Chapter 10
Section 10 of Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians by John Calvin, translated by Rev. William Pringle. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 3, verses 1 to 5. 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. 1. O foolish Galatians! An expostulation is here interwoven. I should rather say inserted amidst his doctrinal statements. Some will wonder that he did not delay it to the close of the epistle,
but the very serious nature of the errors which he has brought forward 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 esteemed 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 an oetoi, that is, disordered in mind. He accuses them not only of having suffered 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 partook more of madness than of folly. Some think that Paul refers to the temper of the nation, that, being sprung from barbarians,
it was more difficult to train them, but I rather 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 instructions so clear, so full, so tender, and so powerful, they immediately
fell away. Erasmus has chosen to interpret the words, quote, that ye should not believe the truth, end quote. I am not quite prepared to set aside that rendering, 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 express an aggravation, 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 naked doctrine, but the express, living image of Christ. They had known Christ in such a manner that they might be almost said to have seen him. Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth. Augustine's interpretation of the word prographe, quote, hath been set forth, end quote, is harsh and inconsistent with Paul's design. He makes it to 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 inapplicable. The Greeks, accordingly, borrow from this verb the word programmata, to denote 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 lively 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,
quote, crucified to themselves, Hebrews 7, 6, the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame, end quote, that they had withdrawn from the purity of the gospel, or at least had lent their ear and given their confidence to imposters who crucified him, appears to me overstrained. 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, nay, quote, crucified among them, end quote. Such a representation could not have been made by any eloquence or by, quote, enticing words of man's wisdom, end quote, 1 Corinthians 2.4. Had it not been accompanied by that power of the Spirit, of which Paul has treated largely in both the epistles to the Corinthians, let those who would discharge aright the ministry of the gospel learned, not merely to speak and to claim,
but to penetrate into the consciences of men, 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. She no longer requires pictures, both of which, unquestionably, were first admitted to Christian temples when the pastors had become dumb and be 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 efficacy of the ministry were utterly extinguished. 2. This only 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 in what manner the gospel was introduced among themselves. 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 brethren for having baptized uncircumcised persons. Acts 10, 47 Paul and Barnabas followed the same course in the debate which they maintained at Jerusalem on the subject. Acts 15, 2, 12 There was, therefore, manifest ingratitude in not submitting to the doctrine, by means of 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 put by a figure of speech, for the gospel which is elsewhere called, quote, the law of faith, end quote. Romans 3.27, because it exhibits 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 peculiar gifts by which the Lord, at that period, 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 and his church had accompanied Paul's doctrine and that believers were variously endowed with the gifts of the Spirit
for general edification. It may likewise 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 imposters had brought forward their additions, quote, in whom, end quote, says he to the Ephesians, quote, ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, end quote, Ephesians 1, 13. 3. 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 ye have fallen into a worse condition, and may be said to have fallen from the Spirit into the flesh. End quote. The flesh denotes either outward and fading things, 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.
Four, have ye suffered so many things? This is another argument. Having suffered so many things in behalf of the gospel, would they now, in an instant, lose it all? Nay, he puts it in the way of reproach, if they were 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, 5. 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 attach to those gifts, to which the apostle here adds, miracles, they ought the more carefully and resolutely to adhere to the gospel. End of section 10. Read by David Ronald.
