Boasting in the Cross

Introduction

You can tell a lot about what a person believes by listening. Sometimes you can tell by observing. I learned a valuable lesson during my teenage years that I haven’t forgotten. A group of us had gathered to play basketball. We had the gym to ourselves. To designate teams we played shirts and skins. We had played several games when we took a break. David, a friend, was playing without his shirt. David was about 12 years older than me. I noticed as we sat on the bleachers talking that he had several scars on his body. I was intrigued. Finally, as the conversation lulled I asked him “you sure have had a lot of operations.” He laughed. “No operations, bullet wounds from Vietnam.”

What do you say when someone bears the scars of their beliefs. The scars say it all. Trauma, conviction, determination, survival, and faith. David’s scars said it all. I knew then and I know now what he believed about country and about survival. I knew too that he had experienced things which I could never fully understand. I grew up in the Vietnam era. He grew up in Vietnam. And there is a world of difference.

Paul says in Galatians 6:17 that he bears on his body the marks of Jesus. These scars demonstrated his faith, determination and survival. He knew what it meant to believe in Jesus no matter the cost. He has written this letter to a group of Christians who are willing to exchange grace for human effort. To do so will lead to a denial of the sufficiency of Christ. Paul’s point is that he understands what it means to follow Jesus and he will not turn away from that. The Galatians grew up hearing about Christ and experiencing his power (3:5). Paul grew up experiencing persecution. Paul had experienced what the Galatians hadn’t. He knew something of faith, determination, and survival. The Galatians needed to learn the same lessons. This morning we will be looking at 6:11-18 and the final section of this intense letter. Paul is going to summarize and give the Galatians a clear choice—law or grace, circumcision or a new creation, themselves or Christ. Let’s begin with singing.

Contrasts

Paul begins this final section by taking pen in hand and writing himself. Paul’s habit was to use a secretary to dictate his letters. But here he wants to make sure that his readers understand that he not only agrees with what is written but will make his final points in his own hand. Paul makes three contrasts in this final section. These summarize the themes of the letter. This section is Paul’s last attempt to convince the Galatians to stay with following Christ rather than listening to the Jewish false teachers.

The first two contrasts pertain to motives. The false teachers want to avoid persecution while Paul is willing to accept it. According to Acts 15 there was a Jewish faction which believed that Gentiles, which the Galatians were, should be forced to submit to Jewish law in addition to Jesus. History tells us that some Jews were so fanatical about maintaining Jewish practices that they persecuted anyone who didn’t follow them closely. This is what Paul seems to be getting at. He understands that these Jewish teachers are pushing circumcision and Jewish practices in order to avoid persecution at home. These teachers then deny the power of the cross. Paul bears the scars of his walk with Jesus and gladly will accept more to convince these Galatians of the sufficiency of Christ.

The second contrast is that the false teachers boast in the flesh while Paul boasts in the cross of Christ. The false teachers wants to be able to add another notch to their spiritual belts. Every convert demonstrates their teaching ability. They just want to see how many converts they can get. We can still be guilty of such shallow motivations. We can judge works by the number of converts. We can decide whether a mission work is worth keeping based upon the number of baptisms. That is being motivated by the flesh and it denies the power of the cross. The false teachers boasted in their own abilities; Paul boasted in the ability of Christ to change people.

Verse 14 says that at the cross the world is crucified and the person is crucified to the world. For those who come to the cross a radical transformation takes place. We no longer live by the attitudes and opinions of the world. Neither do we allow the world to influence us so that our vision of the cross is blurred. This leads Paul to his third contrast. It is a theological contrast. The false teachers live under the old age; Paul lives under the influence of the new. Circumcision represents the flesh. It is of no value. What really counts is being a new creation. The new creation is found at the cross. To be a new creation is to be free. Free from the flesh. Free to boast in the cross rather than in the law or self. It signifies that a change has occurred because of God’s creative work or as Paul puts it in 5:22-23, the new creation comes about because of the fruit of the Spirit. There is a new lifestyle seen in thoughts, motives, decisions, conversations, and activity.

We sing When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. It is a beautiful song. It is #315. 290 years ago, Isaac Watts wrote these words. While the wording is different from our normal English, we cannot miss the point. The cross makes the difference. But there is a verse between verses 3 and 4 which is left out in our book. It is in your order of worship and it comes directly from verse 14 of this section. Look at the words. Let’s sing this song together including this unfamiliar verse.

The Cross Makes the Difference

Throughout this letter, Paul has tried to bring the Galatians back to the cross. He has emphasized the importance of the cross and how the cross makes a difference. Let’s do a quick look back through this letter to see the thread of thought that Paul has put together concerning the cross.

In 1:4, Jesus died on the cross so that we would not be subject to this world. In 2:19-20, the cross represents a change in perspective from trying to live by the law which means living by our own efforts. The cross demonstrates that we can now live for God. The cross represents that I live by faith rather than by works. In 3:1, Jesus was clearly placarded as crucified. Paul wanted nothing more than for the Galatians to clearly see Jesus. In 3:13, the cross demonstrates that Jesus took our place so that we would no longer be under a curse—the curse of trying to get God’s attention by our own effort. In 4:5, the cross represents that we can now have full and complete access to the blessings of God. We have been adopted to be his full children. No longer do we stand on the outside looking in, but at the cross we are welcomed into God’s family. We now have a place to call home. In 5:11, the cross is offensive to some because it means admitting that we can’t do enough to get God’s attention. The cross means that we have to place our trust in Jesus rather than ourselves. It means admitting that we cannot save ourselves. The cross means that we admit Jesus is the only answer for salvation. In 5:24, the cross means that we allow God’s Spirit to have more influence on us. It means that we nail our selfish desires and ungodly passions to the cross. The cross means that we no longer want to live for ourselves but instead want to live for God. In 6:14, the cross is the only means by which we can boast. For we cannot boast about our own abilities, but we can boast about what Jesus did for us.

Paul has stressed the importance of the cross throughout this letter. His point has been that we cannot hold onto the cross and ourselves at the same time. We cannot come to the cross expecting its benefits while depending upon our own effort to secure our relationship with God. The cross makes all the difference. As Paul has done with the Galatians so now it must be your turn. The choice is clear—Jesus and the cross or yourself. Which one will you decide to trust? Which one will you choose?

We will look for all sorts of alternatives. There is within us this stubbornness to admit that we are wrong and that Jesus is right. There is this unwillingness to admit that we cannot accomplish the goal of being with God. Try harder, pray more, give yourself motivational speeches—none of these things will lead to the throne of God. It is only at the cross where we find forgiveness, peace, and a place to call home. Which will you choose?

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