This is the Bema podcast with Marty Solman. I'm his co-hostsport Billings. Today we examine the third chapter of Galatians unpacking big ideas about Gentiles, their relation to the family of God, and a curse that Paul seems to suggest the law brings.

Yeah, just dive right in. No time to waste. So after sharing in our last episode, Paul shared with the Galatians believers about his confrontation with Peter and the leadership as they struggled to live in accordance to this gospel.

He turns his attention now to them specifically to these believing Galatians.

The same understanding of this same gospel and this justification is what Paul stresses to the Galatians. And this interpretation that we talked about in the last episode is apparently one that they should have, they should have this interpretation, and they should understand it. Listen to the language that Paul uses. Go ahead and read us our first paragraph there.

You foolish Galatians. Who has bewitched you? Apparently Paul thinks this is a pretty standard business here.

Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?

Are you so foolish after beginning by means of the Spirit? Are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain? If it really wasn't vain?

So again, I ask does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?

All right. Paul is worked up in this letter. Paul's map. Paul is Paul. This letter doesn't start with Paul's typical. If we went all the back to the beginning, it was missing like it's cushy.

Like grace and peace to you. I thank God for you every time I remember you and my prayers and like that whole thing that's pretty standard with Paul, Gonzo, and Galatians.

The whole Indian where it's like, greet this whole list of people and give them my hugs. Like all gone, and Galatians like Paul is like, you people of Galatia are driving me crazy. Do not ruin the gospel like that is his tone here.

So he calls them foolish Galatians, which happens to be a cultural play on the region of Galatia. There was actually a statement, the foolish Galatians, the stupid Galatians, we've read another pieces of historical literature.

Those were study those things. We mentioned before that the region of Galatia was like the backwards, the kind of backwater corner of the Roman Empire, the unscivilized folk.

The people there were considered barbaric, uneducated, and primitive. This is one of the reasons that which kind of Jews settled there Brent, the Shammai Jews, they settled there to remain unbothered by the culture around them.

This play of Paul's is a direct attack on a very educated like the Shammai Jews would not have been a backwater.

You foolish Galatians, they went there like this very educated, very trained, very committed group of people went to settle in the backwater country to avoid, but they themselves are not of that flavor.

So this direct attack on a very educated group of people who should know better than to believe the lies that they are tempted to believe.

It's a safe bet to say that Paul's a little upset here.

Paul asked them to think about their own experience. Was it by faith or by being Jewish? Remember the mixatma-sa-hatra?

He specifically used what phrase here in our English bread, he says, works of the law. The works of the law.

So he wants to know, was it by faith or by the mixatma-sa-hatra? Was it by faith or by being Jewish that you received the Spirit?

They aren't Jewish, they are the Thayosaybase who are being tempted to convert to Judaism.

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