"Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"
Justification, the beginning, and sanctification, the perfecting, both depend on God's Spirit at work in us. If we are justified by God's grace, we must not seek to be sanctified by our efforts. There must be no disconnect between the beginning and the perfecting of our Christian lives.
Beginning the Christian life one way and completing it a different way is irrational, Paul states in the third of five sequential questions. "So foolish are you?" (οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε) Really?! Does this make any sense? Paul immediately launches into his fourth question cutting to the core of the issue. He incisively establishes two antitheses to demonstrate the foolish disconnection.
Beginning vs. Completing
Spirit vs. Flesh
SPIRIT VS. FLESH
Let's unpack the second antithesis first. The two nouns both lack the definite article indicating that "Spirit" (πνεύματι) and "flesh" (σαρκὶ) are qualitative in force (Meyer, Galatians, 7:105). The contrast is between the nature or quality of the Spirit at work in a person and the nature or quality of the flesh. Spirit must refer to the Holy Spirit to form a contrast with flesh, which refers to human effort. The dative case indicates either manner or agency, although the distinction is a bit like splitting hairs. The issue Paul addresses is the question of means. By what means or agency do we complete the Christian life? We live our Christian lives either by means of the Spirit's power or by means of our fleshly effort. These are two diametrically opposite ways of life.
Some writers argue that "flesh" in this verse refers only to the physical or material sense of the word since Paul is dealing specifically with the matter of circumcision (Burton, Galatians, 148). However, Paul emphasizes a much deeper distinction than merely between the physical and spiritual dimensions. He develops the Spirit/Flesh disconnect more fully later in Galatians 5 as two antithetical ways of life. Flesh (σάρξ) refers to human nature dominated by the disposition to sin. Human effort, by itself, always defaults to the control of the flesh leading to fleshly living (σαρκικοί). The agency of the Holy Spirit as a way of life leads to spiritual living (πνευματικοί). It is the distinction between Romans 7:14-25 and Romans 8:1-17 (Meyer, Galatians, 7:105).
BEGINNING VS. COMPLETING
Human effort will always be inadequate to live holy lives (Bruce, Galatians, 149). We must complete the Christian life the same way that we begin the Christian life. The construction "having begun" (ἐναρξάμενοι), as an aorist, temporal participle, must refer to the inception of the Christian life, that moment when we are justified and regenerated by the Spirit of God (Longenecker, Galatians, 103). Another way to translate the participle is "after you have begun by means of the Spirit" (Meyer, Galatians, 7:105). Regeneration by the Spirit and reception of the Spirit are simultaneous events that occur at conversion. We begin the Christian life by the power of the Spirit. There is no other way to be right with God. He must change us, for we cannot change ourselves.
The emphatic "now" (νῦν) separates the two elements of the contrast. Combined with the present tense as opposed to the aorist tense, we see that Paul is now talking not about the beginning but the continuing of the Christian life. We accomplish, finish or complete the Christian life the same way we begin the Christian life. Perfecting or accomplishing sanctification cannot be done by human effort. It must be done by the Spirit. Only God can change us, for we cannot change ourselves.
The indicative verb "being perfected or completed" (ἐπιτελεῖσθε) can be interpreted as either middle or passive voice. Some argue that it should be translated as middle in form but active in force (Burton, Galatians, 149; Lightfoot, Galatians, 135). The question would then be, are you now bringing to completion the Christian life by the flesh? We, Christians, would be the subject of the action. However, the verb is never used in the middle voice in the New Testament or Septuagint (Lightfoot, Galatians, 135), making it unlikely in meaning. It is best taken as passive and asking are we now being brought to completion by a fleshly force (Meyer, Galatians, 7:106; Longenecker, Galatians, 103).
There must be no disconnect between how we begin the Christian life and how we complete it. We begin the Christian life by the power of the Spirit, and we must live the Christian life by that same power. Only God can accomplish our justification, and only God can complete our sanctification. Paul uses the same two words, to begin and to complete, in Philippians 1:6, "He who began (ἐναρξάμενος) a good work in you will perfect (ἐπετελέσει) it until the day of Christ Jesus."
Only God can finish what only God can start!
