working." It is conscious need that moves us to look to God for help (for growth in Christ-likeness - not just solving our problems) and leads us to call upon the Lord (live by faith in the Spirit) versus follow the rules.

Yet personal experiences can be deceiving (hence many other religions, cults, etc.) so like Paul did with the Galatians we need to make sure our experiences line up with God's Word. Theology without experience is sterility but experience without theology is emotionalism and even heresy. The Bible is filled with personal testimonies, stories of man's encounters with God. And we are told to tell our God-story recounting our experiences and all the accompanying feelings with it. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary." (Psalm 107:2) And not just our conversion but our on-going encounters with God. "You are writing a gospel, a chapter a day, By the deeds that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you write - distorted or true. Tell me, what is the gospel according to you?" (Author unknown)

Paul says our lives are to be letters from Christ which people can read through our lives. "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (2 Cor. 3:2-3)

Questions for reflection and application:

How personal is your relationship with the Lord? Do you regularly share your heart with Him? Your cares, your sins, your thanks for all the many good things in your life, your praises for Who He is - a holy, perfect and wonderful God and Savior? The Bible is filled with personal testimonies, stories of man's encounters with God. And we are told to tell our God-story recounting our experiences and all the accompanying feelings with it. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary." (Psalm 107:2) And our testimony includes not just our conversion but our on-going encounters with God. Write out your testimony expressing all the feelings you had at the time. And then write down some of the miraculous answers to prayers, etc., with your feelings of gratitude and praise.

Paul says our lives are to be letters from Christ which people can read through our lives. "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (2 Cor. 3:2-3) "You are writing a gospel, a chapter a day, by the deeds that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you write - distorted or true. Tell me, what is the gospel according to you?" (Author unknown) In prayer ask the Lord what people read when they read your letter- the gospel according to you.

Until He comes,

Len and Kristen



We are grateful for your prayers and financial support for this Faith Mission /501c3/non-profit. For on-line giving go to www.KenBoa.org and click on Reflections/donations and scroll to Len Sykes. Thank you.