"Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" The Apostle Paul interrogates the Galatians by asking a series of rhetorical questions in these verses. Paul despairs that the Galatians have come under the influence of false teachers and so he reminds them of their experience when they first came to know Christ. Paul explains how irrational it is for the Galatians to seek a fuller Christian life through observance of the law. God gave them the Spirit and worked miracles among them because they heard the gospel and believed it. Christians receive the Spirit when they are saved in order to sanctify and empower them in life and various kinds of ministry. This experience was apparently so real and vivid for the Galatians that Paul knew they would recall it. How fresh is your experience with God? Can you vividly recall the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? Maybe it's time for a Holy Spirit refreshing. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and perfect you by convicting you of sin and empowering you with faith in your daily walk with God.
