1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 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? (Galatians 3:1-5)

As Paul is writing to the Galatians, he pivots toward defending gospel doctrine to help them turn back to Jesus and the sufficiency of His cross. He poses a series of rhetorical questions, each highlighting some of the beautiful benefits of the gospel. Through Paul’s initial questions that we studied last week, we saw how the gospel unleashes the Spirit and supplies the necessary resources to become complete. Today, we’ll examine two more questions Paul asked to help them see the gospel afresh.

3. The Gospel Is Worth Every Sacrifice (3:4)

Paul's third rhetorical question in this passage helps us remember that the gospel is worth every sacrifice we might make because of it. Paul asked the Galatians, "Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?"* (4).

Paul's question is loaded with personal backstory. He knew everything the Galatians had endured for their belief in Jesus. While with them, Paul and Barnabas had to strengthen the Galatians’ souls by telling them that "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). And now Paul wonders if all their suffering for the gospel was going to be in vain. If they denied the sufficiency of the cross, why had they suffered for the sufficiency of the cross? What a waste!

Here’s the thing: man-made rules are not worth suffering for. You cannot watch movies. You cannot drink a glass of wine. You cannot trick-or-treat. You cannot get a tattoo. You cannot have a nice car or nice clothes. You cannot work out too much. A paper cut would be too much to suffer for these man-made strictures. But the gospel of Christ is worthy of every drop of blood, sweat, or tears shed for it. Throughout the centuries, billions of Christians have made sacrifices because of and for the gospel—and every sacrifice has been worth it.

When I was coming up, the straight-edge community fascinated me. It was usually comprised of young men who were into hard music and violence but not into drugs and alcohol.[1] It attracted a lot of young guys into its club-like environment. But it didn’t last. Legalism can only attract you for so long. The gospel, however, can inspire for a lifetime (and for billions of lifetimes after that). And every sacrifice you make for it—financially, emotionally, physically—is worth it.

Some of you may have sacrificed romantic relationships for the gospel’s sake. Someone pressured you to do things with them that Jesus died for on the cross, so you chose Jesus instead of that relationship.

Some of you have sacrificed social status for the sake of the gospel. The things you had to say, do, or believe to become socially accepted were things Jesus died for on the cross, so you chose Jesus instead of social status.

Some of you have sacrificed your emotional safety for the gospel’s sake. To love and serve the people that Jesus died for on the cross, you had to decide between emotional risk or emotional protection, and you chose Jesus and his work instead of your safety.

All of these sacrifices—and thousands more—are worth it. The gospel is that good, that valuable.

4. The Gospel Asks for Ongoing Trust (3:5)

Paul's fourth and final rhetorical question helps us remember that the gospel asks us to trust God on an ongoing basis. He asked them, "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?" (5).

This final question was meant to remind them that the Spirit's radical work among them did not happen because of how righteous they were but by simple faith in Christ. The work of God in Galatia was not tied to their works but to their faith. And not faith that God would work miracles, but their initial and introductory faith in Christ's cross. They saw the gospel, believed it, and God began working.

Paul wanted them to continue in faith—to trust God in an ongoing way. How does this work? How can we experience God's powerful and transformative hand by faith?

Consider sexual temptation. It is one of the most powerful forms of testing for many Christians. But scripture is clear that sexual pleasure is meant for and within the covenant of marriage (Proverbs 5:1-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). So rather than merely trying not to enter that temptation, a believer must trust God again. God, I trust you. I trust your word. I trust that you know better than I do. I trust that you love me and have my best in mind. I trust that you have better plans for me than I have for myself. I trust you. And our trust—or faith—becomes the step that releases God's power to help us overcome sexual temptation.

"Today’s church is awash in books and seminars that promise the key to the Christian life is found in three keys, five steps, or seven principles. And while there may be helpful elements of such books, they can easily give the impression that ongoing faith in Christ and walking in the power of the Spirit are insufficient. But Paul makes it clear that faith in Christ not only initiates the Christian life but is also the ongoing means by which we live the Christian life." —Matthew Harmon [2]

Conclusion

Believers in Jesus must continually see the cross of Christ, along with all its implications. Jesus Christ must constantly be "publicly portrayed as crucified before our eyes" (1). When Jesus is famous to us personally—when his sacrifice on the cross is understood and appreciated for what it is—beautiful results follow.

When we see afresh that the gift of the Son dying on the cross led to the gift of the Spirit living within us, we will turn to him for leadership, guidance, and strength. When we see afresh that Jesus made us complete on the cross, we will realize that he is constantly there for us throughout life, helping us grow. When we see afresh the immense value of what Jesus did for us by substituting himself for us, we will become willing to sacrifice anything to live for him. And when we see afresh how simple faith in the gospel releases God's power in our lives, we will continue to express simple faith in him, releasing his power toward us.

The week before Jesus died in Jerusalem, he passed through Jericho, where a great crowd gathered. There was a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" People tried to silence him, but Jesus called for him and asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus replied, "Let me recover my sight." Jesus commended Bartimaeus for his faith, healed him, and went on his way with Bartimaeus in tow (Mark 10:46-52).

Bartimaeus can be a metaphor for every believer in Jesus. When we are not hearing a clear, continuous, and bold portrayal of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion, we inevitably slip into spiritual blindness, begging for scraps, and turning to lesser things to solve our issues. But when we cry out to Jesus, asking him to open our eyes again to him and his cross, we begin to see again. And with our sight, he stands before us, and we can follow him again.

So, every day, let us be people who ask him for sight so that he and his cross will be portrayed to us. Let us ask him to help us see the gospel.

[1] Wikipedia contributors. 2022. “Straight Edge.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. November 19, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Straight_edge&oldid=1122806898#2000s. [2] Harmon, Matthew S. 2021. Galatians: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary. Lexham Academic.