Why does Paul repeat himself in Galatians?
Paul repeats himself because repetition is the mother of learning, and believers need to hear these truths over and over until they soak in. In verse 3 he restates the same idea in different words, reinforcing that salvation began in the Spirit and is not perfected by the flesh or works of the Law.
Les explains that Paul repeats the same teaching in verse 3 only in a little different wording. The reason is that repetition is the mother of learning; until we hear these things over and over, they do not soak in. Paul repeats the word “foolish” from verse 1—“Oh foolish Galatians”—then asks, “Are you so foolish?” He is reinforcing that having begun in the Spirit, they are not made perfect or right with God by the flesh, which refers to the Law. The Law was fleshly, weak, and beggarly. The Spirit is received not by the works of the Law but by the hearing of faith.