"This only I am wanting to learn from you: out of works of law the Spirit you received or out of hearing of faith?’
-The proverbial proof of the pudding, this. God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. He comes into the life, into the heart of each and every person who puts their trust in Jesus, baptizing them into the body of Christ, regenerating them, sealing them - sent from above by the heavenly Father. And He comes bearing gifts, distributing to each one individually, just as He desires (1Corinthians 12.11). Gifts of teaching and healing and mercy and faith and miracles and service and languages and interpretation and administration and prophecy, some of which are quite inexplicable in any human terms (by design). These gifts can manifest right from very beginning, the moment of conversion - we see this happen quite clearly in the book of Acts (i.e. the acts of the Spirit!) as God confirms His work of salvation for those who first believed (cf Acts 10.45, 11.17). In fact, it was this visible, tangible manifestation of the Spirit which was definitely needed at that time in order to convince the Jewish leaders of the early church that God was actually accepting Gentiles into His faith family without the need for them to be circumcised and observe the rest of the law of Moses (cf Act 11.17-18, 15.5-9ff).
-No doubt this is what did happen in Galatia, when Paul preached the Gospel and God was pleased to save some and plant an assembly of believers in that place, no doubt God’s Spirit manifested in some demonstrable, visible way - some kind of sign gift(s), supernatural gifting and working, proof positive that He had saved and accepted those ones who merely believed, saved by faith alone and not by any work of the law or religious pedigree. And this is what Paul is asking them to recall here. There was no thing, no good deed, not one command of the Jewish Law (or any other religious creed) which anyone did in order to obtain the gift of God’s Spirit. They heard, they believed what they heard, God accepted them through faith, and they simultaneously received His Spirit (with the tangible manifestation thereof) entirely by faith.
-Which somewhat begs a question for each of us today - I say I have faith, but is there any corroborating evidence of the Spirit in my life? Is there any sign of Him, any giftedness, any fruit whatsoever, any whiff of stuff of heaven, any of that surpassing peace or unspeakable joy or selfless love which lays itself down for my brother? When the unbelieving world levels the charge at the church that it is full of hypocrites, what they are fundamentally saying is that they see so many folks who claim to have a direct personal connection to the God of heaven, but there is not really much of that stuff of heaven in their lives. All these religious people don't really look or live much differently than me. They do get up early on Sundays to go to a meeting, and they don't swear as much, but as far as I can tell they marry and divorce and shop and eat and vacation and struggle and live their lives pretty much the same as I do. And so the claim rings hollow. Disingenuous.
-Here we find what Jesus stated was a primary reason that He returned to the Father, so that He could send the Holy Spirit (John 16.7), that Helper Who would not only be with us but would live IN us and give us the power to do greater works than Jesus Himself did, deeds and exploits of glory which earn not salvation but which indeed do show off the breathtaking goodness of almighty God. It matters not one little bit what I claim to be if there is no substance, no confirming tasty fruit to back it up. Truly the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
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