GOD'S TRANSFORMATIONAL EFFECTS

 

God loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us as we are. Transformation is God's business, not ours. We cannot make ourselves good by our works but must trust God to re-make us by  His grace. Transformation comes by faith in His good work, not by the efforts of our good works. Paul writes in Galatians 3:5,

"So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?"

The two participles, "provides" (ἐπιχορηγῶν) and "works" (ἐνεργῶν), are both governed by the same article (ὁ) at the beginning of the verse. The one who provides the Spirit and works miracles is God. Both participles are in the present tense, indicating that Paul was not looking back to something the believers had experienced only at the beginning of their Christian lives but was referring to God's ongoing activity in their current experience (Meyer, Galatians, 108).

God's transformational effects in the lives of Christians are progressive and continuous.

INTERNAL EFFECTS: Spiritual Fruit

God provides us with the Spirit. The word "provides" (ἐπιχορηγῶν) is a picturesque word meaning to supply abundantly. It was used of someone who went to the lavish expense of paying for the chorus at a public feast (Burton, Galatians, 152). Paul uses the word to remind us that God supplies seed to the sower and bread for food so He will generously supply our needs (2 Cor. 9:10). Christ supplies nourishment to His body, the church (Col. 2:19). The compound verb (ἐπι + χορηγέω) intensifies the simple meaning of the root verb to stress the liberality of God in supplying His Spirit (Lightfoot, Galatians, 136). 

God lavishly supplies His Spirit to us. Paul uses the indirect object "you" (ὑμῖν) in contrast to the prepositional phrase "among you" (ἐν ὑμῖν) in the second clause to stress the internal nature of God's giving of His Spirit. God provides His Spirit to us, making us "partakers of His divine nature" so that we are able to "supply (ἐπιχηγήσατε) moral excellence" in our lives (2 Peter 1:4-5). It is God's Spirit who produces moral and ethical fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). God's transformational effects are both internal and external (Burton, Galatians, 151).

EXTERNAL EFFECTS: Spiritual Power

God energizes (ἐνεργῶν) demonstrations of His power (δυνάμεις) among His people (ἐν ὑμῖν). The verb means to operate, be effective, or produce effects in this world (BAGD, 265). The power of God is demonstrated outwardly through believers who have been transformed inwardly by His Spirit. Paul used the same verb (ἐνεργέω) earlier in Galatians to refer to the power by which he and Peter exercised their apostleship (Gal. 2:8). God energizes the spiritual gifts we see used in the church for the good of all (1 Cor. 12:6, 11). God gives His church a variety of gifts. He energizes powers or miracles (δυνάμεων, 1 Cor. 12:10) and gifts of grace (χαρίσματα, 1 Cor. 12:28). God empowers Christians to do great things for Him, but these gifts are exercised not individually but in the communities of faith (Bruce, Galatians, 151).

The noun translated "miracles" (δυνάμεις) means acts of power or powerful works. The NT writers often use this word to describe the miracles Jesus performed during his earthly ministry (Mt. 11:20; 13:58; Mark 6:2, 5; Luke 19:37; Acts 2:22). Jesus' miracles are manifestations of God's power among the people. Paul, of course, knows that miracles by themselves can be, and often were, Satanically induced (2 Thess. 2:9). The first century world, in particular, was filled with magical happenings and miracle workers. This word for powers was often used in connection with the demonic powers operating in our world. Jesus, and by extension His followers, did not produce miracles by magic or demonic power. They were demonstrations of God's power. This gives us a clue for understanding the purpose of miracles. Christ's miracles and the apostolic miracles show that God is invading the sphere of demonic powers. God's rule is driving out Satan's rule in this world (TDNT, 2:301-302). The miracles (powers) were signs that the power of God is greater than the power of Satan (Heb. 2:4).

Thank you, Lord, for the generous supply of your Spirit in my life and the energy to accomplish what you want from my life. May you fill and empower me for your purpose and glory in this world. Change me as you will to be who you want.