The Cross (Galatians 6:11-18
The cross is an emblem of suffering and shame, according to our song, "Old Rugged Cross." It's a torture device we like to hang on our walls or around our necks, but it's more than that to us as Christians.
In the cross, sin is cursed and canceled. On the cross, grace is victorious and available.
Paul talks about the cross a few times in the book of Galatians. He describes his conversion as a crucifixion that joined him to Christ's crucifixion.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV) --- 20 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.
Then, he talks about how seeing Christ's crucifixion for the Galatians moved them to accept salvation.
Galatians 3:1 (ESV) --- 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
Everyone who enters into the body of Christ has to come to the point of understanding Christ's crucifixion. It is the single most important event in the history of mankind where God has demonstrated his unending love for mankind and his desire to make us his children. On the cross, we find everything we need to submit to him and be obedient.
The text we are studying this evening wraps up all of Paul's letters to the Galatians. In the end, he points to that cross to give the Galatians a final message. But before he gives that message, notice the emphasis he places on it.
Galatians 6:11 (ESV) --- 11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.
All that Paul has said was important, but now he will summarize and condense what he has been saying. So these last nine verses are supposed to be everything he wants to say in this letter wrapped up with a tiny bow on top. He sets it up with this statement. Maybe Paul has been speaking his message to a recorder until this point, but now he takes the pen and adds emphasis to ensure they understand this last part. He sums up the whole book with this.
Circumcision
Galatians 6:12--13 (ESV) --- 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
What does he want to emphasize? He talks about the false teaching of circumcision and explains what's wrong with these teachers. There are two significant problems. First, he says they are forcing these Christians to be circumcised because they are focused on "making a good showing." In verse 13, he says they are doing this so that they "may boast in your flesh." Then, he says they are doing this "that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ."
Looking Good
Let's consider the first problem these false teachers have. They care about what other people think about them. Can you imagine how much prestige they would have in converting these Gentiles to Judaism? If they could convince these guys to keep the laws they are already keeping, all of their Jewish brethren would lift them up as an example. The whole church would be unified under the law of Moses, and they would be responsible for making that happen.
The only problem is that what men want to see is often against what God wants to see. God is not satisfied with Gentiles submitting to the Law of Moses. But men think that he is. They look at their accomplishments and think, "God must really love me now." Look how much all of these other people love me. Those who manipulate others, convincing them to suffer, so they have something to boast about, are evil. When we make a show of ourselves, God turns off the TV in disgust. He didn't save us from ourselves so that we could exalt ourselves.
Avoiding Suffering
The second problem these false teachers have is that they want to avoid suffering. These words are interesting. Paul says, "In order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ." How does one get persecuted for the cross of Christ? To understand this, we have to understand what the cross of Christ is and what it represents.
The cross of Christ is the torture device used to kill Jesus. But it also represents the sacrifice that takes away sins without the law. Throughout this book, Paul focuses on the fact that we are saved because of the extreme grace that God has demonstrated on the cross. We put our faith in that act and believe that our submission and baptism have given us freedom from judgment based on our effort. The cross of Christ represents the hope of forgiveness and relationship regardless of one's ability. They are being persecuted for that belief.
Interestingly, the cross of Christ can also represent the cross that all Christians are called to carry as they submit to God's will. It represents what our savior has done against all human wisdom. He went to the cross because he trusted God's will more than man's wisdom. He did not rely on his ability to save himself. He relied on God's promise and faithfulness.
Maybe their family and friends have shunned them because they hang out with uncircumcised brethren. They want those relationships back, and all that they have to do is convince men to be circumcised.
Our Only Boast
Galatians 6:14--18 (ESV) --- 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
"Far be it for me to boast?" This is Paul we are talking about. He's the guy responsible for much of the New Testament. Does he not have reason to boast? Think of how many people he has helped come to Christ. If a man were living who has a reason to boast about his accomplishments when it comes to conversion, it has to be Paul. But he recognizes that boasting would be entirely out of place for him. His only boast is in the cross of Jesus. He doesn't just say that he boasts on the cross. He says his ONLY boast is in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Jesus had done what no one has ever been able to do when he died for Paul, so Paul owes him everything.
Not many of us think this way. We have a list of accomplishments that we like to point to every now and then to give us value and glory. Paul doesn't care about that. He points to Jesus on the cross and tells everyone to glorify him. He's the one worthy of praise.
Crucifying The World
The following two things he says are even more shocking. First, he says, "The world has been crucified to me." He could have said the world is dead to me. But the picture is that Paul came to his senses when he learned about Jesus hanging on the cross for him. Before that moment, the world was all that mattered. Paul was living to be loved by everyone and receive as much praise as he could. He wanted to be the next Gamaliel, a great teacher of Israel. But after he saw what Jesus went through for him to be saved, all those desires and the person he wanted to be were hung on a cross. They were killed to the point where they had no hope of future life.
When we recognize that we truly hate something, we say, "It's dead to me." Paul says he hates his old ways so much that he nailed them to a cross. This world and all that it has to offer is disgusting to Paul. He doesn't care anything about it anymore.
Crucified To The World
The second thing he says is, "and I to the world." I understand how Paul has crucified the world to him by getting rid of those desires he once had. But how is Paul crucified to the world? He is dead to the world. The world wants nothing to do with him. Does that make sense? Doesn't the world want Paul to love it and pursue glory from it? Of course, but Paul says that the world has done all it can do. There is nothing else that the world has to offer Paul. He has refused it all. He says, "Neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." Paul is not alive to the world anymore. He lives on a different plane and in a different system where the world cannot enslave him.
Can you say that you are dead to the world? It has tried to get a hold of you, but it cannot because you are a new creation. You don't play by its rules anymore because Christ intercedes for you. The world cannot overpower you because "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!" (1 John 4:4) That's freedom! The world has no power over Paul and has given up on him. The only way that the world can sink its teeth into him again is if he gives up on the cross of Christ as his means of salvation and chooses to love this world again.
What’s The Point?
Paul wants these Galatian Christians to focus on the cross of Christ to ensure they understand their salvation. If they accept circumcision and boast about their accomplishments, Christ is no advantage to them. They are submitting again to the yoke of slavery and have fallen away from grace.
So Paul says, "Cling to the cross!" Make the glorification of Jesus your life. Let go of self-glorification and self-exaltation. Point to Jesus all day, every day, as the source of anything we accomplish. Don't point to your circumcision or how many people you have convinced to be circumcised. Circumcision has nothing to do with anything. God doesn't even care about it. He wants to transform us from the inside out through the extreme act of love he has shown us on the cross.
Will We Be Crucified?
I hope the cross means enough to all of us that we would be willing to devote our lives to Jesus. That means everything revolves around pleasing him. We should all be willing not only to give up the world but also to crucify it! That means crucifying the version of me that wants what this world offers. The version of me that looks for likes on my Facebook posts or the version of me who tries to buy everything that successful people buy. I no longer sacrifice my family for my job and my success. I refuse to sacrifice my time with Christ and his people for hobbies. This world and everything in the world are crucified to me. We can say that, and we must!
I hope the cross reminds you that Jesus has done what we can never do. By going to the cross, he has set us free from slavery to sin and death. All those who are added to the body of Christ no longer fear Satan's schemes. His accusations fall on deaf ears because we have been transformed into a new creation. Jesus transferred us to the kingdom of light. So long as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with God, and Jesus' blood washes away every sin.
Conclusion
If that is not true for you, we want to help you transfer your life to the kingdom of light. We want you to connect yourself to the blood of Christ through baptism and receive the promised blessing of eternal glory. But you will need to lay down your life to receive these things. You can't have both the blessing and the world. The world must be crucified to you. Your selfish dreams and desires must be crucified to you. It's only then that you will live to glorify Christ and make him your only boast. The fantastic thing is that in the end, he will share that glory with you.
If you have struggled to be faithful, I hope you will find the courage to renew your efforts as you bow at the feet of the cross and cling to it. Don't let anything or anyone turn your eyes away from it.