"Are you so foolish?" (v. 3). Paul calls them stupid again. What are the Galatians doing that is so stupid? He asks, "After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Verse 2 reminds them that they have received the Spirit by faith and not by effort. It is stupid for them to think otherwise or to forget this. And their stupidity continues when they think that what they received by faith, they can now maintain or carry through to perfection by their own effort. As one commentator notes, Paul "highlight[s] how completely inconsistent it was to receive a gift and then try to earn it."

The word translated "human effort" here is "flesh." Thus Paul is presenting two contrasts in these verses: faith versus work, and spirit versus flesh. Faith corresponds to the spirit, that which is of God and spiritual. Work corresponds to the flesh, that which is of man and carnal, and unable to attain righteousness or to sustain righteousness to perfection. Faith, then, is needed not only at conversion, but it is to be a way of life, so that it is also by faith that we shall continue in sanctification and attain perfection by the Spirit. It is foolish to think otherwise.

The word translated "suffered" in verse 4 can mean simply "experienced." It is possible that the Galatians have endured persecution for their conversion, so that Paul would be asking them if they have suffered for the sake of Christ, only to turn away from the gospel. However, "experienced" seems more consistent with the context. If this is the case, Paul would be asking them if they have experienced the presence and the power of the Spirit both at their conversion and at the present for nothing. Since rhetorical questions are implicit assertions, to say "Have you suffered so much for nothing?" might appear to be an assertion that they have indeed suffered for nothing, especially in the context of the other questions in the series. Thus Paul adds, "if it really was for nothing?" to indicate he is not yet asserting that the Galatians have completely turned away from the gospel.

Verse 5 could be treated with verse 2, as some commentators do, because it repeats the contrast between work and faith. But I prefer to follow Paul's order, since this verse clenches the argument that he advances in verses 3 and 4, and that is in turn founded on verses 1 and 2. Just as justification is attained by faith and not law, sanctification is sustained and perfected by faith and not law.

Like verse 2, it also refers to the blessing of the Spirit, although this time Paul puts it in terms of God giving the Spirit instead of the Galatians receiving the Spirit. He also adds the working of miracles and speaks in the present tense, thus calling attention to God's current activities and blessings among the Galatians. Does God do these things "because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" Again, a rhetorical question is an implicit assertion, actively advancing one's position while eliciting thought and agreement from the audience. In other words, by this Paul asserts that God gives the Spirit and works miracles among them not because they observe the law, but because they believe his word.

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