Galatians 3:3

Foolish. — See the Note on Galatians 3:1.

Having begun in the Spirit. — Begun your career as Christians in a manner so entirely spiritual — with the spiritual act of faith on your part, and with an answering gift of spiritual graces and powers.

Made perfect by the flesh. — Do you wish to finish and complete the career thus auspiciously begun under a system of things entirely different — a system carnal and material, narrow, slavish, and literal — the Law in place of the Gospel? By “the flesh” is here meant the Law, which, though described as spiritual in Horn. vii. 14, and though it really was spiritual in view of its origin, in another aspect — as imposing a system of literal obedience upon its adherents — was carnal, “earthly,” rigid, petty, and low. It had none of that sublime expansiveness and aspiration which belongs to faith. It was a grievous reversing of the whole order of progress — to begin with faith, and, instead of completing with faith that which faith had begun, to fall back upon a condition of things which was shared with the Christian by the unemancipated Jew.