Galatians 3:2
Galatians 3:2
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul asks one decisive question: did they receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
What Does Galatians 3:2 Mean?
Paul presses a single test that settles everything. He asks them to recall their own experience: when they received the Holy Spirit, how did it happen? Was it by performing the works of the law, or by hearing the gospel and believing it?
The answer is obvious, and Paul lets it speak. They received the Spirit when they believed, not when they kept the law. Their own beginning with God proves his point. If the Spirit came by faith, then faith, not law-keeping, is the way one walks with God.
In the Original Language
akoe (ἀκοή), 'hearing' -- the message heard and received with faith.