Paul’s argument was that they received the Spirit by faith, not by works of the law, which proved that salvation itself was received by faith, not by keeping the law. He used the fact that they received the Spirit by faith to show that salvation comes through faith in Christ. If he had thought that receiving the Spirit was the same as receiving Christ for salvation, his argument would have been circular. If he was not making a circular argument, it must mean that receiving the Spirit is different from receiving Christ.

— Vincent Cheung

The assumption that receiving the Holy Spirit and receiving Jesus Christ for salvation refer to the same event has shaped how Scripture is typically interpreted. Galatians 3 is often cited as a defense of justification by faith over works, but its internal structure is seldom examined with precision. Vincent Cheung has drawn attention to a neglected feature of Paul’s argument that, to our knowledge, no other interpreter has used to demonstrate the distinction between receiving Christ for salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit as a separate experience.

Paul appeals to the Galatians’ experience of receiving the Spirit and witnessing miracles to support his doctrine of justification by faith. He does not merely restate the principle. Instead, he refers to specific events in their own lives as proof that faith, rather than observance of the law, was the foundation for their spiritual experience. This line of reasoning has a clear logical form. It presupposes that the Galatians had already been justified, and that subsequent to this, they received the Spirit and saw miracles. These experiences served as confirmation, not as components of justification itself.

If one were to claim that receiving the Spirit and receiving Christ for salvation were the same experience, Paul’s argument would collapse into a tautology. He would be saying, in effect, that the Galatians were justified by faith because they were justified by faith. This would render the appeal to their experience meaningless. However, Paul presents their reception of the Spirit and their experience of miracles as distinct realities that occurred because they believed the message. This implies that these events followed their initial act of faith and functioned as evidence of the nature of that faith.

This observation has significant implications. It requires a reevaluation of the common assumption that all spiritual blessings are received at the moment of conversion in one undifferentiated event. Paul assumes otherwise. His reasoning depends on a sequence of events in which justification is followed by the reception of the Spirit. The Spirit, like the miracles the Galatians witnessed, was received through faith, yet as a distinct experience. The pattern reveals something about how divine blessings are distributed. They are all given through faith, yet they do not all occur simultaneously or collapse into a single moment.

The clarity of Paul’s argument forces a decision. One must either dismiss the passage as logically incoherent, which entails a rejection of the inspiration of Scripture and ultimately forfeits the foundation of the gospel, or one must recognize that Paul presupposes a real distinction between receiving Christ for justification and receiving the Holy Spirit for power. The argument depends on that distinction. Without it, the passage would lose its logical force and theological meaning.

Cheung’s insight brings to light an aspect of Galatians 3 that remains overlooked. Some who affirm Spirit baptism as a distinct experience have appealed to this passage, but typically by bringing the assumption of subsequence with them. What is unique to Cheung’s observation is that he identifies the internal logic of Paul’s argument as requiring the distinction. Without it, the reasoning would collapse into circularity. 

Despite a long history of commentary and theological reflection, no published interpreter, to our knowledge, has made this point. Regardless, this shows it deserves greater attention. Paul’s defense of justification by faith is only coherent if receiving Christ for salvation and receiving the Spirit for power are truly distinct. Galatians 3 does not merely accommodate the doctrine of Spirit baptism as a separate experience. It requires it.