Part CX on Galatians Study

Galatians 5:7
"Ye did run well; (your past has shown that you became believers) who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"
In other words Paul says, "What's happening to you people?" Oh, he knew, but yet he's trying to put them on the defensive by asking the questions. You know that's what the Lord always did. He asked the question not because He needed the answer, but because He wanted to put His subject on the stump. And so here Paul is doing the same thing.


Galatians 5:7
"Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth."
We remember a gentlemen we knew down in the French area of Louisiana which we're sure is probably 99% Catholic. And he made this statement, but it's so appropriate in so many places. He said, "I knew somebody was down there that was not a Catholic." And we said "Who in the world fooled with you?" Well you know that's just exactly the way it is in so many instances. We run into a group of people and they've been so thoroughly programmed, or brain washed and when you find one that's different you wonder, "Who in the world blew you away?" Well that's what Paul is saying. "Here I had you indoctrinated, I had you taught correctly." Now who's come along and is blowing you away? Paul knew who it was, it was the Judaizers. The ones both John and Jude call the anti-Christ for they oppose this Gospel.  Do you see that? Now verse 8.


Galatians 5:8
"This persuasion  (to come away from Paul's Gospel of Grace) cometh not of him that calleth you."
Who called them? The Holy Spirit of God. Well if the Holy Spirit did not lead them away then what spirit did? The evil spirit, the spirit of the world or the prince of the powers of the air or the one called anti-Christ. Remember we've only got two spirits in the world. It's either of the Holy Spirit or of the Satanic evil spirit. Let's go back to John's little Epistles. We don't like to say anything unless we can show it from the Book. Go back to I John Chapter 4, and this is what the world is up against just as much as when Paul wrote to the Galatians. The human race hasn't changed one iota, not one bit.


I John 4:1
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." And then you come on down to verse 3.

I John 4:3
"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
So what are we up against? The two spirits. It's either of the Holy Spirit or of the evil spirit, the anti-Christ. Now of course Satan has his demons, but nevertheless it's going to originate in the Satanic powers, and this is what the world is up against. We mean it's up against everything that Satan can throw at them. We remind people, don't get the idea that all Satan can promote is what we call skid row behavior. Satan will promote the most beautiful things, Satan will promote that which we think is culture and enlightening as long as he can keep people from the Truth. And remember the Holy Spirit is called the Truth, just as Christ Jesus is called the Word. He doesn't care what he uses as long as people fall for it. With Satan the end always justifies the means. Satan will use good things but it will be of the evil spirit rather than the Holy Spirit that is speaking. Now come back again to Galatians Chapter 5, and look at verse 8 again.


Galatians 5:8a
"This persuasion..."
To go back under legalism didn't come from the Holy Spirit who brought them out of paganism, or the old traditions of Judaism but it came from the same evil spirit that held them in paganism until this Gospel freed them. You see Satan never gives up, and we'll see when we get further along in chapter 5 that for every believer there is a constant warfare isn't there? And it's between the two natures. One is Holy Spirit driven, and the other is the old Adam nature that still has its roots in the Satanic power of the curse, and so those two natures are in a constant warfare. So it is between the true believing community in general and the world in general. They are two total opposites. So we're up against two forces constantly. And so, even with the true believer, Paul says the spirit that is taking you back into a false gospel is not the same Spirit that brought you out. Now verse 9, and here comes the warning.