God’s Mystery: Established by the Holy Spirit

(Essay #10 – God’s Prophetic Spirit)

KINDLE VERSION

The elevation of the Gentiles within the church of Christ to the same standing before God as the Jews was critical in finishing the mystery of God described in the New Testament. The church built by Jesus was intended to be home of all the righteous people from all nations (Isaiah 2:2-4; Acts 10:34-35). As long as the Jews could successfully make a claim of primacy in having access to God, that portion of God’s impartiality toward all nations could not be proclaimed fully.

However, the exaltation of the truth about the universal invitation of the kingdom of God’s Son was no simple process. What separated the Jews from all other people on the earth was the law that God had given them through Moses on Mount Sinai: “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2).[1] As long as that law was in power, no Gentile could hope to remain a Gentile and approach God with the same certainty as could a Jew. At least in part, it was to accomplish the fulfillment and removal of that law that Jesus was sent into the world: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). And so with His death on the cross, Jesus opened the way for a new law to be established that would welcome all people into fellowship with God:

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (Ephesians 2:14-17)

So by His death the power of law which separated Jew from Gentile was brought to end.

However, in terms of man’s daily existence, what had changed? Did the Jews stop following the Law of Moses immediately after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? Of course they did not. In fact, notice the statement of the Hebrews’ writer, nearly a full-generation after Jesus’ death had put an end to the Law of Moses: 

Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain. (Hebrews 8:4-5)

The statement is that there “are” priests who offer sacrifices by the law, not there “were” priests who did so. Even more than thirty years after the cross, Jewish life was continuing as it had for more than 1,500 years.  Nothing in the daily experience of a devout Jew had changed. The High Priest was honored. The temple and all of its trappings were still the focal point of Jewish life. On what basis would a Gentile be able to overturn the prejudice of Jewish people when the divinely appointed trappings of Judaism with more than a millennium of divine sanction backing them still stood?

Moving the Gentiles from being a group of people that God had given up (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) to the status of “joint-heirs” in the same body as the Jews (Ephesians 3:1-6) required more than a change of covenant. The fact was that the Law of Moses was nailed to the cross of Christ (Colossians 2:14), but that fact did nothing to change the perception of either Jew or Gentile. As long as the Jewish perception lingered that they held a supreme place in the heart of God, their attempt to impose the rites of Judaism (i. e. circumcision – Acts 15:1; Galatians 5:1-6) would still be impactful among the Gentiles. Until that perception could be overturned, the Gentiles would continue to be considered second-class citizens in the church.

In Essay #11: “God’s Mystery: Finished by Judgment” we will examine how God’s judgment once and for all ruined the arguments of the Jews with the destruction of their nation and the removal of all the trappings of the Old Law. However, during the period of time from the beginning of the gospel around A. D. 30 to the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, the argument of the Judaizers was potent.[2]

In order to establish the Gentiles in His church, God used the Holy Spirit to reveal, authorize, and defend the unfolding of His mystery during those four early decades of the church’s existence. In this essay we will examine how the Spirit’s work in the fulfillment of His prophetic ministry, as promised by Joel, provided the Gentiles with an unassailable defense until the judgment on the nation of Israel could make the ultimate declaration of His rejection of them as a treasured people.

While overlooked by many, this is a critically important aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament. Much of the Spirit’s work that is described in the epistles (especially those written to churches with Gentile populations) is related to God’s effort to exalt the Gentiles in the church. At the very least, trying to interpret the New Testament’s teaching about the Holy Spirit without considering how it relates to the finishing of the mystery of God will hinder one’s ability to be a well-rounded student of the New Testament.

The Holy Spirit Revealed the Mystery of God

In the previous essay (essay #9) we noted the two dozen times that Acts and the Epistles make reference to the mystery of God.  When considering those verses in relationship to the Holy Spirit, it becomes clear that the Holy Spirit was sent to the early Christians to reveal to them the fullness of the mystery of God that had been hidden in the times before the first century. Note the connection between the Holy Spirit and the mystery in the following verses:

1. Romans 16:25-26: Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith.
2. 1 Corinthians 2:7-10: But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
3. 1 Corinthians 13:1-2: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
4. Ephesians 1:8-9: [W]hich he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ.
5. Ephesians 3:3: How the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
6. Ephesians 6:19: [A]nd also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
7. Colossians 1:26-27: [T]he mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
8. Colossians 2:2-3: [T]hat their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The mystery of God came to the church by “revelation” and in the “full assurance of understanding and knowledge.” It is a matter that came into the mind of man only through the direct proclamation of God. The testimony of scripture is that it was the work of the Holy Spirit to provide that revelation.

The work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament was to reveal the mystery. His work was the completion of the eternal purpose of God. He empowered Paul and the prophets of the New Testament, who carried the same message, to make every man see the plan of the mystery that would unite all people (Ephesians 3:9).  That revelation provided the first line of defense against the teaching of the Judaizers.

Paul used this line of argumentation to the Galatians. He attributed the source of his teaching to the revelation that came not from man, but from God: “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). Because of the divine origins of his message his exhortation to the Christians of Galatia was not to turn from it to follow any other teaching, no matter the claim of the teacher:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

The primary function of the Holy Spirit in the early church was the revelation of this unknown mystery. It was in words given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the Gentiles would hear for the first time that God was reclaiming them as His people.[3]

But how did God ensure that this new revelation would be received as authoritative and provide it with evidence sufficient to overturn generations of divinely-appointed Jewish tradition?

The Holy Spirit Authorized the Mystery of God

God’s plan for securing the Gentiles a place in His kingdom is evident from the first time the gospel was ever preached to them. The events surrounding that inaugural message to the Gentiles as recorded in Acts 10-11 show that the presence of the work of the Holy Spirit was going to play a central role in bringing the Gentiles into full fellowship with the Jews in the gospel.

Peter’s Reluctance Exemplified the Jewish Preconception About the Gentiles

By the time we reach Acts 10 several years have passed since Peter first delivered the gospel message of salvation to his countrymen in Acts 2. Yet, the preaching of that hope in Jesus had yet to go beyond the people of Israel.[4] Acts 10 is God’s testimony that the time had come for the Gentiles to be brought back into His family. However, even in the rank of the apostles that message was met with resistance.

Peter was selected by God to be the man through whom the offer of salvation would be preached to the Gentiles. No other man could have been selected. There was powerful symbolism in having the same apostle who first delivered the gospel to the Jews also deliver the gospel to the Gentiles. It would be a strong statement of equality. That demonstration of equality, we shall see in the next section of this essay, would become the foundation of the Gentiles’ defense of their place in the church.

However, there was a significant problem in using Peter. He, like his countrymen, did not believe it was proper to go to preach to the Gentiles. In preparing Peter to go to a Gentile, God provided Peter a thrice-repeated vision of a great sheet filled with all kinds of animals–both clean and unclean according to Jewish law–for Peter to eat. Each time the sheet descended to him in his vision Peter was commanded to “kill and eat” from the animals in the vessel. Peter’s objection shows that even after several years of preaching the gospel even an apostle still felt his connection to the requirements of the Law of Moses: “But Peter said,  ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean’” (Acts 10:14). Each time God’s answer foreshadowed the mission to which Peter was about to be called: “What God has made clean, do not call common” (Acts 10:15). This lesson was about more than food; it was about the people that God knew needed to hear the gospel.

On the following day Peter was brought to the house of a Roman centurion named Cornelius. In an amazing statement that reveals the depth of Peter’s struggle to grasp God’s desire to speak to the Gentiles, he greets Cornelius’ household with this statement:

You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me. (Acts 10:28-29)

 Peter understood the point of his vision was not to call any person common or unclean, yet he still questions Cornelius’ actions: “. . . I ask then why you sent for me” (Acts 10:27). As we read the passage, the answer to that question seems so self-evident that we might struggle to imagine asking it. Why else would a man who wanted to find salvation in God call for an apostle of Jesus Christ other than to hear the words by which he could be saved (Acts 11:14)?

But such was the depth of Peter’s preconception of the Gentiles that it was not until after Cornelius’ recitation of his encounter with the angel of God that Peter was able to say, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34)

In time Peter did finally preach the gospel to the Gentiles of Cornelius’ house. However, the response of Peter’s countrymen was no different than his own response at the first. Acts 11 describes Peter’s defense of his own actions to his Jewish brethren after returning from his encounter with Cornelius. Note the reaction of his countrymen:

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (Acts 11:1-3)

This prejudice had to be overcome if the Gentiles had any hope in the kingdom.

The Holy Spirit Left Peter No Choice but to Preach to the Gentiles

God’s actions in the house of Cornelius left a divine stamp of “clean-ness” on the Gentiles that neither Peter nor any of those with him that day could ignore.

The setting of the events in Cornelius’ house is important in appreciating the full impact of the Holy Spirit’s work on that day. In order to piece together the events we must combine the accounts of Acts 10 and 11. Together they provide a complete and helpful picture. One verse in particular stands out as a starting point. Acts 11:4 reads, “But Peter began and explained it to them in order.” Acts 11 is the “in order” or chronological account of the events in Cornelius’ house.

Given the scrutiny that his actions were under, it is easy to understand why Peter would take care to recite in exact order the events of the vision and demonstrations of God that lead up to his decision to “keep company” with the Gentiles and preach to them. Imagine sitting on a witness stand in a trial and being asked to explain your actions. Undoubtedly, you would speak as orderly and as precisely as possible. If you can appreciate that feeling, you can place yourself in Peter’s shoes in the events of Acts 11.

The special light that Acts 11 helps us to understand about Acts 10 is found in verse 15: “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.” In his orderly recitation Peter then reveals a fact that is not made as clearly in Acts 10 but is critical to understanding the work of the Holy Spirit in authorizing Peter’s preaching to the Gentiles. Compare Acts 10:44 with Acts 11:15:

1. Acts 10:44: While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word . . .
2. Acts 11:15: As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.

Acts 10 leaves the impression that Peter was well into a sermon to the Gentiles when the Holy Spirit fell on them. Acts 11’s “in order” account makes the statement more precisely. It tells us at what point “While Peter was still saying these things” that the Holy Spirit moved. Peter was “still saying these things,” because the Holy Spirit fell on the house of Cornelius “as I [Peter – jj] began to speak.” One does not begin to speak after 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or even 1 minute of speaking. One begins to speak with the first word of his speech. The reason Peter was “still” talking was because he had just “begun” to talk.

It is the Spirit’s presence at the beginning of Peter’s speaking that he uses to explain the content of his sermon. The combined record of Acts 10 and 11 show how Peter interpreted the Holy Spirit’s presence in Cornelius’ house:

1. Acts 10:47: “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
2. Acts 11:16-17: “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way.”

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the Gentiles left Peter no doubt and no choice. The preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles was the will and work of God. The moment Peter opened his mouth to begin to speak the gospel to the Gentiles, God through a demonstration of the Holy Spirit stepped in to authorize and endorse Peter’s actions. Peter rightly understood the message. If he failed to open the door of salvation to any man of every nation who was willing to fear God and work righteousness, he would have been standing in God’s way.[5]

The work of the Holy Spirit was the final word of God on whether or not the Gentiles were free to come to Jesus through the gospel. From the beginning, that message was preached under the direct and explicit authority of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s Authority was Honored by the Apostles

As noted in essay #9 and discussed briefly in this one, there were some in the church who struggled to accept the Gentiles as people called “clean” by God. There were some that outright opposed any preaching of the gospel that allowed for Gentiles to “by-pass” the Law of Moses. That controversy in the church was exacerbated by the successful mission work done by Paul among the Gentiles:

So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:3-5)

This growing division needed an answer from the combined authority of the apostles. It needed to be known that no division existed between Paul and Peter or between Jerusalem and Antioch.

As the apostles discussed these matters with brethren at a meeting in Jerusalem, it was Peter who again appealed back to the events in the house of Cornelius to explain and justify the gospel’s going to the Gentiles:

And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:7-11)

His argument was again based on the presence of the Holy Spirit in Cornelius’ house. The Spirit’s work on that day was God’s “bearing witness” to the Gentiles. It was the Holy Spirit’s statement that the Gentiles were indeed worthy of hearing the gospel. Because that testimony came from God, the church had no authority to place a “yoke on the neck” upon any of those Gentile disciples. The Gentiles’ freedom from the Law of Moses, including circumcision, was revealed through a direct revelation of God’s Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Defended the Mystery of God

Acts 10, Acts 11, and Acts 15 each rely on the Holy Spirit as the basis of the Gentiles’ right to the gospel. As noted, this was necessary because of the opposition to this truth among Jewish Christians. However as also noted, the doctrine of the Judaizers did not go away after Acts 15. After this time, Paul would travel to Galatia, Thessalonica, Philippi, Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. To each of those of locations Paul would write epistles which addressed this controversy.

Does it seem reasonable that the primary evidence used in the book of Acts (including at the Jerusalem council which endorsed the work of Paul) to defend the right of the Gentiles to the gospel (i. e. the Holy Spirit’s prophetic empowerment of them) would never be used by Paul in his epistles to defend and encourage those same people?

No! Yet, few Bible students read Paul’s words about the Holy Spirit in those epistles in light of the events of the book of Acts. Most see in Paul’s words promises of a future and continuing work of the Holy Spirit. What they should be seeing an extension of Acts 15’s record of Peter’s apostolic application of the Holy Spirit’s work among the Gentiles. Understanding the specific work of the Spirit presented in Acts as well as Paul’s use of it in his epistles is fundamental in creating a full picture of the Spirit’s work in the New Testament.

The Holy Spirit’s Miracles Defended the Mystery of God

The point needs to be firmly established in our minds as to what work the Holy Spirit did that allowed Peter to defend his preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. Quickly we will see that the Spirit’s work was both visible and concrete.

What Peter saw in Acts 10, proclaimed to the Jews in Acts 11, and used in defense of Gentile equality in Acts 15 was the prophetic empowerment provided by the coming of the Holy Spirit. In each of Peter’s accounts, the gift of the Holy Spirit is described as prophetic and only prophetic.

Acts 10:44-46

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. . .

How did Peter know that the members of Cornelius’ house had the Holy Spirit “fall on them?” How did he know that the “gift of the Holy Spirit” had been “poured out” on “even” the Gentiles? The answer to those questions is stated plainly in the verse: “For they were hearing them speaking in tongues . . .” What was Peter’s evidence that God had “poured out” the “gift of the Holy Spirit?” Peter heard Gentiles speaking in tongues. If it were not for the controversy surrounding the meaning of the same phrase in Acts 2, not one honest Bible student would have any trouble identifying what impact the “gift of the Holy Spirit” had on those who received it.

While a full discussion of that phrase throughout the New Testament is beyond the scope of this essay, its meaning and Peter’s use of it in Acts 10 is abundantly clear. [6] Peter knew the Gentiles were accepted by God and could become a part of the church because of the discernible, visible manifestation of the prophetic power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Acts 11:15-17

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.‘ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

We should not be surprised that Peter would rely on the same evidence in Acts 11 as he did in Acts 10. His defense returns to the presence of miracles with even stronger argumentation. He says that the Gentiles received the “same gift” that was present in the beginning of the gospel in Acts 2. The “gift” present in both places is then tied to the words of Jesus in which He promised the coming of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 makes it clear that the coming of the Spirit in fulfillment of that promise would gift the apostles with “power from on high.” Its fulfillment was seen in Acts 2:4 when the apostles were all “filled with the Holy Spirit” and they spoke in tongues as they were given “utterance” by the Holy Spirit. Peter implies that the events of Acts 10 were just like the events of Acts 2.

In this statement an important truth about the presence of miracles among the Gentiles is clear. No Jew provided the Gentiles with prophetic ability. Just as in Acts 2 when God gave the Spirit’s miracles to the Jews before the gospel was preached to them so also He gave the Gentiles the Spirit’s miracles before the gospel was preached to them. Both in manner and in effect, the coming of miracles by the gifting of God’s Spirit to the Gentiles created equality between Jew and Gentile.

Acts 15:7-9

And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Some years after the conversion of Cornelius, Peter makes the same argument about the Holy Spirit’s work. Note the parallel structure of his language:

1. Acts 11:15: “. . . the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. . .”
2. Acts 15:8: “. . . by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us . . .”

In both instances, Peter’s argument is referring to the same process and event. Further his statement is that in the actions of the Spirit upon the house of Cornelius God was bearing witness to “them”: His calling the Gentiles clean (compare Acts 10:15, 28). He bore this witness by giving the Gentiles the power to speak in tongues. This is the same argumentation that is found in Hebrews as to the manner in which God bore witness to the preaching of those who were carrying the gospel into the world:

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:3-4)

God bore witness to the acceptability of the Gentiles’ sharing in the gospel by the miracles in the house of Cornelius.

In each instance in the book of Acts, the testimony about the Gentiles’ right to be in the family of God was based on the miracles of the Holy Spirit. We shall now see that same argument used in the church to prove the same truth.

Paul’s Epistles Defend the Mystery of God by the Evidence Provided by the Miracles of the Holy Spirit

It is important to remember that the Bible is not a collection of disjointed books. Each book is related to the others and built upon the material recounted in the ones that precede it. The events of Acts 10, 11, and 15 are all in the background of the material and arguments found in the epistles of Paul. The letter of the council distributed to the Gentile Christians at the conclusion of Acts 15 was on record. The argument of Peter in the midst of that council was public knowledge. The whole point of the council itself was to establish, in a public forum, the truth of the gospel in relationship to the Gentiles. Those things were not done in secret. They were done to be proclaimed among the churches. Surely if God saw fit to record the arguments of Acts 15 in the Bible, He ensured those arguments were present in the early church during the days of the writing of the Bible as well. What this means is that our expectation should be to find similar argumentation about this topic in the epistles.

Further, Acts 10, 11, and 15 make only this one argument about the Spirit’s work among the Gentiles. If other works of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles are present in the book of Acts, we should expect those unrelated and/or unrevealed works of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles, not just to be referenced, but also explained with the specificity that is presence in Luke’s recording of the events of Acts 10, Peter’s explanation of his actions in Acts 11, and his defense of the Gentiles in Acts 15.[7]

God devoted three chapters of Acts to explain the temporary, prophetic work of the Spirit among the Gentiles. Should we not find it very strange that in the same book He did not devote even more attention to the permanent, non-prophetic work of the Spirit, which is at the heart of most modern teachings about the Spirit?

Indeed, there are many references in the epistles of Paul to the work of the Holy Spirit described in Acts. However, in his epistles two passages not only refer to this work, but also rely on the same argumentation found in Acts 10, 11, and 15. Both of these passages describe the Holy Spirit’s work in bringing the Gentiles into the full fellowship of the mystery of God.

Galatians 3:22-4:7

The work of the Judaizers was the source of the great controversy in the region of Galatia. The theme of Paul’s letter to the churches of that area is exactly the topic we have been discussing in the book of Acts. The Judaizing doctrine was beginning to turn the churches Paul had planted and nurtured in that region away from the pure gospel he had delivered to them (Galatians 1:6-9). In the opening two chapters of the epistle Paul makes several strong statements about his teaching, his apostleship, and the evidence of the truthfulness of both among the Galatians:

1. He states his gospel (proclaiming the inclusion of the Gentiles) is not “man’s gospel” (1:11).
2. His gospel was received directly from Jesus and not any man (1:12).
3. It was Jesus who called him to preach this good news among the Gentiles (1:16).
4. “His gospel” was proclaimed and defended at the Jerusalem council of Acts 15 (2:1ff).
5. He defended Titus’s right not to be circumcised (2:3).
6. He would not compromise with the circumcision party (2:4-5).
7. The other apostles “added nothing” to him, but rejoiced in his work among the “uncircumcised” (2:7-10).
8. He rebuked Peter for showing partiality against the Gentiles in the church at Antioch when Jewish brethren from Jerusalem were present (2:10-15).
9. He would not “rebuild” the ties of Judaism which he had “torn down” (2:18).
10. The Galatians were foolish and had believed a lie by listening to the teachers of the circumcision (3:1).
11. The Holy Spirit was “supplied” to them, they had “received” the Spirit, and miracles were worked among them by the teaching of the gospel through Paul and not through any Judaizer (3:1-6).

It is with all of that setting the context that Paul begins to distinguish the preaching of circumcision based on the Law and the preaching of the gospel. First, Paul establishes that the Law is not the basis of the blessings of God. His contention is that God’s blessings are based on the promise given to Abraham, which included “all nations” and so ultimately included the Gentiles (3:8-14). So as God placed His promise upon Abraham He also pledged Himself to secure the Gentiles an equal place in the gospel (3:8).

That teaching would lead to an immediate question, especially from Jewish believers: What purpose did the Law serve (3:19)? Paul’s first answer is that it was “added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made.” The law was a temporary restriction added to help highlight the depth of man’s sin.

Verse 22 – All were Under Sin

But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.[8]

The Law of Moses (the scripture referenced by Paul) was effective in accomplishing its end. Man’s helplessness to overcome the problem of sin was fully illuminated by the time Jesus came into the world. By showing man’s inability to correct his own actions, God had shown that another path would be needed.

Verses 23-24 – The Jews were Imprisoned Under the Law of Moses

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

 Paul then reiterates the condition of those who had long suffered under the Law. Before the coming of the faith, God’s people were trapped under the control of the Law of Moses.[9] One common oversight at this point in studying Paul’s text is a lack of appreciation of the scope of Paul’s discussion. Those kept “captive” under the Law are not alien sinners or Gentiles. About the Gentiles in that time, Paul argues that they were “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel” and did not “have the law” (Ephesians 2:12; Romans 2:14). The Law only imprisoned those who were under it.  As Paul said in Romans 3:19: “. . . whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law.” The “we” who were under the Law of these verses is a reference to the Jews.

The law served as a “guardian” for the Jews. The law tutored them in the ways of God. It helped prepare them for the revelation of the gospel and its offer of salvation by faith. No Gentile ever had the advantage of this instruction that came to the Jews by the law (Romans 3:1-2). Of course, this advantage did also constantly remind the Jews of their sin. It required of them an obedience that often led to their having to be corrected and disciplined by God. In the end that which was to be for their benefit often created a sense of imprisonment for them. The truth that the good and holy Law of God (Romans 7:12-14) was trying to convey through the Jews is that no system of law alone could have brought life to man (Galatians 3:21).

Verse 25 – The Gospel Freed the Jews from the Law

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian

The “faith” referenced here is not just personal faith. The Bible makes reference to a person’s faith as far back as the life of Abel (Hebrews 11:4). There was no time “before faith came” (v. 24) if it is a statement of personal faith. The reference here is to the gospel and its highlighting of the principle of salvation based on faith.[10] Once the faith of the gospel arrived, the Jews were removed from the imprisonment of the guardian placed upon them.

Verses 26-29 – The Gospel Also Made the Gentiles Heirs With the Jews

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

 At this point a shift is made in Paul’s language. From verse 22 through verse 25, Paul spoke exclusively of “we” and “our.” His discussion of the Law was limited to a group in which he placed himself. Starting in verse 26, he begins to speak to another group: “you.” This “you” group needed to know that they were also the “sons” of God. The testimony of Jewish sonship had already been established. The presence of the “guardian” or “tutor” over them established that. Only sons of wealthy, proper families would have such a governor in their lives. Any time one saw a young boy being lead around by a guardian, he would know that young boy belonged to a well-respected family in Roman society. No slave or orphan would ever have such concern placed over them. That state of slavery was the condition of the Gentiles before the gospel.

So Paul’s exhortation to them is that in their baptism they were added to the family of God: “. . . as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” That salvation under the system of faith made them heirs according to the promise given to Abraham. That the blessings of God were always intended for all people based on that promise has been the major truth that Paul has been establishing in this line of argumentation (3:14). Under the scope of the promise to all nations, no familial or national tie would matter. All people would be one in Christ (Ephesians 1:10).

4:1-3 – An Illustration from Sonship: The Jews While Under the Law were No Different Than Slaves

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

However, Paul’s argument is not finished simply because a chapter division appears in our Bibles. The evidence of this joint sonship of all people in Christ must still be highlighted. To finish the argument he returns to his discussion of the guardianship over the Jews. He has already stated that its presence “imprisoned” the Jews. The imagery would have been familiar to his readers. They had seen the guardians of young boys control and order the lives of the heirs to the house under their charge. In time, these same young boys would one day rule over the guardians. But until the father released his son from the control of the guardian that trusted slave would rule over the father’s heir.

In that way no difference existed between the child and the slave in the father’s house. Both lacked any control over their own lives. Despite the Jews’ sonship with God, they were no better off than the Gentiles. Paul has stated that the “scripture” (the Law, the guardian) had imprisoned everything under sin (3:22). The same statement is made in Romans 3:9: “. . . Are the Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.”

As long as the guardian was in place the Jews were ultimately no better off than the Gentiles.[11]

Verses 4-5 – Jesus Redeemed the Jews into the the Full Blessings of Sonship

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

 However when the “fullness of time had come” (v. 2 – “the date set by the father”), God set out to free his sons from that bondage.

Notice the shift in pronouns back to “we” starting in verse 3. The “you” is gone again. It is “we” who were children. Then in verse 5, it is “we” that are to receive the adoption as sons. Paul’s focus has turned back to the Jews who were under the guardian.

This becomes clear as Paul describes the manner in which they were redeemed by Christ. Jesus is said to be “born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.” The first of those statements descriptive of Jesus refers to His virgin birth and His own sonship with God. However the second and third statements show His connection to the Jewish people. He was born under the law and He was sent to redeem those who were under the law.

The focus of Jesus’ earthly ministry was the nation of Israel. This is established in many ways and a full discussion of it would go beyond the scope of this essay. However note just three passages to highlight the point:

1. John 1:11: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
2. Matthew 15:24: “He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”
3. Romans 15:8: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs . . .”

Jesus’ first mission was to serve “his own people” and serve the “circumcised” by showing the truthfulness of God’s promises and to call the lost sheep of Israel back to God. Paul’s statement here focused on a point that we sometimes overlook. While the gospel is for all, it was first for the Jews.

The reason for this focus is that the Jews had been called into a relationship of sonship with God, but because of the limitations of their lives under the guardian, they had never experienced the full blessings of that family tie to God. So Jesus was sent to redeem them that they might receive the “adoption of sons.” This adoption is a declaration of their standing before God. Paul said of the Jews that adoption was among the blessings that belonged to Israel: “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption . . . .”  (Romans 9:4). Only in Christ would they ever experience what that special relationship with God was intended to provide them.

Verses 6-7 – Jesus Provided the Same Blessing to the Gentiles and Established that Truth by the Holy Spirit

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

However, the gospel is for all. And while it was necessary to take it to the Jews first, the whole thrust of Paul’s ministry was to make all men see the fellowship that could come to humanity through the gospel. In this section, Paul’s attention turns back to the Gentiles.

Notice again the shift in pronouns. Jesus came that “we” might receive the adoption of sons, but then in the next phrase Paul says, “and because you are sons.” No one doubted Jewish sonship. It needed no proof. However, Gentile sonship did. The emphasis of verse 6 is that the Gentiles are sons. Because they are sons, on an equal standing with the Jews as one in Christ, God had provided them with a blessing sufficient to proclaim their sonship. What was that blessing? “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.” Once again the pronoun shifts. The Spirit was sent to “our.” This is now inclusive of all – both Jew and Gentile – in Christ.[12]  The presence of the Holy Spirit in these Christians was sufficient evidence to proclaim the sonship of both Jew and Gentile in Christ.

Here again, we need to remember that the Bible is not a series of disjointed books. Galatians is built on the foundation of Acts. We have already seen how the Holy Spirit proclaimed the sonship of Gentiles in Acts 10, 11, and 15.[13] Why is a new doctrine about the Holy Spirit’s work needed to understand these verses, when God has already proven in three different texts the manner in which the Gentiles’ possession of the Spirit provided that evidence?

Further after the council of Acts 15, where does Paul travel? He returns to the region of his first missionary journey. Those travels took him back to the churches in Galatia (Acts 16:6). After hearing Peter’s defense of the equal place of Gentiles in the church and his appeal to the tongue speaking in the house of Cornelius, within months, or perhaps weeks, Paul is in Galatia. This region is close to Antioch and the Jewish opposition there (Acts 15:1-3). From the evidence provided by Galatians’ emphasis on renouncing the teaching of the Judaizers, it is abundantly clear that the defense of their sonship is necessary. In this epistle, Paul has already argued about the source of miracles among them (Galatians 3:1-5). He also has referred to the Holy Spirit as “the promised Spirit,” a reference back to the promise of Joel 2 and its prophetic gifts.[14] Historically, doctrinally, and contextually it should be expected that the work of the Holy Spirit in this passage is the same as it was in the events of Acts 15 which prompted Paul’s journey to the brethren addressed in Galatians (Acts 15:36).

So does the work of the Holy Spirit described in Galatians 4:6 fit into the work described in Acts 10, 11, and 15? Simply look at what the Holy Spirit is said to be doing in the heart of the Galatians: “. . . the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” What is the Holy Spirit doing in the heart of those saints? He is “crying.” He is talking. The Holy Spirit is “in” Christians and while there He is talking. That is not some unknown or unknowable mysterious work. When God enters a person and begins talking the Bible word for that is “inspiration.” That is exactly what He did to proclaim the Gentiles’ right of sonship in the house of Cornelius.

This statement does not need to be weakened or explained away (as do some) as some uncertain, nebulous work of the Holy Spirit. The Galatians were miracle workers (Galatians 3:1-5). Paul made multiple trips through the region (Acts 13, 16, 18). He was responsible for distributing those miraculous powers as widely as possible in the churches there.[15] The truth is that in the short time that the gospel had been in Galatia, there is ample textual evidence that the Christians in that city knew of the miracles of the Spirit and were empowered by them. There is no absolutely textual evidence prior to Galatians 4:6 that those saints had been introduced to any other work of the Spirit among them.

Paul’s appeal to the work of the Holy Spirit in Galatia is that He provided the gospel to Paul (1:11-12). The Spirit confirmed its truthfulness in the churches there with His miraculous power (3:1-5). And He defended the sonship of those saints by granting them the revelation necessary to claim God as their Father. Paul’s use of the work of the Spirit among the Galatians is in complete harmony with Peter’s use of the work of the Spirit in his defense of the conversion of Cornelius. The Holy Spirit’s prophetic empowerment of the Gentiles was the tangible evidence of their right to an equal standing in the gospel.

Ephesians 1:10-14

As we have noted, the book of Ephesians is central in establishing Paul’s description of the mystery of God.[16] If the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit is used by Paul to provide evidence of the Gentiles’ place in the kingdom, one would expect to find that argument in his most detailed epistle on the matter. Indeed, the place of the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit in the church is a major theme of Ephesians. Much of chapter 4 is given to a discussion of the function and duration of the gifts in the church (4:7-16). The Holy Spirit is credited with providing the revelation of the mystery to Paul (3:5). In fact, the Holy Spirit is referenced no fewer than 12 times in the six chapters of the book.

The first of those references is found in the conclusion of Paul’s first argument about the unification of all men in Christ.

Verse 10 – The Plan of the Mystery: All in One

As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Paul introduces the concept of the mystery with the same language found in his writings to the Galatians: “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4). In that time God’s plan was to unite all things in Christ. His discussion here is then the same topic as we have just studied from Galatians. His argument regarding the work of the Holy Spirit will follow the same pattern here as well.

Verse 11-12 – The “First” to Believe

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,  so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Just as in Galatians 3-4, in this passage there is a specific use of the pronouns “we” and “you.” Verses 11-12 discuss a group of Christians known as “we.”[17] In verse 13, Paul will address a group he refers to as “you.” In verses 11-12, Paul uses some descriptive language which can help us identify the “we” that is in his mind.

The “we” of verse 11 is the group of believers who were the “first to trust in Christ.” Earlier in this essay, we noted the specific use of Paul’s “first” language about the Jews. It was necessary that the gospel was sent to the Jews first (Acts 13:46; Romans 1:16-17). It is that group of Christians into which Paul places himself.

This group had received their inheritance from God. Who is it that receives an inheritance? It is a son or an heir who inherits. That is exactly what Paul says happened in the fullness of time in Galatians. The Jews were redeemed from under the imprisonment of the guardian and allowed to live in the fullness of sonship. Again, the parallel argument of the two passages is unmistakable.

The work of God among the Jews was to “the praise of his glory.” In chapter 3, Paul will say that the fulfillment of the mystery of God would proclaim the wisdom of God among the heavenly places. It would allow God’s work in this world to be understood. Because of the salvation He brought through Jesus, all of heaven and earth would be able to praise the glory of their God. However, that phrase is about to be used to draw a line of equality between the Jew and the Gentile as well.

Verses 13-14 – The “Also” Believers and the Holy Spirit

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Again, just as in Galatians, Paul then introduces the “you” group of Christians. The group must be a distinct group in this instance because of the inclusion of the word “also.”  This group also heard the gospel and just as the Jews of verses 11-12 believed it. Both the salvation of Jews and of Gentiles produced the same effect. The Jews were saved to the “praise of his glory” and the Gentiles of verses 13-14 were also saved to the “praise of his glory.” His point is that both the “we” and the “you also” Christians were equally needed for the full acknowledgement of God’s glory. He needed the “we” and the “you” to be just one “we” in Christ.

How did God provide His testimony to that unity in Christ? In the middle of verses 13-14, Paul states that the “you” Christians were “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” It was the presence of the Holy Spirit that united the “we” and the “you” together in Christ.

A full discussion of the “seal” of the Holy Spirit will be found in another essay.[18] For the aim of this essay just the answer to one question will suffice in making the point at hand: “When were the ‘you’ Christians sealed by the Holy Spirit?” Whatever the seal is it is a statement of equality. Its presence testifies that the Gentiles are equal partners with the Jews in the praise of God’s glory. When in the Bible is that fact “sealed” in the Gentiles? Verse 13 identifies the time the seal was given: “. . . when you heard the word of truth . . .”

When did the “you” Christians hear the word? That question is answered by determining whether or not Paul is speaking of individual salvation or the salvation of nations and/or peoples. In verse 12 Paul is speaking of the Jewish Christians as a people when he describes them as those “who were the first to hope in Christ.” It was not necessary that every individual Jew hear the gospel first. In fact the gospel is said to have gone to them first despite the fact that only a small percentage of them accepted it. What was necessary was that the gospel go first to the nation or people of Judaism. Once that occurred, the apostles could turn to the Gentiles as a people (Acts 13:46). The “we” of verses 11-12 then is referencing the Jews not as individuals but as a people as a whole. Since the “we” of verses 11-12 is speaking about a collective group of Christians it follows that the “you also” Christians of verses 13-14 is also speaking about a collective people.

So then, when did the Gentiles as a people “hear the word of truth?” The answer has already been given in this essay: “He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household” (Acts 11:14). And what sign did God provide to prove their rights to the gospel and “seal” them as his people: “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.”

Once again, we see a parallel in the epistles to the book of Acts.  The church at Ephesus was formed when 12 men obeyed the preaching of Paul. Immediately, Paul laid hands on all 12 had made them prophets (Acts 19:1-6). He then spent two more years in that city, undoubtedly working the signs of a true apostle among them (2 Corinthians 12:12). The church at Ephesus had experienced prophetically gifted men within it who were apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers (4:11). They knew the Holy Spirit as the “promised Spirit” as did the Galatians (Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 3:14).[19] Every “joint” in that church participated in that gifted ministry (4:16). To that church Paul appeals to the presence of the Holy Spirit to bind them together in the “unity of the Spirit” in fulfillment of the mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit. Given the easy connection between Ephesians 1 and Acts 10-11 and the universal presence of gifts in the church of Ephesus, why is it necessary to create a meaning of the “seal” which specifically excludes the miracles of the Spirit from it?

The most natural reading of Ephesians is that the work of the Spirit present in Ephesus was the same as it was in Acts. God used the miracles of the Holy Spirit to provide a visible testimony among the saints of all races there. With such a strong and undeniable manifestation of God’s approval of the gospel among the Gentile Christians, anyone seeking to disrupt the harmony of that church would most certainly be “standing in the way of God” (Acts 11:17).

Conclusion

An appreciation of the mystery of God in the New Testament will begin to “tie-up the loose-ends” of one’s understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church. It will do so because God’s work in the New Testament is the “finishing” of His mystery. The Holy Spirit, being in the world to do God’s will, would necessarily be working to accomplish that same end. God’s mystery was finished when both Jew and Gentile were established as equal partners in God’s kingdom. It was the job of the Holy Spirit to reveal that truth through the inspiration He provided the apostles and prophets of the New Testament, to authorize men to act upon that truth as He did beginning with Peter’s work in the house of Cornelius, and to provide those same Gentiles with a defense of God’s approval of them through empowering them with miraculous and prophetic gifts equal to those of the Jews.  Once we understand fully the “why” of the Spirit’s work, the “what” and “how” are much more easily described. The “why” is the mystery; the “what” and “how” are the gifts provided by the gift of God’s Spirit.

[1] All scripture quotations taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

[2] The term “Judaizer” is used in this essay to describe the group of Jewish Christians who attempted to coerce Gentile Christians to submit to the ritual of circumcision in order to be complete in their relationship to God. The work of these teachers was in direct opposition to the work of Paul. Refer back to Appendix A: “Who were the Judaizers?” in Volume #3 of this series for a discussion of the origins and identity of the Judaizers.

[3] It should be remembered that before the call of Abraham, no nation had a special standing before God. There were at least two times in human history when all the inhabitants of the earth knew God and honored Him as God (At the creation and just after the flood – Genesis 1-2; 6-9). Romans 1:21 alludes to the time when the nations “knew God.” Beginning with the call of Abraham and culminating in the family of his grandson, Jacob (Israel), the Israelites became the nation of God. Yet, the overarching work of God in this mystery was to reconcile the world to Himself in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). While God used Israel to bring the Christ (and so blessed them uniquely in their history), the purpose of God was always to reclaim the people of all nations to Himself.

[4] Often we find fault with Peter and the rest of the apostles for the delay of taking the gospel to the Gentiles. While their understanding of God’s will toward the Gentiles was undoubtedly lacking (see Peter’s actions as recorded in Galatians 2), the delay was also part of God’s plan. The Jews were not wrong in their belief that they were the people of God. As such, the first offer of salvation was intentionally given to them. Paul calls this action “necessary” (Acts 13:46). There are several statements of the “first” place the Jews were given in the gospel (Romans 1:16-17; Ephesians 1:11-12; James 1:18). They were the “natural branch” of the work of God in the world (Romans 11:16ff). Regardless of the personal feelings or understanding of Peter and the rest of the apostles, the gap between Acts 2 and Acts 10 was a predetermined part of God’s plan. The gospel had to go first to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria before it went to the whole world (Acts 1:8).

[5] It is worthy of note to mention that the Holy Spirit’s coming on the household of Cornelius is not an indication they were saved at that point. Acts 11:14 makes it clear that it would be through the “message” that Peter spoke that Cornelius and his house would be saved. Yet, Acts 11:15 states that the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles as Peter “began to speak.” One begins speaking with his first word. It necessarily follows that the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit prior to hearing Peter’s message. Just as one notes in the Spirit’s presence upon the rejected king Saul and the sorcerer, Balaam, the Spirit’s coming upon a man should not be taken as an indication of salvation. What Acts 10-11 shows is the Spirit’s presence among the Gentiles was first used to proclaim their “right” to the gospel, not their “reception” of Jesus  At the least this text affirms that on one occasion a person’s receiving the “gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:45) is not a blessing connected to salvation. Those who believe that the “gift” is the universal and unique blessing of the Christian must allow for Cornelius’ receiving the “gift” before baptism (10:47) and even before his hearing of the gospel (11:14-15).

[6] For a full discussion of the “gift of the Holy Spirit” please see Essay #22: “The ‘Gift’ of the Holy Spirit.”

[7] Many struggle to characterize the work of the Holy Spirit in modern day Christians with any degree of specificity. Many relegate it to the “secret” or “mysterious” works of God. It is this author’s contention that the reason they do so is because they detach the verses about the Holy Spirit in the church from the description of that work in the book of Acts. The Spirit’s work does not change simply because one turns the page from Acts to Romans. The book of Acts refers to the work of the Spirit with man more than any other book of the Bible. His work in that book is the work of miracles (as later essays will establish more fully). Simply allowing the language about the Holy Spirit that is found in Romans, Ephesians, and Corinthians to speak in harmony with the descriptive language regarding the Holy Spirit of Acts makes the uncertainty and mysterious ideas about His work disappear.

[8] Compare to Romans 3:9, 21-31

[9] Compare to Romans 7

[10] The Greek text does include a definite article before the word for faith. The NIV expresses its presence by translating verse 25 as “Now that this faith has come . . .” The faith of verses 23-25 is “this” faith or as it is sometimes referred to, “the faith.” Paul’s contrast in the book of Galatians is between two systems: One taught by the Judaizers and one taught by him. The issue at hand has nothing to do with whether or not the Gentiles (and the Jews as well) needed to have personal faith in God. What is under discussion is whether or not they had any obligation to the Law of Moses.

[11] This thought must be understood in light of the overall context of Paul’s argument and the troubles in the churches of Galatia. The Galatians were being taught a version of the Law of Moses that engendered bondage upon them (Galatians 4:7-9). The law did not inherently produce bondage. Paul plainly states that it was good, holy, righteous, and spiritual (Romans 7:12-14). Further, he identifies the problem under the law as residing in man, not the law (Romans 7:14). To a fleshly-minded man, the law (any law) produces bondage. But a spiritual man can find peace with God through the redemption expressed in that same law. Fleshly men like the Pharisees and Judaizers found a burden they could not bear in the Law of Moses; while a spiritual man, one after the heart of God, found in that same law an expression of the wondrous things of God: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). It is important to remember that the teaching of the Law among the Gentiles came from the fleshly-minded Judaizers. This truth must not be forgotten as one studies Paul’s use of flesh and spirit in his epistles – especially Galatians and Romans.

[12] The “our” of this verse must be inclusive of both Jew and Gentile. First, Paul’s point to the Galatians was the their reception of the Spirit proved the validity of His gospel (3:2-5). That point must be established in order to further the conclusion of the Jerusalem council. Second, the verse makes little sense if the “you” refers to the Gentiles and the “our” to the Jews. That would have Paul stating that because the GENTILES were the sons of God, the JEWS received the Holy Spirit. Paul is arguing for the removal of the son/slave metaphor in Jew/Gentile relationships (see Galatians 4:24-31). In this context the Spirit’s presence among the Gentiles is the proof that the distinction is removed (Galatians 3:14). While it is clear that the Gentiles were never “under the law” and so cannot be a part of the “you” earlier in this text, at this point it should be equally clear that they must be included within the “our” of this verse.

[13] The position taken in this work is that the meeting of Galatians 2 corresponds to the Jerusalem council of Acts 15. The consequence of that position is that the book of Galatians was likely written after Paul’s travels through the region recorded in Acts 16.

[14] See Essay #4: Joel 2:28-32: The Promise of the Holy Spirit.”

[15] The objection that Galatians 4:6 is a universal blessing for all Christians and so therefore cannot be miraculous is first troubled by the fact the verse describes the work as miraculous, unless a credible interpretation of the Holy Spirit talking in the hearts of Christians can be crafted. But more importantly, it is established in the New Testament that the miraculous gifts went to “all” people (see Essay #7: The Extent of Prophecy in the Church). Once the “all” objection is removed, the language of 4:6 cannot be mistaken as anything other than a prophetic function of the Holy Spirit.

[16] See Essay #9: “What is the Mystery?”

[17] It should be noted that from Ephesians 1:1 to 1:12, Paul only uses first person pronouns. The “we” of 1:1-12 are said to have all spiritual blessings, be chosen, predestined, and adopted. It is this author’s contention that while those blessings are extended to all Christians (which ultimately is the argument of Paul in Ephesians) in these verses Paul is specifically discussing the Jews. We have already suggested that the “adoption” spoken of by Paul in Romans 9 pertains to the Jews. It is also found in Romans 8 along with the concepts of being predestined and chosen. The connection among Galatians 3-4, Ephesians 1-2, and Romans 7-8 is another important concept to see when studying the Holy Spirit. Please see Essay #16: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in Rome and Galatia” for a discussion of these matters.

[18] Please see Essay #15: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in Corinth”

[19] See Essay #4: Joel 2:28-32: The Promise of the Holy Spirit