Description
Receiving the Spirit by Faith, Not by Works
This meditation considers Galatians 3:2, where Paul challenges the idea tha… (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
Let me ask you this. Can we have a better spiritual experience or a better life by doing the right things? We’re meditating today on Galatians chapter three, verse two. And Paul the apostle seems a little bit exasperated by the Galatian church here. Let’s read it together and then meditate on what it means for us.
Galatians three verse two. Let me ask you only this: did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
It seems like the church here, they’ve got the gospel, but then they think that by doing the works of the law, the things that have been commanded, they then have somehow a better experience. They are more spiritual. They’re more in tune with God.
Now, it’s true, there are exercises and disciplines of faith that are really good for us, but the gift of the Holy Spirit comes to us through faith. It doesn’t come to us through anything that we’ve done.
And if we’ve received the Holy Spirit of God, he gives us his power. He gives us his transformation. And that’s regardless of what we are thinking or doing or saying.
Paul says this principle of faith is what you need to grasp hold of. But it’s not a magic thing. It’s just in our hearts saying, yes, Jesus, we repent. We accept you, and then we receive. True repentance, a contrite heart and an act of obedience to God. This is all that we need.
So we receive the Holy Spirit. We are empowered by him, by virtue of our faith, not by virtue of anything that we do, and not by virtue of us trying to live a good life.
It is right to live a holy life, but that’s right because we should be operating out of loving obedience to God. Not trying to achieve spiritual brownie points or greater power.
God operates through people who come to him in humility. Humility is far more important to God than us seeking whizzbang experiences where the glory all too often will be going to us.
There’s great reassurance in this verse, my friends, we receive the Spirit not through the law, but by hearing, and by our faith in Jesus Christ.
