Paul ends his letter by Exalting the Cross of Jesus
Christ
Galatians
6:14-18 But 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. For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a
new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on
them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble
me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. KJVPaul throughout his letter wrote to them about the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Galatians 2:20-21; 3:13; 4:5; 5:11, 24; 6:12, so it is only fitting that he end with this final exaltation of the Cross. Paul in complete contrast to these Judaizing teachers will not put his confidence in any of the Jewish heritage that brought him high esteem among his Jewish peers as he declared to these Galatians at the very beginning of his letter Galatians 1:14, but he will only rejoice and make his boast in the Cross of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Paul did not find the affirmation of his Apostleship through the fleshly man made method of having his converts marked by the outward fleshly sign of circumcision, but Paul found his service for our Lord Jesus Christ affirmed when men and women heard the Gospel of Grace he preached and God the Holy Spirit regenerated and baptized them into Christ Body making them new as he declared of the Thessalonian converts with these words, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Paul’s letter to these Galatians was all about Christ Jesus our Lord and he wanted the Galatians to understand that nothing outside of intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ could make them new and cleanse them from sin’s stain, sin’s strength, and sin’s spectacle that it causes in every life. Circumcision and the Mosaic Law is nothing and can do nothing to make a sinful soul live in victory over sin and satan and Paul exerted much effort in his letters to all of the Churches to make it clear that the Judaizing teachers were to be avoided and stayed away from deliberately by every born again believer as he wrote with much zeal with these words to the Philippians, “FOR THE rest, my brethren, delight yourselves in the Lord {and} continue to rejoice that you are in Him. To keep writing to you [over and over] of the same things is not irksome to me, and it is [a precaution] for your safety. Look out for those dogs [Judaizers, legalists], look out for those mischief-makers, lookout for those who mutilate the flesh. For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit {and} by the Spirit of God and exult {and} glory {and} pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence {or} dependence [on what we are] in the flesh {and} on outward privileges {and} physical advantages {and} external appearances” (Philippians 3:1-3).
Paul knew that these wicked evil working Judaizing teachers did not desire to see these Galatians live in freedom and victory over sin and satan because they did not do so themselves, but their desire as Paul declared earlier was only to boast of their converts to others and to avoid persecution by other Jews (Galatians 6:12-13), but Paul in writing to the Roman believers summed up to them what made a person a true Jew when he said, “For he is not a [real] Jew who is only one outwardly {and} publicly, nor is [true] circumcision something external and physical. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and [true] circumcision is of the heart, a spiritual and not a literal [matter]. His praise is not from men but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29). These Judaizing teachers were not even real Jews and certainly not true followers of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ, therefore, Paul wanted these Galatians to disregard all of their teachings and have no fellowship with them and their unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). The desire of Paul’s heart is that these Galatians and us today look only to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and receive His Resurrection life activated, set off, and sparked in us in our daily lives that we may be enabled by His Power only to live as we aught and do what we should and then give Him all the Glory (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Paul declares peace and mercy upon every soul that walks or orders their lives according to this “rule” of glorying in only the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The English word “rule” Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word kanon which means figuratively a standard (of faith and practice); by implication it means a boundary or sphere of activity. In other words, Paul wanted to be clear that there would never be present the true peace of God to anyone trying to reach Him by Ceremonial rites and rituals or by branding their physical bodies with the external mark of circumcision as a method of attachment to Him. Paul uses the expression the “Israel of God” for the first time in any of his epistles here to denote and declare that although God the Father has not and will never cast-off the nation Israel from Him (Romans 11:25-29), He has now made the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ the new “Israel of God” and He is only right now bestowing peace and mercy upon those of us who are “in Christ” by virtue of the new birth.
Paul declares also in contrast to the outward mark of circumcision the false apostles, the deceitful workers (2 Corinthians 11:13) wanted to brand the Galatians with to authenticate their false work, Paul has received in his physical body the marks of suffering for Christ’ name sake by never backing down or watering down the truth of the Gospel to the Jews or Gentiles as he listed in (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Paul did not begin his letter to these Galatians by addressing them as “brethren”, but he closes his letter with the tender acknowledgement of them as his brothers “in Christ” despite his anguish, angst, and even anger over their folly or stupid mistake of being seduced (Galatians 3:1) by the Judaizing teachers he prays for the grace (Divine influence on the heart) of our Lord Jesus Christ to be with their spirits enabling them to resist the deceptions of the false teachers and stand in the truth of the Gospel of Grace he preached to them at their conversions. Paul was the physical manifestation of what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love suffereth long” with these Galatian believers as we see in this closing benediction of his letter to them.
My own Personal Note: Paul wanted these Galatians and all of us today to understand that there is nothing outside of close intimate connection with our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ that is to be boasted about, not Denominations, not Church work, not baptism, not sacraments, not a Priest, not the Pope, not anything but a “new creation” in Christ Jesus that takes place at the new birth as our Lord Jesus Christ declared with these words in His conversation with Nicodemus, “Jesus answered him, ‘I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born? Jesus answered, ‘I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above). The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’” (John 3:3-8).
“In the Divine order of history it is still ‘to the Jew first.’ But natural relationship to the stock of Abraham has in itself no spiritual virtue; ‘circumcision of the flesh’ is worthless, except as the symbol of a cleansed and consecrated heart. The possession of this outward token of God’s covenant with Israel, and the hereditary blessings it conferred, brought with them a higher responsibility, involving heavier punishment in case of unfaithfulness. (Romans 2:17-29; Romans 3:1-8) This teaching is pertinent to the case of children of Christian families, to those formally attached to the Church by their baptism in infancy and by attendance on her public rites. These things certainly have ‘much advantage in every way.’ And yet in themselves, without a corresponding inner regeneration, without a true death unto sin and life unto righteousness, these also are nothing. The limiting phrase ‘in Christ Jesus’ is no doubt a copyist’s addition to the text, supplied from Galatians 5:6; but the qualification is in the Apostle’s mind, and is virtually given by the context. No ceremony is of the essence of Christianity. No outward rite by itself makes a Christian. We are ‘joined to the Lord’ in ‘one Spirit.’ This is the vital tie.” Expositor’s Bible Commentary
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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