ARE YE SO FOOLISH

Gal 3:1-3 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? This only would I learn of you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

In His "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus likened each of those that heard His message, but failed to obey, as a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand (See this parable in Matt. 7:24-27). Similar to this, Paul refers to the erring Christians, to whom he is writing, as foolish Galatians for having been led astray by preachers and teachers of false doctrines. They hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth. Such was the prediction of our Savior regarding God's New Testament children - His elect, when he said, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matt. 24:24). This prophetic teaching of Jesus was true then, it is true now, and it will be true in all future times.

We are assured that many members of the church of Christ will be led astray by false apostles, (and) deceitful workers that follow the ways of Satan (2 Cor. 11:13-14); they will be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they (false teachers) lie in wait to deceive (Eph. 4:14). Many of God's children will be led astray by those that represent as being true, that which can be proven false by God's word. Yet when false teachers speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, the children of God to live in error (2 Pet. 2:18).

If anything, these verses assures us that born-again Christians can, and often are, foolishly led astray by seducing teachers of error, by their cunning craftiness, charming rhetoric, and persuasive pretences. This is the warning to every Christian - beware of false preachers and teachers that, for various covetous reasons of self-pride, fame, and fortune, and through the influence of Satan, will assuredly try to lead God's children away from the true gospel message of Jesus Christ. No doubt, the apostle Paul had faithfully preached throughout Galatia, that Christ was crucified, in order to redeem all mankind, both Jew and Gentile, from their sins. And, no doubt, many had believed, were baptized for the remission of their sins, and were added by God, to the churches throughout Galatia. Yet, due to their lack of complete knowledge and strong faith, as new-born Christians, false teachers came into their midst and bewitched them that they should not obey the truth.

Paul reminds them of their former state of faithfulness with this question: Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? It is a simple question; one that every born-again Christian is able to answer. Did you receive and obey the Christ-given privilege of a hope of eternal life by hearing, believing, and obeying the Holy Spirit-inspired gospel message of salvation, or by the observance of the rites and rituals of the Mosaic Law that were, at one time, required only of the Jewish nation by God? This only would I learn of you. This is the only question Paul needed to ask, in order to determine their steadfast faithfulness to the gospel of Christ, which he had delivered to them.

Paul had preached that Jesus Christ was God's Son, the Messiah, and Savior of the world. He had preached that Christ's death on the cross of Calvary was the sacrificial atonement for their sins, given once and for all time. Jesus Christ was God's sacrificial Lamb, through which all sins could be removed from mankind. Paul preached that by believing, repenting of their past sins, confessing Jesus to be the Son of God and their personal Savior, and being baptized for the remission of their sins, all men and women of the world could be reconciled to God. Having done so, God would add them to the church of Christ, and they could enjoy the hope of eternal salvation. Indeed, Paul's message, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and Jesus Christ, contained not a word about the necessity of obeying any works of the law (of Moses). The only answer they could possibly give was just as simple as the question itself: We received ...the Spirit ...by the hearing of faith!

Oh, ye Galatians; are ye so foolish, (that) having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Oh, ye children of God in this day and age; have ye remained faithful to the Spirit of God by which you were converted to Christ, or have you been swayed by false, seducing teachers of worldliness?