the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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THE MESSAGE
Galatians 3:2
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- InternationalDevotionals:
- DailyParallel Translations
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
This is the only thing I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Let me explain. Did you get the Holy Spirit by obeying the code of Moses? Of course you didn't. You got the Holy Ghost by believing the story of Jesus.
Give me an answer to this one question, Did the Spirit come to you through the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
This only I wish to learn of you, Have ye received the Spirit on the principle of works of law, or of [the] report of faith?
I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?
I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?
This only would I learn of you, Did you receive the Spirit, by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Answer me this one question, "Is it on the ground of your obedience to the Law that you received the Spirit, or is it because, when you heard, you believed?"
This onely would I learne of you, receiued ye the spirit, by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith?
This only I desire to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of Law or by hearing of faith?
This onely wolde I lerne of you: Receaued ye the sprete by the dedes of the lawe, or by the preachinge of the faith?
this one thing I desire to know of you, did you receive the spirit by the works of the law, or by the gospel preach'd to you?
This is all I want to ask of you: did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying [the requirements of] the Law, or was it the result of hearing [the message of salvation and] with faith [believing it]?
This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
This only wolde I learne of you: receaved ye the sprete by the dedes of ye lawe or els by preachinge of ye faith?
This only would I learn from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
this only do I wish to learn from you -- by works of law the Spirit did ye receive, or by the hearing of faith?
Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the Good News and believed it.
The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
I want to know only one thing. How were you given God's Spirit? Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him?
I want to know from you just this one thing: did you receive the Spirit by legalistic observance of Torah commands or by trusting in what you heard and being faithful to it?
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
This only would I learne of you, Receiued ye the Spirit by the workes of the Lawe, or by the hearing of faith preached?
This only I want to know from you, Did you receive the Spirit through the works of the law, or through obedience to faith?
I just want to learn this from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?
I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the worksthrough the works">[fn] of the law or by believing what you heard?through the hearing of faith">[fn]Acts 2:38; 8:15; 10:47; 15:8; Romans 10:16-17; Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13; Hebrews 6:4;">[xr]
This only would I know from you: Through the works of the law received you the Spirit, or through the hearing of faith?
This only would I learn from you, Was it by works of the law, that ye received the Spirit? or by the hearing of faith?
This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ.
There is one thing I want to know. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law? Or did you receive Him by hearing about Christ?
This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
This only, am I wishing to learn from you: - by works of law, received ye, the Spirit? or by a believed report?
This only would I learn of you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
I want only to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
This only woulde I learne of you, whether ye receaued the spirite by the deedes of the lawe, or by the hearyng of the fayth?
Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it.
This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it?
This oneli Y wilne to lerne of you, whether ye han vndurfonge the spirit of werkis of the lawe, or of heryng of bileue?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Received: Galatians 3:5, Galatians 3:14, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:15, Acts 10:44-47, Acts 11:15-18, Acts 15:8, Acts 19:2-6, 1 Corinthians 12:7-13, 2 Corinthians 11:4, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 1:14, Hebrews 2:4, Hebrews 6:4, 1 Peter 1:12
by the hearing: Romans 1:17, Romans 10:16, Romans 10:17
Reciprocal: Exodus 35:35 - the cunning John 20:22 - Receive Acts 8:17 - they received Acts 24:24 - the faith Acts 26:18 - faith Romans 1:11 - that Romans 10:8 - the word of faith 1 Corinthians 9:21 - them 2 Corinthians 3:8 - the ministration 2 Corinthians 6:6 - by the Galatians 2:5 - we 1 Thessalonians 1:5 - in the 1 Timothy 1:7 - to
Gill's Notes on the Bible
This one thing would I learn of you,.... Though there were many things he could have put to them, yet he would only ask this one question, which, if rightly attended to, and honestly answered, must expose their folly, and put an end to the controversy upon this head:
received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? This question supposes they had received the Spirit; that is, the Spirit of God, as a spirit of wisdom and knowledge in the revelation of Christ; as a spirit of regeneration and sanctification; as a spirit of faith and adoption; and as the earnest, seal, and pledge of their future glory. Now the apostle asks, whether they received this Spirit "by the works of the law"; meaning, either whether they could imagine, that they by their obedience to the law had merited and procured the Spirit of God; or whether they thought that the Spirit came to them, and into their hearts, through the doctrine or preaching of the law: the former could not be true, for if they could not obtain righteousness and life by the works of the law, then not the Spirit; besides, works done without the Spirit of God, are not properly good works: not the latter, for though by the law is the knowledge of sin, yet this leaves nothing but a sense of wrath and damnation in the conscience; it is the killing letter, and a ministration of condemnation and death, and not of the Spirit, and of life; this belongs to the Gospel, "or the hearing of faith"; for by "faith", is meant the Gospel, and particularly the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ's righteousness; and by "the hearing" of it, the preaching of it, the report of it, Isaiah 53:1 which, in the Hebrew text, is
שמעתנו, "our hearing", that by which the Gospel is heard and understood. Now in this way the Spirit of God is received; while the Gospel is preaching he falls on them that hear it, conveys himself into their hearts, and begets them again by the word of truth: and in this way the Galatians came by the Spirit, and which is another aggravation of their folly, that they should enjoy so great an advantage by the Gospel, and yet be so easily removed from it.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
This only would I learn of you - I would ask this of you; retaining still the language of severe reproof. The design here, and in the following verses, is, to prove to them that the views which they had at first embraced were correct, and that the views which they now cherished were false To show them this, he asks them the simple question, by what means they had obtained the exalted privileges which they enjoyed? Whether they had obtained them by the simple gospel, or whether by the observance of the Law? The word “only” here (μόνον monon) implies that this was enough to settle the question. The argument to which he was about to appeal was enough for his purpose. He did not need to go any further. They had been converted. They had received the Holy Spirit. They had had abundant evidence of their acceptance with God, and the simple matter of inquiry now was, whether this had occurred as the regular effect of the gospel, or whether it had been by obeying the Law of Moses?
Received ye the Spirit - The Holy Spirit. He refers here, doubtless, to all the manifestations of the Spirit which had been made to them, in renewing the heart, in sanctifying the soul, in comforting them in affliction, and in his miraculous agency among them. The Holy Spirit had been conferred on them at their conversion (compare Acts 10:44; Acts 11:17) and this was to them proof of the favor of God, and of their being accepted by him.
By the works of the law - By obeying the Law of Moses or of any law. It was in no way connected with their obeying the Law. This must have been so clear to them that no one could have any doubt or the subject. The inestimably rich and precious gift of the Holy Spirit had not been conferred on them in consequence of their obeying the Law.
Or by the hearing of faith - In connection with hearing the gospel requiring faith as a condition of salvation. The Holy Spirit was sent down only in connection with the preaching of the gospel. It was a matter of truth, and which could not be denied, that those influences had not been imparted under the Law, but had been connected with the gospel of the Redeemer; compare Acts 2:0. The doctrine taught in this verse is, that the benefits resulting to Christians from the gift of the Holy Spirit are enough to prove that the gospel is from God, and therefore true. This was the case with regard to the miraculous endowments communicated in the early ages of the church by the Holy Spirit; for the miracles which were performed, the knowledge of languages imparted, and the conversion of thousands from the error of their ways, proved that the system was from heaven; and it is true now. Every Christian has had ample proof, from the influences of the Spirit on his heart and around him, that the system which is attended with such benefits is from heaven.
His own renewed heart; his elevated and sanctified affections; his exalted hopes; his consolations in trial; his peace in the prospect of death, and the happy influences of the system around him in the conversion of others, and in the intelligence, order, and purity of the community, are ample proof that the religion is true. Such effects do not come from any attempt to keep the Law; they result from no other system. No system of infidelity produces them; no mere system of infidelity can produce them. It is only by that pure system which proclaims salvation by the grace of God; which announces salvation by the merits of the Lord Jesus, that such effects are produced. The Saviour promised the Holy Spirit to descend after his ascension to heaven to apply his work; and everywhere, under the faithful preaching of the simple gospel, that Spirit keeps up the evidence of the truth of the system by his influences on the hearts and lives of people.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Galatians 3:2. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law — This may refer to the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, which were very common in the apostolic Church. Did ye receive these extraordinary gifts in consequence of your circumcision, and observing the Mosaic precepts? or was it by the hearing of the Gospel, prescribing faith in Christ crucified? It may also refer to the spirit of adoption, and consequently to their sonship.
