Galatians

Galatians 6:11-18:

11 Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting.

12 Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 13 And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.

14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

17 From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.

18 Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

______________________________________________________________

How does Paul sum up this letter in these closing verses?  What struck you as you read them.  Paul’s purpose in writing this letter was to counteract the false teachings of those who were harassing the Galatians into reverting to living under the demands of the Law.

Paul answers the question, “What counts?”  I read that we have been, and are being, transformed into a new creation.  How?  I am being called to live by the principle of faith in Christ and in his cross.  In fact, Paul is saying that it is all summed up in the cross of Christ.  There are no rules that will transform us–it’s the cross.

“In the cross of Christ I glory!”  And “Because of that cross, my interest in this world has waned.  I have been crucified with Christ!”  It’s all about Jesus and the cross!

This entry was posted in Galatians, Meditation Blog and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Galatians

  1. Andres says:

    20/20In hindsight I view thgins lost or given up for the Lord as true blessings. It is true that at times letting go of something (or someone) is what opens you to what God has for you, that otherwise you would have no room for.I prayed continually for the Lord to speak to me, teach me, mature me. It did not begin to happen until I gave up worldly music and stopped watching TV and secular movies which had content unbecomng a Christian.The result was hours of free time in which I persued the Lord through Bible study and prayer. I asked for good Christian books and theological study material, and soon I had hundreds of books from thrift stores and yard sales, which I got for a quarter here, dollar there. I was able to use the time most waste with TV to put several thousand hours study behind me in just a few years.I would urge any who are serious and madly in love with God to just ask Him, and be willing to let go of the world. He will turn your world upside down. I would have it no other way now, and the loss I do consider gain indeed.In godly love brothers and sisters- AMEN

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>