The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 155

,m1y 10011ld I learn from you. I need Rsk the illustration which in ver. 6 the apostle for nothing more to show thRt the LRw is gives of the phrase as introduced by him uotbing to yon, thRn thRt you should tell ngain in ver. 5. me this. Reoeived ye the Spirit by the Ver. 3.-Are ye so foolish I having begun works of the Law! (<'( lp-yow vdµou orb nv,vµ.11 in the Spirit, are ye now me.de perfeot by •"rf/3.-r• ;) ; t1,as it in consequence of works of the 11.esh 1 (o3To,s a;vJ71oroC lcrr,; ivap(clµ.,1101 the Lnw that ye recei-Ded the Spiri' f I osme wv,,',µ,a.TI, vuv craprcl iw,nll.,icr9,); are ye 10 Rm0n!ist you as an apostle, preRching the foolish f having begun with the Spirit, arn ye !i"spel, nnd upon your baptism !Rying my noia finishing wiU, the flesh ? nv,oµ.11or1, as bands upon you; and the Holy Spirit came contrasted with craprcl, means the element of down upon you. pro,ing tho reality of his spiritual existence (comp. the use of wv,uµ.11 presence both by signs and miracles and in Rom. i. 4; 1 Pet. iii. 18) into which they powers, and also by the Jove, joy, and peRce had been brought at their conversion by with which your hearts were filled; sealing the Holy Spirit's influence; including the nt once the truth of my doctrine and your spiritual sensibility and spiritunl activity mvn position individually as recognized which had at first marked their Christian heirs of the kingdom of God. You re- life, as e.g. joy in God in the sen~e of niember that time. Well, how was it then? parJon, adoption ( eh. iv. 6), love to God, Ho.d there a word been then spoken affectionate e.tta,chment to their spiritue.l touching meats or drinks, or washings of teacher (eh. iv. H, 15), brotherly love purification (besides your baptism into amoug themselves : at that hour all their Christ), or circumcision, or care of ceremonial soul was praise, joy, love. ::l:lap1el denotes a cleanness? Had you attended to any one lower, merely sensuous kind of religious-• point whatever of Levitical ordinance? Had ness, one busying itself with ceremonial either you or I cast one thought in that performances, observance of days and fes- direction? The " works of the Law" here tivals (eh. iv. 10), distinctions of meats, and referred to must still be works of ceremonial other matters of ceremonial prescription ; performance, not those of moral obedience ; with petty strivings and disputings, of for repentance, the practical hreal..-iug off course, about such points, as if they ree.lly from sin, the surrender of the soul to God mattered at all; in which kind of religious- and to Christ in faith and love.I obedience, ness the fom1er tone of love, joy, sense of the outward assuming of the character of adoption, praise, had evaporated, leaving God's servants, the purpose and inchoate their souls dry, earthly (comp. "weak and performance of works meet for repentance,- beggarly rudiments," eh. iv. 9; and for the these actings of compliance with the moral use of crclpE, Heh. ix. 10). Perhaps the Law were there. The gift of the Spirit was apostle includes also in his use of the term ,-,:id,enced by charisms pie.inly supernatural; the loss of spiritual victory over sin. If in but it comprised more tl,an the hestowment place of surrendering themselves to the of these. Or by the hee.ri.ng of faith 1 ('I) i! leading of the Spirit (comp. eh. v. 18) they CL1eoi;s wltrTews ;) ; or toa8 it in conBequ,ence of put themselves under the Law, then they the hearing of faith f The noun CJ.Ko¾, de- fell he.ck e.gRin under the power of the notes sometiwes (what is heard) "report," " flesh," which the Law could only command '"rumour," as 111e.tt. iv. 24; xxiv. 6; Rom. them to control, but could of itself give x. I 6, 17; sometimes, especially in the them no power t.o control (Rom. viii. 3). plural, the organs or sense of hearing, as The Authorized Version, "begun in," is lliark viL 35; Luke viL 1 ; Acts xvii. 20; doubtless faulty, in to.king ,,,v,6µ.aor, e.s go- tleb. v. 11; 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4; sometimes the verned by the iv of the compound verb. act of hearing, as 111att. :xiiL 14; 1 Sam. The two verbs ivrfpxoµ.a, and imor•ll.•iv are !:V. 22 (Septuagint). The last e.ppears more bale.need against each other in 2 Cor. viii. 6 ; ~uite.ble here than the first taken (as some Phil. i. 6. 'Ew,.,..11.,icrBe may be either a take it) as describing the doctrine or mes- passive, as it is rendered in the Authorized 6age which they heard respecting faith; Version, " Are ye me.de perfect," i.e. "Are ye stun ding e.s a;,co¾, does in contrast to" works" seeking to be me.de perfect ; " so the Revised which would have been an e.ctiog of theirs, Version, " Are ye now perfected ; " or e. this likewise was most probably meant by middle verb, as ,,,,,.,.,11.ovµ.a, is often used in tlu:, apostle subjectively of something ap- other writers, though nowhere in the New pearing on their own part. "Were you not Testament or Septuagint. The latter seems at once received into the kingdom of God the more suitable, with the understood sup- ,rnd filled with joy in the Holy Spirit, im- pletion of " your course " or " your estate," 11rndia.tely upon your believing acceptance as in our Eaglish word." finishing." The of the gospel message?" With exq uii:lite apostle is partial to the deponent form of propriety, as Bengel observes, is hereby verbs. mnrked the nature of faith, not working, Ver. 4.-:e:ave ye au1l'ered so many things l,nt receiving. This agrees also best with in vain 1 if it be yet in vain (Tocraiiora lw&61n ott, Ill, 1-29.] THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 121