Are You Experienced?

Paul tries to knock some sense into these Galatian knuckleheads. "O foolish Galatians!" (Gal 3:1). "Are you so foolish?" (Gal 3:3). 

They've bought the spiritual snake oil sold by the Judaizing charlatans that are saying Jesus may have gotten them into the kingdom but it's now up to them to keep themselves there (Gal 1:6; 2:4).

The apostle does his best to remind them of what really happened while he and Barnabas were visiting the cities of Galatia (Acts 13:13-14:23). 

He shakes them by the shoulders so that they will remember "that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified" (Gal 3:1). He jogs their memory about how God graciously gave them His Spirit "by hearing with faith" (Gal 3:2-3).

Then Paul tries to bring to their minds their experience of coming to trust in Jesus. "Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?" (v4). 

The original Greek broadens our understanding of this verse. Paul uses the Greek verb /πασχω/pascho. It means to undergo pain and suffering. 

It's the same verb used in the Gospels to describe Jesus' suffering during His final days. We get our idea of Christ's Passion from πασχω/pascho.

But this word is not limited to anguish. It also describes what someone experiences or undergoes. Paul wants the Galatians to remember their conversion experience. 

Too often evangelical Christians freak out when the idea of experiencing God comes up. We're afraid of allowing our emotions to run rampant over our intellect. 

But God has wired us emotionally just as He has given us a brain. One word of caution: We must NOT let our experiences trump what we read in Scripture. The Lord would NEVER contradict Himself. 

But when our experience (especially at conversion) confirms His Word and is line in line with God's truth, then it is valid. Paul wants to know if everything they've experienced was in vain.

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of this verse does a great job of giving us a robust view of Paul's use of πασχω/pascho. "Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it will be if you keep this up!" (Gal 3:4 MSG).

Are you experienced?

Was everything you went through a waste of time? Are God's blessings to be tossed aside as worthless? Will you discount and dismiss all that you experienced? 

That's what Paul wants to know from the Galatians. And that's a great reminder for us when we begin to question our faith and doubt God. 

We must not only remember the truth of His Word but those amazing experiences He's given each of us. Don't let those go to waste!

Are you experienced?

©2012

Jay Jennings