Paul's emphasis in this context on the positive experience of the Spirit probably indicates that his question in verse 4 should be interpreted as another reference to God's gracious work by his Spirit in their lives. The word translated suffered by the NIV also has a positive meaning. The NEB translates it in this way: "Have all your great experiences been in vain?" Since the verses before and after verse 4 speak of the gift of the Spirit and the occurrence of miracles, it seems that Paul is asking them if all these marvelous spiritual experiences have not had a positive effect in their lives. Their acceptance of the message of the Judaizers makes Paul wonder whether they have learned anything at all from all the great things God has been doing in their midst: of what value is the gift of the Spirit if you strive for perfection without the direction or power of the Spirit?

But Paul cannot accept that God's gracious provision of the Spirit and his miraculous work will be in vain, so he adds the disclaimer at the end of verse 4: if it really was for nothing. Such a great experience of God's work cannot be for nothing. The Galatians must be shaken out of their stupor. They must think deeply again about the implications of their own wonderful experience of God's activity in their lives.

In verse 5 the present tense of the participles in the Greek text ("the one who gives . . . the one who works") points to the unchanging character of God. He always gives and works in this way. The word translated give was used in marriage contracts to express the husband's commitment to provide faithful and generous support for his wife. God is the faithful husband caring for his bride. The experience of God's continuous and generous supply of his Spirit to the Galatian believers is linked with his work of miracles in their midst. Though Paul anticipates that the Spirit will produce inward moral qualities in those led by the Spirit (5:22-23), his focus here is primarily on outward manifestations of the Spirit's presence in miracles. Paul recounts such overwhelming evidence of God's gracious work in order to draw his readers away from their present fixation on the stringent requirements of the teachers of the law.

A review of God's gracious work among his people by his Spirit releases us from imperious demands for religious performance. God's performance, not ours, must be the object of our faith and hope.

It is important to observe how central the experience of the Spirit is in Paul's entire argument. The arguments from Scripture in 3:6-29 are bracketed by two passages (3:1-5 and 4:1-7) in which Paul describes the experience of the Spirit in the Galatian communities: Did you receive the Spirit . . . (3:2); After beginning with the Spirit . . . (3:3); Does God give you his Spirit . . . (3:5); "God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, `Abba, Father' " (4:6). The undeniable presence of the Spirit in the Galatian church is presented as irrefutable evidence that these Gentile believers who call God "Abba! Father!" are true children of God.

The undeniable presence of the Spirit among Gentile believers who were not observing the Mosaic law must have been an electric shock to the Jewish Christian teachers. It was their expectation that the Holy Spirit would be experienced only by righteous Jews who faithfully kept all the law of Moses. In the Mishnah, the codification in the second century A.D. of Jewish customs and traditions, we find this kind of thought about the Holy Spirit: "Rabbi Phineas ben Jair says, `Heedfulness leads to cleanliness, and cleanliness leads to purity, and purity leads to separatism, and separatism leads to holiness, and holiness leads to humility, and humility leads to shunning of sin, and shunning of sin leads to saintliness, and saintliness leads to the Holy Spirit.' " But in the experience of the Galatian Christians, the demonstration of the Spirit's presence came before they were even taught the law or tried to live by its requirements.

God delights in doing miracles for new Christians who believe his promises. They may have much to learn before they can live saintly lives, but at least they know that the Spirit of God is with them, because when they pray with simple faith, God answers their prayers with miracles. During his twenty-two years in Afghanistan, J. Christy Wilson observed that "there is nothing greater than a demonstration of the Spirit's power to convince Muslims of Christ's power. Muslims love to argue. Yet when they see the power of God manifest and the sick healed in the name of Jesus, they come to Christ more readily." When I read such reports of God's gracious, miraculous work by his Spirit, my own faith is renewed.

Paul reminds the Galatian Christians of God's miraculous work in their lives so that their faith will be renewed. His questions call for a reaffirmation of faith. The alternatives are posed so that Christians will be compelled by their own experience of the Spirit to choose the right answers: "Not by observing the law, but by believing what we heard about Christ crucified!" "Not by flesh, but by the Spirit!" This clear choice will break the spell of any bewitching influence. It is a choice that needs to be reconfirmed every day.