January 22 Click on verses for Full Scripture	previous - - - - - - - - - - next
Today's Pathway: Galatians 3:5-6 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? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Verse 5 brings us to the last of Paul's rhetorical questions. The word translated "ministereth" means "to furnish, supply, or contribute" The One Who gave the Galatians the indwelling Holy Spirit was God. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that miracles were accomplished. The ability to do miracles is listed as a spiritual gift (I Corinthians 12:9-10), and Paul wrote in Romans 15:19 that "mighty signs and wonders" were accomplished by "the power of the Spirit of God". So Paul's question is this: did the Galatians receive the Holy Spirit, and in so doing experience the miracles that He performed, as a result of their faith, or as a result of their works? Once again, the answer should be obvious to the Galatian believers. The Holy Spirit indwelt them as soon as they received Christ by faith. Their spiritual gifts had been bestowed upon them at the point of their salvation. They already had all these things long before the Judaizers showed up. Therefore, faith in the Gospel message of Christ was sufficient for salvation, and the works of the Law did not need to be added.

Beginning in verse 6, and following through until the end of chapter 4, Paul spends most of his time using the Old Testament to refute the idea that performing the works of the Law were necessary for salvation. Some people today have the idea that in the Old Testament people were "saved" by works, and in the New Testament people are saved by grace. This is completely false. Salvation has always been by the grace of God in response to the faith of men, and it always will be! It is worth noting that Romans 10:13 states,

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved",

"And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD."

Paul opens this section by talking about Abraham. Of course, Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation, and therefore was highly respected by the Judaizers. How did Abraham receive justification from God? Genesis 15:6 gives the answer:

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also."