John Calvin Commentary Galatians 3

O foolish Galatians. A remonstrance is here interwoven—I should rather say, inserted—among his doctrinal statements. Some will wonder that he did not delay it to the end of the Epistle, but the very serious nature of the errors which he has presented unquestionably roused him to a burst of passion. When we hear that the Son of God, with all his benefits, is rejected, that his death is considered as nothing, what pious mind would not break out into indignation? He therefore declares that those who allowed themselves to be involved in so heinous a crime must have been ἀνόητοι, that is, “disordered in mind.” He accuses them not only of having allowed themselves to be deceived, but of having been carried away by some sort of magical enchantment, which is a still more serious charge. He insinuates that their fall was more akin to madness than to folly.

Some think that Paul refers to the character of the nation—that, being descended from barbarians, it was more difficult to train them—but I am more inclined to think that he refers to the subject itself. It looks like something supernatural that, after enjoying the gospel in such clearness, they should be affected by the delusions of Satan. He does not merely say that they were “bewitched” and “disordered in mind” because they did not obey the truth, but because, after having received instruction so clear, so full, so tender, and so powerful, they immediately fell away. Erasmus has chosen to interpret the words “that you should not believe the truth.” I am not quite prepared to set aside that interpretation, but would prefer the word obey, because Paul does not charge them with having, from the outset, rejected the gospel, but with not having persevered in obedience.

Before whose eyes. This is intended, as I have already hinted, to emphasize the seriousness; for, the better opportunities they had of knowing Christ, the more heinous was the criminality of forsaking him. Such, he tells them, was the clearness of his doctrine that it was not mere doctrine, but the express, living image of Christ. They had known Christ in such a manner that they might almost be said to have seen him.

Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth. Augustine’s interpretation of the word προεγράφη (translated “hath been set forth”) is harsh and inconsistent with Paul’s design. He makes it signify that Christ was to be thrust out from possession. Others propose a different phrase (proscriptus), which, if used in the sense of “openly proclaimed,” would not be unsuitable. The Greeks, accordingly, borrow from this verb the word προγράμματα to refer to boards on which property intended to be sold was published, so as to be exposed to the view of all. But the participle, painted, is less ambiguous and, in my own opinion, is exceedingly appropriate. To show how energetic his preaching was, Paul first compares it to a picture, which exhibited to them in a vivid manner the image of Christ.

But, not satisfied with this comparison, he adds, Christ hath been crucified among you, intimating that the actual sight of Christ’s death could not have affected them more powerfully than his own preaching. The view given by some—that the Galatians had “crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6); that they had withdrawn from the purity of the gospel; or, at least, had listened to and given their confidence to impostors who crucified him—appears to me forced. The meaning therefore is that Paul’s doctrine had instructed them concerning Christ in such a manner as if he had been exhibited to them in a picture, indeed, “crucified among them.” Such a representation could not have been made by any eloquence, or by “enticing words of man’s wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:4), had it not been accompanied by that power of the Spirit, of which Paul has discussed extensively in both the Epistles to the Corinthians.

Let those who would faithfully discharge the ministry of the gospel learn not merely to speak and declaim, but to penetrate into the consciences of people, to make them see Christ crucified, and feel the shedding of his blood. When the Church has painters such as these, she no longer needs the dead images of wood and stone, and she no longer requires pictures; both of these, unquestionably, were first admitted to Christian temples when the pastors had become silent and been converted into mere idols, or when they uttered a few words from the pulpit in such a cold and careless manner that the power and effectiveness of the ministry were completely extinguished.

This one I wish to learn from you. He now proceeds to support his cause by additional arguments. The first is drawn from their experience, for he reminds them how the gospel was introduced among them. When they heard the gospel, they received the Spirit. It was not to the law, therefore, but to faith, that they owed the reception of this benefit.

This same argument is employed by Peter in the defense which he makes to his brothers for having baptized uncircumcised persons (Acts 10:47). Paul and Barnabas followed the same course in the debate which they maintained at Jerusalem on this subject (Acts 15:2, 12). There was therefore manifest ingratitude in not submitting to the doctrine, through which they had received the Holy Spirit.

The opportunity which he gives them to reply is expressive not of doubt, but of greater confidence, for their convictions, founded on their own experience, forced them to acknowledge that it was true.

Faith is here used, by a figure of speech, for the gospel, which is elsewhere called the law of faith (Romans 3:27), because it reveals to us the free grace of God in Christ, without any merit of works. The Spirit means here, I think, the grace of regeneration, which is common to all believers, though I have no objection to understand it as referring to the special gifts by which the Lord, at that time, honored the preaching of the gospel.

It may be objected that the Spirit was not, in this respect, given to all. But it was enough for Paul’s purpose that the Galatians knew that the power of the Holy Spirit in his Church had accompanied Paul’s doctrine, and that believers were endowed in various ways with the gifts of the Spirit for general edification.

It may also be objected that those gifts were not infallible signs of adoption, and so do not apply to the present question. I reply that it was enough that the Lord had confirmed the doctrine of Paul by the visible gifts of his Spirit. A still simpler view of the case is that they had been distinguished by the ordinary privilege of adoption before those impostors had brought forward their additions. In whom, he says to the Ephesians,

you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13).

Are ye so foolish? Commentators are not agreed as to what he means by the Spirit and by the flesh. He alludes, in my opinion, to what he had said about the Spirit. As if he had said, “As the doctrine of the gospel brought to you the Holy Spirit, the commencement of your course was spiritual; but now you have fallen into a worse condition, and may be said to have fallen from the Spirit into the flesh.” The flesh denotes either outward and fading vanities, such as ceremonies are, particularly when they are separated from Christ; or it denotes dead and fading doctrine. There was a strange inconsistency between their splendid commencement and their future progress.

Have ye suffered so many things? This is another argument.

Having suffered so many things on behalf of the gospel, would they now, in an instant, lose it all? Indeed, he puts it as a reproach to them, should they be willing to lose the advantage of so many illustrious struggles which they had made for the faith. If the true faith had not been delivered to them by Paul, it was rash to suffer anything in defense of a bad cause; but they had experienced the presence of God amidst their persecutions. Accordingly, he charges the false apostles with ill-will in depriving the Galatians of such valuable ornaments.

But to mitigate the severity of this complaint, he adds, if it be yet in vain; thus inspiring them with the expectation of something better, and rousing them to the exercise of repentance. For the intention of all chastisement is, not to drive men to despair, but to lead them to a better course.

He therefore that ministereth. He is not now speaking of the grace of regeneration, but of the other gifts of the Spirit, for a subject different from the preceding one is manifestly introduced. He warns them that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in which they excelled, are the fruits of the gospel—of that gospel which had been preached among them by his own lips. Their new teachers deprived them of those gifts when they left the gospel and fled to another kind of doctrine. In proportion to the value which they attached to those gifts, to which the apostle here adds miracles, they ought the more carefully and resolutely to adhere to the gospel.