Galatians 3:5-6

‘He therefore who supplies to you the Spirit, and works powerful works among you (or ‘within you'), does he do it by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.'

The example of Abraham is now cited as evidence that God's gifts come in response to faith. How did Abraham become a participant in God's blessing? It was by ‘believing God', and taking Him at His word. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). This would confirm that the ‘hearing of faith' here means the response of faith to God's words. God had supplied them with the Spirit and worked ‘powerful works' among them. But what had been the basis of this? Certainly not their observing of the Law for they had not had time for that. It was clearly their response of faith, just as in the case of Abraham.

‘He therefore who supplies to you the Spirit.' The ‘He' must mean God or Christ. The present tense indicates a continual supply. Paul is speaking of the continual supply and activity of the Spirit. The Lord continues daily to supply them with the continuing experience of His Holy Spirit, not necessarily in a way that can be felt, but certainly in a way that can be experienced and be effective in their lives. As they face each day they can drink continually of the Spirit, and know that out of their innermost being will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

(Some have seen ‘he' as referring to Spirit-filled men - compare Acts 8:17; Acts 19:6 - but this would not really affect the argument. However, it is very questionable whether Peter or anyone else would have described themselves as ‘supplying the Spirit', and certainly not as supplying the Spirit continually. What they ‘did' in those two examples was identify themselves with those to whom they had gone. It was God Himself Who sent the Spirit on them. What they did was something that was once for all not something that they could do for believers continually, But it was not actually they who did anything. It was God Who did it. The wind blows where it wills, and no man can say ‘here it comes' or ‘there it goes'. So is every one who is born of the Spirit - John 3:7).

‘Works miracles (or powerful works) among you.' Again he is speaking about a continual activity, which was apparently still occurring. The Greek means literally ‘powers' but it regularly means ‘miracles' wrought by the power of God in the New Testament. The period of the early church was one in which outward miracles abounded. This revealed that God was among them in power. But they appear to have happened spontaneously and immediately, not in the long drawn out way of many so-called healers today, and they are not generally cited as a reason why men should turn to God. Jesus had no confidence in those who believed because of miracles (John 2:23).

However it is probable that here inner miracles are also to be seen as being in mind, by translating as, ‘He works powerful works within you'. Consider how on Paul's visit to them Luke speaks of them as being ‘filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit' (Acts 13:52) as evidence of His working. That was an inner miracle. And in Galatians 5:22 the fruit of the Spirit is declared to be the evidence of the Spirit's working in the inner miracles of love, joy, peace, and so on. These are equally miraculous, indeed one may say more miraculous. So the miracles were both outward and inward.

‘Even as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.' This is cited from Genesis 15:6. Abraham took God at His word and this pleased God and He responded accordingly. It made Abraham totally acceptable to Him as a ‘righteous' man, one who looked to Him, depended on Him, and was ready to obey Him. This too, says Paul, is the basis on which Christians should approach Him.

The mention of Abraham is important. The Judaisers no doubt laid great stress on the fact that they were children of Abraham, and this comes out in their stress on circumcision. But here Abraham's faith, and its resulting response from God, is seen to have come prior to him being circumcised. It was clearly therefore primary (Romans 3:10). Circumcision was not even thought of at the time. That was something that was added later for a totally different reason, as a seal of the later covenant, a seal now replaced by the ‘seal of the Spirit' (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13) and our participation in Christ's crucifixion, through the bloodshedding of Christ.