Read Galatians 6:11-18.

Introduction⤒🔗

A church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received a large memorial gift. They debated how they should spend the money. It was suggested that they use the money to purchase a cross and place it atop their steeple. But that idea was rejected for fear they might offend potential new comers. Here was a church that rejected the cross.

A college chaplain removed the cross that was prominently displayed in the center of the communion table. He tucked it away in the cabinet, out of sight; and replaced it with a candle as an innocuous symbol of Christianity. Here was a chaplain who hid the cross.

In contrast to these examples, there is the prayer set to music offered by the hymn writer, Fanny Crosby:

Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

We must not imitate those who seek to avoid the stigma and the shame of the cross because they desire the respect and acceptance of the world.

Whereas the world shuns the cross of Christ, we, as Christians, are to glory in our Savior’s cross. We are to accept it as the heart of Christianity. We are to rejoice in it as the means of our salvation. We are to appreciate it as the place of our Lord’s awesome sacrifice. We are to willingly identify ourselves with it.

Glory in the Cross of Christ, because of What It has Done for You←⤒🔗

As has been noted, a delegation of heretical teachers, known as the Judaizers, made their way to the province of Galatia and were disrupting the churches with their doctrine. They taught that the way to God, the way of salvation, was by means of submitting to the sacrament of circumcision followed by one’s own personal efforts to conform to the law of God. We refer again to Acts 15:1,5, a passage that summarizes their teaching:

¹Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.' ...⁵Then certain men of the sect of the Pharisees stood up, expressing their belief that it is necessary to circumcise them [i.e. the Gentile converts] and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.

The Apostle Paul boldly refutes them, firmly asserting, “neither circumcision means anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Gal. 6:15). That is to say, what is required of a man if he is to be reconciled to God is nothing less than his being made into a new creation. The natural man thinks that all that he needs to make himself acceptable to God is the religious ceremonies of the church and superficial conformity to the law of God. But the Word of God declares that we must be born again: “³Jesus replied to [Nicodemus] by saying, I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... ⁷Do not be amazed because I tell you, You must be born again” (Jn. 3:3,7).

The natural man views himself as being morally respectable and capable of saving himself by means of the law. But the Word of God declares that by nature we are all spiritually dead in ours sins and each one of us needs to be resurrected from spiritual death to new life. Writing to the believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul declares, “And [he raised you also], when you were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Eph. 2:1).

What is required for our salvation is not circumcision, (or any other religious ceremony or religious work); what is required is that we be made a new creation: “neither circumcision means anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”

The only way for this to be accomplished is by the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ: “far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by means of which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). Here Paul is once more re-stating the doctrine he first presented in this epistle back in chapter two:

I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20

True saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ consists not only in trusting Him to take your place on the cross of Calvary and there pay the awful penalty of your sins, but also in entrusting yourself to Him and thus becoming personally joined with Him in His death and His resurrection life, a life lived unto God:

Do you not know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were, therefore, buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Rom. 6:3­ 4

Note: The New Testament sacrament of water baptism is the sign and seal of the spiritual baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, which one experiences when he believes in Christ.

True saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may be illustrated as follows: Let us suppose that your high-rise apartment building is on fire. You have managed to get to the balcony, but your valuables are still inside the apartment. When the fireman climbs his ladder to your tenth-floor apartment, you allow him to enter the apartment on your behalf to save your possessions. Then, you also allow him to carry you over the balcony railing and down the ladder to safety. Likewise, true faith in Christ not only trusts Christ to go to the cross in our place, it also causes us to entrust ourselves to Christ in order that He might convey us safely through the experience of His cross, bearing us safely through judgment and into the blessed life of God.

When you believe in the Lord Jesus with true biblical faith, two supernatural things happen: your sins have been forgiven, by virtue of Jesus’ atoning death on the cross, paying the penalty of your sins; and you have become spiritually dead to the world and alive unto God, by virtue of your being personally and spiritually joined to Christ in His crucifixion and, subsequently, joining Him in His resurrection life.

As a Christian, glory in the cross of Christ, because of what it has done for you: it is the instrument of your salvation. We must join with the Apostle Paul when he declares, “far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by means of which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

Glory in the Cross of Christ, even When It Means Bearing Reproach←⤒🔗

In contrast to the Apostle Paul, a man who gloried in the cross of Christ, the Judaizers are described as men who shun the cross. They shunned the doctrine of the cross because they sought to avoid being persecuted on account of the cross of Christ (vs. 12b).

They would not imitate the Apostle Paul as he describes his preaching in Galatians 3:1, “Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was publicly proclaimed to be crucified.” On the contrary, they would imitate the Apostle Peter on that occasion when he unwittingly served as a tool of the devil and sought to deter Christ from going to the cross:

³¹Then [Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²Now he spoke these things publicly. So Peter took him [aside] and began to rebuke him. ³³But [Jesus], turning around and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, Get behind me, Satan; for your mind is not focused the things of God, but on the things of men. Mk. 8:31-33

In Galatians 5:11, Paul described himself as being persecuted because of the offense of the cross: “But I, brothers, if I am still preaching [the doctrine of] circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? [for] then the offense of the cross has been removed.” Despite the opposition and persecution he encountered, Paul was true to his God-given calling: “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23).

How is it that the cross of Christ is an offense and a stumbling block to men, especially to self-righteous people in the first-century Jewish community? The cross was the Roman instrument of execution, reserved for the vilest criminals. The cross was the first-century equivalent to the electric chair or the gallows: the instrument and the symbol of death, execution, and judgment.

To identify the Christ, the Messiah, the Holy One of God, as being the Crucified One was incomprehensible and utterly repulsive to the Jews. How could the Messiah, the Holy One of God, possibly be executed as the vilest of criminals? The only solution to this dilemma was even more unacceptable to the self-righteous man: Christ was not crucified for any crime that He Himself had committed, on the contrary, He was crucified in the place of His people to make atonement for our crimes against God, even as was foretold by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:

...he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment was laid upon him for our peace, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Isa.53:5-6

This is the solution; as the Apostle Peter states it: “Christ also died for sins once for all, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones, so that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). But it is a solution that strips us of all self-righteousness, of all reason for confidence in our own goodness and ability to personally meet God’s standard of holiness. It is a solution that forces us to humble ourselves before God and trust in Him alone for our salvation and join with the tax collector in his prayer: “God, be merciful to me, the sinner” (Lk. 18:13).

The doctrine of the cross of Christ is a great offense to the natural man, because it dismantles the view he entertains about himself and his relationship to God. That is why there are many who would seek to avoid identification with the cross of Christ. Recall the church that rejected the proposal of having a cross atop its steeple; recall the chaplain who hid the cross in favor of an inoffensive candle.

In verse seventeen, Paul testifies that he bears branded on his body “the marks of Jesus.” In the first-century, a slave owner would brand his personal mark upon his slave, thus identifying that slave as the personal possession of the master.

What are “the marks of Jesus” that Paul bore, and that we as Christians may expect to bear? Most prominently, “the marks of Jesus” include the ridicule, the scorn, and the persecution of the world. Recall again Paul’s testimony to the churches of Galatia: “But I, brothers, if I am still preaching [the doctrine of] circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? [for] then the offense of the cross has been removed” (Gal. 5:11). The doctrine of circumcision was the religion of salvation by the sacraments and the attempt to observe the moral law, a religion that is appealing to the natural man in his pride and self-reliance.

Why did Paul willingly bear “the marks of Jesus”? He did so for the sake of the Lord Jesus Himself, note his testimony recorded in Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me: the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Furthermore, he did so for the sake of Christ’s church. Addressing the church at Colossae, he wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col. 1:24).

When Paul speaks of filling up “that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ,” he is by no means suggesting that Christ’s work of atonement was in any way insufficient. The great theme of the Epistle to the Galatians, and the uniform teaching of all the New Testament epistles, is the all-sufficiency of Christ’s work of atonement. What Paul is referring to in Colossians 1:24 is one aspect of sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings (Phil. 3:10). Just as our Lord Jesus suffered affliction, (the hostility of the world and persecution unto death), during the days of His earthly ministry, so His affliction continues to be carried on in the life of His church.

When Paul, the persecutor of the Christian church, was confronted by the risen Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, the Lord inquired of him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) Christ’s “afflictions” continue throughout the New Testament dispensation in the opposition and persecution encountered by His church as His disciples bear His name and witness to the gospel. As Paul ministered to the churches, he encountered a great deal of opposition and persecution, which he identifies as “the afflictions of Christ.” But he was willing to continue carrying out his ministry despite such “afflictions,” doing so for the sake of Christ’s church.

We must not imitate those who seek to avoid the stigma and shame of Christ’s cross because they desire the respect and acceptance of the world. For us to do so would be to deny the Savior and to disparage His great sacrifice at Calvary:

Then [Jesus] called to himself the [whole] crowd [along] with his disciples, and said to them, If any man desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me... ³⁸Whoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. Mk. 8:34, 38

As a Christian, glory in the cross of Christ, even when it means bearing its reproach. We must do so, bearing in mind this word of promise: “If we endure, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12). We must do so, bearing in mind this word of assurance: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. Of what does the Apostle Paul charge those men who were seeking to impose circumcision and legalistic Judaism upon the Galatian church? See Gal. 6:12. Why was the doctrine of a crucified Messiah a doctrine to be avoided, what does such a gospel imply about our spiritual need and condition before the LORD our God? Note 2 Cor. 5:21. Do Christians today seek to avoid the “stumbling block” of the cross?

Those who desire to make a good impression in the flesh, they are the ones who are compelling you to be circumcised; [they do so] only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Gal. 6:12

...[God] made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor. 5:21

2. Can there ever be such a thing as a “cross-less Christianity,” or a “gospel without the cross”? What are some forms in which so-called Christian pastors seek to preach such a “gospel;” how are some ways in which Christ is presented in such preaching and teaching? Is your pastor faithful to preach the true, biblical gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-4); do you prayerfully support him in this endeavor?

I delivered to you as of first importance that which I also received, [namely,] that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; ⁴and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures... 1 Cor. 15:3-4

3. What does Paul say about those men who were advocating circumcision and legalistic Judaism? See Gal. 6:13. Not only did they fail to live up to the religion they espoused, but what was their objective in espousing it (cf. vs. 13b)? What does this say about preachers who seek to build their church membership primarily for their own prestige? What is so often sacrificed in the effort to offer a “user friendly” church? What does Paul say he experiences in his efforts to faithfully preach the gospel? See Gal. 6:17b; Gal. 1:10b. Have you ever experienced opposition or hostility in response to your faithful presentation of the gospel?

Not even those who are circumcised keep the law themselves, but they desire you to be circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh! Gal. 6:13

Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. Gal. 6:17

Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Gal. 1:10

4. In contrast to those who seek their own glory, even using their followers unto that end, how does the Apostle Paul describe himself (cf. Gal. 6:14a)? Why must we boast, or glory, in the cross of Christ, instead of being ashamed of it? See Rom. 1:16. By glorying in the cross of Christ, whom are we ultimately glorifying? See 1 Cor. 1:30-31,

But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by means of which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world... Gal. 6:14

...I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Rom. 1:16

³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: righteousness and sanctification and redemption; ³¹in order that it may be just as it has been written, He who boasts, let him boast in the LORD. 1 Cor. 1:30-31

5. What specific reason does Paul give for his glorying in the cross of Christ (cf. Gal. 6:14b)? As a Christian, does your outlook, perspective, lifestyle, and conduct testify to the fact that you have been crucified to the world and made alive unto God? Are you now living a God-centered life, with a transcendent, biblical perspective on the issues of life and eternity?

But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by means of which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world... Gal. 6:14