Bewitched

Galatians 3:1 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”

I remember growing up in California watching the popular American television sitcom fantasy series ‘Bewitched”, which originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. The show is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man, and vows to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife. The English word ‘bewitched” has the implication of a witch’s spell being cast. I read a commentary on the above Bible verse and it stated that the Greek word for “bewitched” is used only this once in the New Testament and does not necessarily refer to witchcraft as such. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary simply defines the word “bewitched’ as: Fascinated; charmed. Other words used to define this word are: awestruck, captivated, enthralled, mesmerized, and spellbound.

1 Corinthians 6:8-9a “ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.”

The connotation of this Bible verse is “fascinated” or “deceived.” Unlike most of his other epistles, the book of Galatians includes no commendations from Paul. He had clearly preached the gospel to them, setting forth “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” among them, and they had apparently believed and started out well. They seemed to understand the great doctrines of salvation by grace and of liberty in Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-15 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.”

The commentary stated that, if anything, this is even a greater problem today than in Paul’s day. Professing Christians are being “tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine” —not only with legalism (as in Galatia) but also with evolutionism, hedonism, emotionalism, materialism, and many other unscriptural heresies. Many who profess to be Christians have, like the Galatians, been “bewitched” by clever persuasion and peer pressure into such deceptions. They may consider themselves especially enlightened in some way, or intellectual, or just up-to-date, but Paul would call them “foolish” just as he did the Galatians. In Christ alone - our Creator, our Redeemer, and Lord - are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. As Paul concluded his letter to the Galatians: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”.

Blessings in Christ