How Large a Letter

2018-06-24

Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. (12) As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. (13) For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. (14) 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. (15) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (16) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (17) From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. (18) Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. (Galatians 6:11-18)

Paul wrote to the Galatians at length to persuade them that they were going down a very bad path. The situation of forsaking Christ for the works of the law was very grave, and Paul was very stern from the outset of the letter. He was concerned that these people were not even saved (Galatians 4:11, 20). In the event they were saved and were just temporarily confused by the false prophets, the results of them preaching a false gospel would have had devastating effects to the unsaved around them.

The false prophets like the ones that were among the Galatians teach heresy for a few reasons. First, they want to be loved by the world and not offend anyone to gain followers of themselves. Second, they also do not want to face any persecution. Years ago, I saw on a news program then-president Bill Clinton’s spiritual advisor try to avoid persecution by refusing to answer whether Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven (the same show and episode as discussed here). People want to be popular and to get along, even if it means telling lies, and it was the same with this group that had infected the churches of Galatia. False brethren upholding circumcision and the Old Testament law were the “in” crowd at the time, but to stand on Christ alone is to be without (Hebrews 13:12-14). The false prophets in Galatia would “glory in your flesh” (Galatians 6:13), being satisfied that they had successfully indoctrinated them and gained followers.

We cannot glory in both the flesh and in God. We were saved completely by grace apart from anything that we have done or intrinsically are, which maximizes God’s glory and negates any glory to us. The cross was the device that radically judged our sin and led us into a new life in Christ. It is our glory because it was the means for God to make us into new creatures. We cannot have a tight grip on anything in this world, or anything in the flesh, because it contributes nothing to our salvation, and it will all pass away. As new creatures, we have a new source of life, and that life is in Jesus Christ.

In closing, Paul wished peace upon those who truly believed in Christ alone for salvation, who are the true “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). The Israel according to the flesh has no part of eternal life unless they have Christ, for Christ is the same savior for the Jews and the non-Jews.

Paul had “the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17), meaning he had the scars from all his persecution, unlike these smooth-talking false prophets that had infiltrated the churches. He also ends with blessing them with the grace of God, which was the very thing many of them were not seeking.

Christ alone is the foundation of our salvation, and not works of the Old Testament, becoming Jewish through ritual, or any other method or effort on our part. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us, because there was nothing that we could do to save ourselves.