Galatians 6:11-18
"Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. 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. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 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 any thing, 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 be with your spirit. Amen," Galatians 6:11-18.
This letter which was written to the churches in the Galatia area is coming to a close. Paul has written the inspired word of God. Paul's heart and mind are stirred up. He is valiant for the truth. The truth of the gospel has been attacked, and Paul has come alive in defense of it. When that which you love is attacked, smeared, and misrepresented, you will contend with others over it. "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ," Jude 1:3-4. How much do you and I love the gospel? How much do we love truth? How much do we love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? Are we able to communicate with others these truths?
"Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand," Galatians 6:11. There has been much debate about what Paul meant in this verse. Whichever view you want to side with, one thing is for sure, this is what God wanted to be written. Paul started out the gate swinging, and he never let up. Oh that God would give us pastors today who would not back down, nor compromise to please men.
"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," Galatians 6:12. Paul is again specifically calling out the false teachers. One of the desires of false teachers is to appear to be spiritual, without suffering for the cause of Christ. The first persecutors of the early church were the Jews. Paul was one of them. Remember, he was on the road to Damascus when the Lord interrupted his life and saved his soul. Paul was not going there for a vacation, no, he was going there to arrest and prosecute Christians. Multiple times in the book of Acts God holds the Jews responsible for crucifying Christ. They actually thought they were doing a good service to God by killing the Christians. There was a lot of pressure and influence from the Judaizers on Jews that embraced Christianity (Galatians 2:11-14). The pressure was to adhere to the Mosaic Law, and be circumcised. False teachers are good at blending lies with the truth. If you do not know any better, you can easily be led astray.
These Judaizers wanted to make a fair shew in the flesh. This means they strived to please men, not God. They did not want to be persecuted for the cross of Christ. The cross in our day is a symbol of Christianity. The cross back then was a symbol of one of the worst deaths you could die. It was severe suffering along with open humiliation. The one being crucified would be nailed to their cross, naked. The punishment of the cross was so bad that the person being crucified usually was not harmed in any other way. The cross of Christ was different. Christ was beat beyond recognition, and a crown of thorns was put upon His head. On that cross is where Christ paid the sin debt for all who have been and will be saved. "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God," I Corinthians 1:18. "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness," I Corinthians 1:23. The Jews hated the cross of Christ. You and I embrace it, and even sing songs about it. We thank God for the cross of Christ.
"For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh," Galatians 6:13. O foolish Galatians, a little common sense here would go a long way. The Lord did not save them because they kept the law, nor do they remain saved by keeping the law (Galatians 3:1-3). There is a frustration in trying to earn your salvation. You always wonder if you have done enough, were you sincere enough, did you do something to lose your salvation that you do not remember? Those who are trying to earn their salvation do not have the peace of God because they do not have peace with God. Look at the person who appears the most holy. Do you really think he does not sin in thought, word, and deed? "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all," James 2:10.
The false teachers viewed the Galatians as a way to get gain. The false teachers wanted notoriety with the Galatians, and favour with the Jews. They wanted the best of both worlds, and were willing to compromise in any way they needed to so they could achieve this. This is another reason it is so important that we are grounded in the truth of Scripture. There is always a pressure from this world system to compromise our convictions that are formed by the Scriptures. They not only think the cross of Christ is foolishness, they think we are foolish for believing in the Christ on the cross. The pressure is always there to compromise a little here and a little there. We are told by the world not to be so dogmatic; surely there are multiple ways to God. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," John 14:6. Jesus was dogmatic, Paul was dogmatic, Peter was dogmatic, and the rest of the Scriptures are dogmatic that Christ is the only way of salvation. We should be dogmatic too. Be grounded in the Scriptures, and be dangerously strong for the faith.
Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
