Bible Strands
Galatians 3:5
Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or because you hear and believe?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Galatian believers, posing a rhetorical question immediately after asking if their past sufferings were meaningless (Galatians 3:4) and before citing Abraham’s credited righteousness (Galatians 3:6). He forces them to examine the actual source of their spiritual experience.
The words — The Greek participle ἐπιχορηγῶν (epichorēgōn) literally means "supplying" or "lavishing," paired with ἐνεργῶν (energōn) meaning "working," to describe God’s active provision of the Spirit and miracles. The connective οὖν (oun) translates as "therefore," binding this question to the preceding argument.
The thread — The identical contrast between law-works and faith-hearing appears in Galatians 3:2, while the described miraculous manifestations align with the faith-driven healings in Acts 14:9 and the extraordinary miracles through Paul in Acts 19:11.
Why it lands — The text explicitly asks whether spiritual power originates from law practice or from hearing and believing, requiring the reader to identify the actual mechanism of their faith before drawing any conclusion about its validity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Cross-references
- Galatians 3:2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?
- Acts 14:9 This man was listening to the words of Paul, who looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed.
- Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,
- Acts 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
- 1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Corinthians 13:3 since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is powerful among you.
- Romans 15:19 by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
- 2 Corinthians 12:12 The marks of a true apostle—signs, wonders, and miracles—were performed among you with great perseverance.
- 1 Corinthians 12:10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.