Foolish Galatians

Galatians 3:1-5
1 - O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 - 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?—
3 - Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 - Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
5 - Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Galatians is a letter that was written to some people that had become Christians as a result of Paul's preaching in their town.  When Paul first came to these people, he told them the good news about Jesus.  Jesus had paid the price for their sins, and now God was offering eternal life to them.  They believed the message, accepted the offer, and were born into God's family and kingdom.

From the context of the entire letter, it is apparent that they also had seen some demonstrations of the supernatural power of God.  And not only had they seen God's power in operation, they were beginning to operate in this power themselves.

At some point, Paul moved on to the next town and some religious leaders came in here behind him and started trying to put additional requirements on these people.  These new believers were being told that they had to keep the rules and regulations of Judaism (a.k.a "works of the law") in order to be in right standing with God.

When Paul found out about this, he wrote this letter that we call "Galatians."  In this letter, he is very upset, and uses some very strong  language.  He is urging these new believers to reject this false teaching.

We get great benefit from being able to read this letter, because there are some very powerful truths contained in the arguments that Paul set forth under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

1 - A person's entry into God's kingdom has nothing to do with any religious activities.

These people simply believed the message Paul brought to them.  That's it.  They weren't keeping the Sabbath, going to church, praying, paying tithes, reading the bible, or anything like that.  They didn't even have a bible because there weren't any bibles yet.  There weren't even any churches there yet.  They probably didn't even know about most of that stuff.  They just believed what Paul said about Jesus.  God was extending peace to these people through an offer that is almost too good to be true.  If they would believe this message about Jesus, God would adopt them as sons and welcome them into His eternal kingdom.

2 - Operating in the power of God is not enhanced by keeping religious rules or traditions.  In fact, it can be hindered by that stuff.

God works through people that exercise faith...people that take Him at His word.  He doesn't require us to be perfect in our behavior and obedience as a prerequisite   Jesus already took care of all prerequisites on our behalf.  We just need to believe it.  Check it out...

2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  

You see, Jesus has already made amends for all of our failures and shortcomings.  Our failure to meet the standards has already been dealt with once for all time.  So, we are no longer viewed by God as sinners who are trying to get better.  We are viewed by Him in the same way He views Jesus....totally righteous.

With that in mind, take a fresh look at this phrase again from Galatians chapter 3, verse 5. It is a very amazing statement:


He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

God supplies the Spirit to us and works miracles among us as we act in faith.  This is not limited by a person's maturity level, nor is it limited by a person's ability to avoid sin.  It is limited by unbelief.  As far as I have been able to understand, the only thing that can limit God operating in power through us is unbelief.

Unbelief comes in many forms.  Here are a few of the most powerful ways that we can be drawn into unbelief.

1 - Trying to work to earn the right or privilege to operate in the power of God is actually a form of unbelief.  The very act of trying to earn it shows that you don't believe it is freely given.  Ouch.

2 - Trusting in human religious tradition rather than in God is also a form of unbelief.  Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

• If you are part of an organization that believes that miracles were only for the days of the original apostles, then you will will be tempted to agree with that, and you can find yourself in unbelief towards the power of God working in you or in others today.  
• If you believe that miracles are done through the pastor or the priest or any other title, but not through those without a religious title, then you will also be in unbelief towards the power of God working through you.  
• If you believe God doesn't heal people that have sin in their life, then you will be in unbelief towards the "gifts" of healings.  You will disqualify people based on their addictions, habits, behaviors, sexual preferences, and etc.  You will be trusting in man's ability to perform rather than God's grace to give freely to those in need, and draw them to Himself through His love and kindness.  That is unbelief.

Our main enemy, most of the time, is not the devil, and it is not sin.  It is unbelief.  As Jesus said, all things are possible to him to believes.  We need to believe, and let this foolishness loosen its grip on us.

Gifts of the Spirit part 2 - Charismata (grace gifts)

(Note:  It may be good to read part 1 before reading this)


"CHARIS" is a word in the original Greek language of the New Testament.  It is often translated as grace, kindness, favour, blessing, etc.

It means "unmerited favour."  It means "goodwill that is not deserved."

If it is deserved in any way, it is not CHARIS.

If there is anything that you can do earn it, it is not CHARIS.

CHARIS is a very general term.  When it is used in a specific instance, the Greek word is "CHARISMA."  This is often translated "gift."

This is unmerited favor, or grace, made specific.  It is an undeserved gift.  If there is any part of it that is deserved, then it is not a CHARISMA.

Now if you want to make this word plural, you add "TA" to the end and you end up with "CHARISMATA."

CHARISMATA means "free, undeserved gifts."

That brings us to our passage in 1 Corinthians where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed

1 Corinthians 12:4-11
4 There are diversities of gifts (CHARISMATA), but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

These nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit are gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to people that don't deserve them.  There is no requirement on anyone to receive them.  If there are requirements, then they aren't CHARISMATA.  If you have to attain a certain level of maturity or holiness in order to receive them, then they would be called rewards instead of gifts.

But the word that is used here is CHARISMATA...free gifts that are not deserved in any way.

To bring this point out more clearly, consider the context of the passage that was quoted above.  It comes from a letter (1 Corinthians) that was written to a group of Christians in the city of Corinth.  In this letter they are being corrected for things that would make many of today's believers blush.  Here are a few examples:

• They were getting drunk during communion (ch 11 v 21)
• They were suing each other (ch 6 v 7)
• One of them was sleeping with his father's wife (stepmother), and the rest of the group thought this was something to be proud of (ch 5 v 1-2)
• Some of them evidently didn't know any better than to call Jesus "cursed" (ch 12 v 3)

To sum it all up, read the following passage from chapter 3:

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ.

2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

These people are not mature.  Rather, they are immature.  Paul calls them spiritual babies.  They are not ready for meat, they still need milk.  The are carnal and worldly, they are not demonstrating holy living.

However, when you read chapters 12-14, you can see that this doesn't stop the Holy Spirit from operating His supernatural gifts through them in miracles, healings, prophesies, and so on.

Don't get me wrong, sin is bad, and immaturity is nothing to be proud of.  However, sin and immaturity do not stop the Holy Spirit from using us in His supernatural gifts.  CHARISMATA gifts are only given to people that don't deserve them.  What human could work hard enough to deserve any of this?

Never let anyone tell you that you need to reach a certain level of behavior or maturity in your walk before you can move in the wonderful, powerful, and supernatural gifts (CHARISMATA) of the Holy Spirit.  Don't get tricked into disqualifying yourself.  The gifts are free to all that will receive them and use them.  They are given as the Holy Spirit wills, and they are given freely.

Gifts of the Spirit part 1 - Manifestations of the Spirit

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NOTE:  Please visit my new website for an updated version of this article.  Here is the URL:  http://bornofspirit.net/gifts-of-the-spirit-manifestations/
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The nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed in the following passage from 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Here are all nine gifts in list form:

1. Word of Wisdom
2. Word of Knowledge
3. Faith
4. Gifts of Healings
5. Working of Miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Discerning of Spirits
8. Different kinds of Tongues
9. Interpretation of Tongues.

In future posts, I plan to give some definitions of these gifts, and also give some examples of them in operation. In my first few posts on this subject, though, I want to point out a few principles that I believe are crucial for proper understanding of them.

The first key point, and the focus of my entire article, is in verse seven:  "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:"

To "manifest" means to become perceivable, or to become detectable to our senses.  These nine gifts are actually instances of the Holy Spirit operating in you or through you in a way that you and/or others can perceive.  The Holy Spirit wants to say something, reveal something, or do something, so He makes Himself known to the believer in one of these nine ways to accomplish His purpose.

He can give you information by speaking to you audibly, or by giving you an impression in your mind or in your spirit.  He can show you a vision containing instructions for action.  He can energize you to speak His own words.  He can even give you the proper emotions to exercise the gift with.

There are many different methods He uses, but one important thing to remember is that each manifestation is a one-time event that is for a specific purpose.  It is not an ability that you keep and use as you wish.  It is a temporary burst of divine power, ability, or information to meet a need or to accomplish a purpose.  Understanding this point is very helpful in preventing confusion, and in keeping the focus on the Giver of the gift, not on the the human that is exercising the gift.  When you see one of the gifts in operation, you know that the Spirit of God is taking an tangible role in the situation.

There are many things that our God gives to us freely, and all of those are all gifts.  However, not all gifts come the same way, function the same way, or produce the same result.  This is the way God designed it.

There are some gifts that He gives you that stay with you.  

An example of that is righteousness.  God gives you His own righteousness at the moment you put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you (Romans 3:21-24).  This righteousness is yours forever, and it never goes away.

Another example is the ability to speak in tongues when you receive the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.  When you receive this ability, it stays with you for the rest of your time on this earth, and we are urged in several places in scripture to use this ability often.

There are other gifts that you receive that are for a one-time use.  The effects produced by these kinds of gifts may last a very long time, even if the gift itself is only used once.

The nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are included in this group.  He gives these gifts when they are needed.  We use them as we receive them, and the result is that an effect is produced.

To illustrate this point, let's look at the second gift in the list...the word of knowledge.   This can also be translated "message of knowledge" or "message containing knowledge."  This gift describes the action of the Holy Spirit giving you a small nugget of information that you would not know otherwise.

Here is an example of it happening:

Acts 10:17-19

17 Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate.

18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you.

The Holy Spirit gave Peter some information.  Peter was told that there were men looking for him.  This was the Holy Spirit giving Peter a "word of knowledge,"  The Spirit made Himself known to Peter in a way that allowed Peter to receive the information.   

This doesn't mean that Peter can walk around day after day with the gift of the word of knowledge as part of his personality.  He doesn't always know everything.   He can't take a test to see if "word of knowledge" is one of his spiritual gifts that he needs to be using, because he has no control over when the Holy Spirit will do this with Him again.

Simply put, the Holy Spirit wanted to give Peter some information for a specific time and purpose.  The gift was given, and Peter received it and used it.  It accomplished its purpose, and then it was over.

That is a manifestation of the Spirit, and that's how all nine of these gifts function.