Galatians 3:1-2

Galatians 3:1-2, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

That last part of verse 2 is one of my favorite phrases in the Word of God, “or by the hearing of faith?” The Apostle Paul started multiple churches in Galatia. As he labored onward on his missionary journey, the apostle heard rumors that the Galatian churches had become corrupted by a perverted gospel. So, Paul writes to the churches in the Epistle of Galatians to address the problem, warning them that there is only one Gospel, and they have been deceived by false prophets.

In Galatians 3:1-2 Paul wants to know how they got saved. That is, how were they indwelt with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). Paul asks them if they got saved by keeping the works of the law (aka, Lordship Salvation), or was it by simply believing the Gospel when they heard it preached. I love that phrase, “by the hearing of faith.” 

On the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter preached to several thousand men present and 3,000 of them got saved. Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” They simply believed the Gospel truth they heard and were converted.

Moses preached the Gospel for forty years to the Jews in the Wilderness, but sadly they did not believe him. Hebrews 4:1-2, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Do you see the simplicity of the Gospel? When you hear the truth of the Gospel, and you place your faith (reliance, trust) in it, you are immediately and forever born again.

When Cornelius and his companions heard Peter preach the Gospel message in Acts 10, they were saved by simply believing what they heard in Acts 10:43-44, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” Peter simply told them to believe on Christ to be saved, and they believed and were converted.

If you read the full passage, you will see that Peter never actually told them to do anything to be saved. Peter simply preached the Gospel unto them—the wonderful story about Jesus' death on the cross, burial and resurrection—they put their faith in those facts and were saved.

It is tragic that a counterfeit gospel is being preached from nearly every pulpit today, in every religious tract, religious college, so-called “Christian” books and movies, et cetera. Men love to complicate things, adding more requirements to God's simple plan of salvation. The Apostle Paul asks in Galatians 3:1, “who hath bewitched you?” The Greek word for “bewitched” is baskaino which means “to malign, that is, malignant, harmful or evil; by extension to fascinate with a lie.” Paul wants to know who suckered them!

You'd be far better off just staying home on Sundays than to attend a corrupt religious cult where they use modern perverted English translations, and preach another gospel that requires repenting of your sins to get to Heaven. Behavior modification is a work of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), and not a mandatory prerequisite to saving faith (Romans 3:20; Jonah 3:10; Titus 3:5).

I am so sick and fed up and tired of hearing incompetent pastors say that you must “be willing to turn from your sinning,” and life a lifestyle of repentance, to get to Heaven. No such teachings exist in the inspired King James Bible. Thank you for reading my ministry blog.