Galatians - "Foolish, Bewitched and Cursed - Without the Cross" - Galatians 3:1-14 - Mike Maglish

Foolish, Bewitched and Cursed - Without the Cross

Galatians 3:1-14
Mike Maglish

Part of Galatians

October 5, 2025

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” —Galatians 3:1 

τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν 
tis hymas ebaskanen 
→ “Who has bewitched you?” 
• ἐβάσκανεν = “to cast an evil eye on, cast a spell, bewitch, deceive.” Paul uses a strong word implying spiritual deception or enchantment. 

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” —Galatians 3:1 

ἐσταυρωμένος = perfect passive participle of σταυρόω (stauroō) → “to crucify.” 
• Perfect tense = past action, present results. (Christ was crucified and remains so) 
• Passive voice = done to the subject (Jesus was crucified by others). 
• Participle = a verbal adjective, functioning almost like a title (“the Crucified One”).

We are BEWITCHED when we take our EYES off the CROSS 

2 “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” —Galatians 3:2-3 

Two big words 
SPIRIT - Holy Spirit 
BEING PERFECTED - brought to completion 

 —2 Corinthians 3:5-6 

13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” —Ephesians 1:13 

FAITH in CHRIST brings COMPLETION 

4 “Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” —Galatians 3:4-9 

“Abraham hoped against hope, resting on the truth of God alone. His faith was imputed for righteousness; not because it merited righteousness, but because by believing, he confessed himself destitute of all righteousness, and sought it from God.” - John Calvin 

10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” —Galatians 3:10-12 

—Deuteronomy 27:26 

We are CURSED under the LAW 

13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” —Galatians 3:13-14 

 —Deuteronomy 21:22-23 

Jesus became a CURSE for US 

—Romans 8:3-4 

“He took the curse, and left the blessing. He drank the wormwood and left the honey. He was spit upon and we are kissed. He was mocked and we are applauded. He was robed in shame and we are robed in glory. He was condemned and we are justified.” - Charles Spurgeon 

Takeaway: Put your FAITH in the ONE who became CURSED so you may be BLESSED