Stay on Track! Paul's Letter to the GalatiansSample

Faith from start to finish

“Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)

In order to convince his readers of their faulty thinking, Paul then asks a simple question. "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith"? (Galatians 3:2). This was a point everyone could agree on. Most Galatians were not Jews who had known and lived by God's laws for generations, so there was no way they had received the Holy Spirit as a reward for their faithful obedience to the law. No, their life with God began by “hearing with faith." The Holy Spirit came into their lives when they accepted the gospel by faith.

Paul then asks, if you began your life with God by the Spirit, why are you trying to proceed in your strength, by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3) If you could not be saved by your strength, how do you think you can move forward on your way to holiness in your strength?

These questions to the Galatians are also important for you. You can only be saved through faith in Jesus.

Once you have learned that lesson, how do you move forward? Do you also rely on the Holy Spirit for the rest of your faith journey, or do you try to please God in your strength?