Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Okay, turn over to Galatians.
Yeah. I'm hoping we will finish up this last section today. And, you know, we've spent several months in Galatians, so just one last time, let's review the book.
What is Galatians about?
Why was it written?
Yes.
Perfect summary. Legalistic people adding requirements to salvation. And so Paul is writing to this church hoping and believing that they will turn from their false teaching and beliefs and remember again the true gospel, that Christians are justified by faith and not by works of the law.
Now, I'm going to use the word justified, and I have been for a lot, because that's kind of the theme of the book.
Can someone remind us what justification means?
Yes.
Yeah. Or declared righteous. Right. We think a declaration or a proclamation, like when at a wedding, you know, the minister, the pastor, or whoever, he pronounces man and wife. He is making that official.
Now. He's not like doing physical. He's not like making.
He's pronouncing it. And it becomes true legally by that. So God is declaring someone to be righteous because the righteousness of Jesus is credited for that person through faith.
So as we've studied Galatians, I've tried to summarize and sum up the book in a phrase, and I think it's pretty simple. I think it's that sinners are not justified by works of the law, but through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Simple enough. I hope you guys remember that whenever you open Galatians, that sinners are not justified by works of the law, but through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
That's kind of just been the echo all throughout. And here he's going to kind of catch the other end of that echo. He's going to complete the book in this last section. So Starting in verse 11, let's read this last chunk and try to get through it.
See with what large letters. I am writing to you with my own hand. 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.
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.
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.
For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision but a new creation.
And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God from now on. Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. All right, so verse 11, see, with what large letters, I am writing to you with my own hand.
What do you think is the reason for this sentence?
Yeah, I think so. So I. I think he's trying to bring attention to it.
You know, people maybe. Guess I've heard people say, oh, he couldn't see, or maybe his hand was deformed.
Maybe we can't know those things.
I think he's doing what you're saying. He's trying to signal. Don't skip this. You know, you might do this as you read letters. You might think, oh, the beginning or the end. It kind of just feels generic. So maybe you skip it a lot of times or you glaze over it. And he's trying to tell us, don't do that. Now, he shouldn't do it in other books, but he's trying to bring special attention to them to not do that. You know, these letters were typically, probably always written by someone else. So he'd be maybe speaking the words. Somebody would be writing it down for him. But now it's clear that he's kind of taken the pen and he's writing bigger, whatever that means. He's writing. You know, they all. They wrote in all caps, but he's writing like extra big all caps. He's just saying, look at this. You know, focus in.
Listen to what I'm about to say. And normally, this last little part, you know, it's just kind of those last couple of lines. But he adds more to this conclusion to basically just summarize, restate the entire book. So he gives us a little bit of a summary, some ending conclusions, and things for them to think about.
So Moving on verse 12, he says 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.
Okay, so let's think about some of these phrases.
What does make a good showing in the flesh mean?
Make a good showing in the flesh?
Yeah, yeah. Doing good things for, like you said, selfish or empty reasons. Yeah, I do think it's selfish where you put on a nice face.
Put on a nice face. Yeah, it's kind of superficial.
They want to look good like you guys are saying, they want others to be impressed with them. They want others to like them. They think this is going to make them look better to the world.
And these people that want to look good, we know who they are. Paul is not talking to all of them. He's addressing those who are trying to require circumcision. The legalists of the group.
Now, what are these? You know, these legalistic. We've called them Judaizers.
What's their motivation?
Well, it's exactly what we just said. They want to be well thought of by others. They want to gain favor and support by forcing this on the Galatians. They think people won't look down upon us as gentile sinners. If we are all circumcised, then we are truly of the Jewish religion, following after the Jewish Messiah. That's what they're aiming for.
But there's actually another motivation for them to do this. What does Paul say they're motivated by?
What are they trying to do or get out of?
Yes, exactly. They'll be persecuted, and they're trying to avoid that. Trying to kind of weasel their way out of any contempt or persecution from others.
So basically, they want to be able to say, no, no, no, don't persecute us. Look, look, we're all circumcised. We're good. We're obeying the law.
We obey the law too, so you can leave us alone. That's what they're trying to do. They're trying to kind of just get out of it. What's the problem with avoiding persecution this way? What's the problem with it?
Can you say that again?
You're also avoiding God. I think you're right.
You can't avoid persecution and claim to believe in the cross of Christ.
And that's what Paul's saying. If you just look back One chapter, chapter five, verse 11, he says, but if I brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?
And he says in that case. So in the case that circumcision is required, the offense of the cross has been removed. He's saying to preach this gospel, there is necessarily an offense of the cross.
And so he's kind of continuing that and reminding them the cross is offensive to non believers. So true Christians can't avoid such offense. He's not telling them to go out of their way to offend people and bother people, but he's saying you have to be faithful. And if your faithfulness brings about persecution, you must still be faithful. You can't weasel your way out of that.
And then continuing verse 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.
Okay, so now, speaking about the ones who are circumcised and pushing this upon others, Paul indicts them, but with what charge?
What does he say about them, your flesh? Does that mean like they're like, look at the following that I have.
Look at all these people following me. I'm such a great teacher.
You know, I think maybe.
And we'll get to that in a second. But there is something even more general. He is saying, you are just boasting, but they're trying to keep the law. But what does he say they're actually doing in verse 13?
They do not themselves keep the law.
So they are. It's ironic, right?
The great irony of legalists not keeping the law.
And Paul is kind of trying to kind of point out how ridiculous they look, maybe being sarcastic, trying to make fun of them. In a way, it's ridiculous. They are claiming to be so pure in the law, but they're not keeping the law themselves.
This might remind you of another group in the Bible, Matthew 23. So I'll just read this, but you could write it down if you want to remember it. Matthew 23:1 5 reads, Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, the scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat. So do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
They do all their deeds to be seen by others.
So this is exactly what the circumcisers in Galatia are doing. They've become Pharisees, demanding obedience, preaching what seems like a big and confident sermon. But at the same time, they're not keeping the law themselves. They are disobeying. They're not practicing what they preach.
And so it's an issue with their actions and their motivations.
But specifically their motivations.
What are their motivations?
Well, they want to be seen and liked by outsiders. They want to avoid persecution. And then, like Ezra brought up, they want to be able to boast.
They want to be able to boast.
Now, how could.
Maybe someone can answer this. How could the circumcision of the Galatian Church be reason for them to boast?
How Is this a reason to boast? Seems a little weird to us.
Yes.
Yeah, they absolutely are thinking about Abraham. Does anyone remember Paul brings up Abraham earlier in this letter? Right.
And part of it is he's trying to show them that Abraham was justified not by his circumcision, but by faith. He believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. So Paul's pointing to Abraham because that's what they're trying to do.
They want to show that they're holy, they're law abiding and that's a reason to boast. Look how pure our church is. But at the same time they're trying to say, no, look, we're actually also children of Abraham. We took on the same sign that Abraham and all of his sons and grandsons had.
But Paul has already made the argument earlier that that does not count for anything. No, you are a son or a daughter of Abraham only if you have faith in Christ, not by any works of the law that you might do.
And so they're just boasting in, you could think the purity of their bloodline with Abraham, that is something for them to boast in. That was something they were proud of.
Verse 14 then says, 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.
Now, I guess before we keep using the word boast. What? Just so everyone's on the same page, what does boast mean? Maybe. What's another word for boast?
Yeah, take pride in something. Yeah.
And maybe even more negatively. You know, sometimes taking, maybe you take pride in something good, something bad, but maybe like bragging, arrogance, boasting. But again, this boasting could be in something good or something bad. So that, you know, they were wanting to boast in the flesh.
Paul says, I shall boast in nothing except the cross.
He wants to brag or boast in the cross.
How can someone boast in the cross?
Give me some practical examples.
Sharing the gospel.
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And doing it unashamedly.
Yes, yeah, exactly. A testimony of how the gospel has changed you is boasting in the power of the gospel. And that's even a really personal way to go about it. Right.
What else?
[00:16:15] Speaker B: Yes, I think he means it in like more of a confrontational way. In bed.
[00:16:22] Speaker A: No matter what situation he's in, he's.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: Always going to talk about the gospel.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Even if it means his mind.
Yeah. I think there's something to be said for that that he's not afraid, and it's really not even just not being afraid, but he is more than willing and actually will proclaim the cross of Christ in any situation that he can. And I think we see that evidence if we learn much about Paul's life, the frequency with which he was preaching and writing and teaching and being persecuted at the same time, but continuing on in his way. I think you're right.
How else?
Well, actually, I think I was thinking one more that's kind of related to that.
Organize your life and the church and your Christian beliefs around the cross. You know, how you live your life, what you choose to do, the things you choose to say, the conversations you choose to have, all of those things reflect your belief in the cross.
If someone's writing just a biography of like your day to day life, would it look like a boast in the cross or would that kind of look like an irrelevant or maybe even just like a side part of your life?
That's what he's encouraging. And he wants the cross of Christ to be the center point of each of their lives.
That's why he says that the cross has killed the world to him and it has killed him to the world.
Someone rephrase that.
I'll read how it says there.
Someone can try to rephrase this. He says, you know, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
What's he getting at?
Yes, burdens. Can you elaborate a little bit?
Yeah, he does have a burden, but specifically the aspect about the cross killing the world to him and killing him to the world. What is this like death imagery trying to bring up?
Yes.
Yeah, yeah, you hit on a lot there. Yeah, he died with Christ. So this is a really big doctrine set of teachings that Christians believe that when you have faith in Christ, you are dying to your sin.
Your sin in the world is dead to you. You probably heard so and so is dead to me. You may have heard that phrase, sin in the world is dead to you.
Just as dead as Christ actually was.
But he didn't stay dead. He rose to a new life. And so Christians don't just die to the world, but they live then a new life as a new creation. Paul uses that imagery in another book, completely new, remade. This is, you know, physically, we see it in baptism. People look as if they are being buried. They're dying and then raising to a new life.
That is what he means through the cross.
Everything in the world is dead to him.
Nothing. No Reputation, no worldly boasting, not anything in the world is of any worth, but only Jesus.
And likewise, in the same way, he's dead to the world, the world hates him and frequently tries to kill him and eventually succeeds.
So in the same way, like he's dead to them and they hate him. And so he's expecting again this persecution to come.
It's just kind of a natural thing for a Christian.
Of course, it's not always going to look like that. You shouldn't think, I'm living a life and no one's trying to kill me, so maybe I'm not living faithfully enough. That's not the message. The context in which we live matters.
But there should be, you know, in some situations, some sort of persecution against you. There probably will be. We can just expect it, but that doesn't mean it'll always look the same.
So I think we should maybe anticipate and joyfully look to persecution, but at the same time, don't treat it like a sacrament or something that is giving you an extra blessing or something that you should seek out.
But when it comes, meet it joyfully and strongly. I think that's the message he wants us to have. With that he kind of. I'm sorry, I was just gonna say.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: Before you move on, when you said, like, organize your faith, organize your life and your faith beliefs around the cross. It's been explained to me, well, some people treat the gospel and some people treat the death, you know, the cross as like just a doorway that you enter into.
And it's been explained to me like it's not just the doorway, but it's like the whole house and it's like the basement. You go deeper and deeper and you, like, live your life in it.
[00:22:09] Speaker A: It's not. It doesn't end.
That's a really great illustration.
Did you ever want to hear that?
She's saying back on how we should organize our lives around the cross. Don't treat belief in the gospel as merely a doorway, but treat it as the house, the basement, the first floor, the second floor, the bedrooms, the kitchen, every room in there, every lamp and couch, all of it is a life in the Gospel. It's not merely a doorway, but all of your life. I think that's a vivid picture. Thank you, Katie.
But now, continuing with Paul's thought, he kind of goes into verse 15.
He says, for neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
Okay, so we aren't surprised to hear, I think, that circumcision doesn't count for anything. I hope after all this time, even if you're kind of new to being here, you're not surprised that he's saying this. It's kind of the whole point. Circumcision does not count for anything. But how can Paul say that uncircumcision also counts for nothing? Does that make sense? What does he mean by that?
It doesn't matter.
Yeah, it doesn't matter. Right. So he's not.
Just in case anyone's confused, he's not saying, you know, he's saying circumcision is for nothing. He's not saying that that is in itself sinful.
That is in itself corrupted or bad.
He's saying whether it's been received or not is irrelevant.
It's, you know, merely a cultural practice.
And then he kind of specifies by saying a new creation at the end, which connects us to the prior verse. So, you know, this new life we were just talking about, dead to the world, and now none of that counts. But being a. It's kind of seems like a fragment in our language. But he's saying being a new creation is what matters.
That is what counts for something, being a new creation.
You know, one age has ended, a new one has begun. He's introducing these Christians, just in the very first century of the Christian church, that a new age has begun. The old creation had circumcision and the law, but the radical power of the cross has initiated an entirely new age, an entirely new era of the Gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ as the means for justification.
And so here again, in this verse 15, something cool and I think beautiful about the writing of the Bible. I think this verse is trying to kind of bracket and connect us with the very beginning of the book. He really is closing it off. It's got, you know, front intro, a conclusion.
So in Galatians 1:4.
So at the very beginning of the book, he says Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age.
So from the beginning, he's saying that the grace of Christ delivered us from the present evil age. And here at the end, he's talking about how there is a new creation, there is a new age. Things are different now.
So I want to ask, how should the reality that God is making creation new again affect how you live now?
How's the reality that God is making creation new again affect how you live now?
Well, I think we should make those dead to the world, as Paul was saying, because, yeah, in comparison to the new creation, this World isn't going to be here long.
Yeah, yeah. Die to the world. It will not be around forever.
We're in between those two realities and something new is coming.
Anything else?
Yeah.
[00:26:46] Speaker B: So if we were born again, then like he was saying, we are cut off from the world and we are no longer.
And that state of mind, it's not that state of mind. We're no longer in that body of sin. We're in the body of Christ. So we should strive to the world.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. If you believe in Christ, you're just. To rephrase, you are no longer just in your sin. You are part of the body of Christ, and so you should live like Christ. If you are called his body with him as your head, we should live like him. Absolutely. I think that's a great answer. One more I would add is if you are a Christian, there's great hope in that because you would have almost certainly recognized that the world is not yet perfect, not yet remade, perfect and whole again.
That goes all the way from the ground you walk on, the weather we have all the way into your body, your brain, everything about you is affected by sin still. And we suffer because of that.
But that will be done away with. There is great hope in this reality that should give us perseverance and remind us of the joy that one should have in Christ. And if you don't believe in him, it should give you all the more reason to turn from your sin and trust in Christ.
You know, a lot of sin, it acts kind of like a temporary painkiller of those wicked effects of sin in your body and in the world.
But it's just temporary. And you're going to have to up your dosage constantly through your life until you die. But Christ offers you true and everlasting hope and peace and joy if you turn to him.
That's what we should remember at the end of this book, verse 16.
And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. So this rule, you know what you know, he says, all who follow this walk by this rule. I think this rule is the rule of the new creation.
If you walk with the Spirit, you will walk in accord with the new creation.
Now, why would Paul wish peace upon them? Why do you think Paul's wishing them peace? Obviously, peace is good, but is there anything specific used at the beginning of the letter? It's a nice clincher. It is used at the beginning. Yeah. And I think there's this need for these Christians as they're trying to please God. They've been convinced that they need to do these works of the law to please him and to settle that relationship with God. I'm sorry, do you have something.
[00:29:36] Speaker B: When you said that, did you mean something like when you said, why should we have peace?
Is that what you meant in God?
[00:29:48] Speaker A: Well, I'm saying why. I'm asking why is Paul, you know, wishing peace upon them?
[00:29:53] Speaker B: Is it because sort of like you don't want to believe in a God that doesn't give you peace?
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Well, that's true. You don't want to believe in a God that doesn't give you peace.
And really there's only one God that provides peace. See, the need for peace lies in the sinful state of man, that by nature we are actually an enemy of God. We do all that opposes him and we displease him. But Paul is saying through Christ you can have peace. That relationship can be made peaceful. And so in the same vein, he wishes them mercy, though they deserve punishment for their evil works. And even now for their legalism, they can have that punishment taken by Christ if they just lean on him in faith.
And now kind of at the end of that line in verse 16, so he's saying, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. What is the Israel of God? Oh, you know this. That was confident. What does the Israel of God mean?
[00:30:59] Speaker B: The Israel of God consists of all people who are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
This includes those in the Old Testament who shared Abraham's faith, a faith that looked to God alone for salvation. Through his promise, he promised Messiah, Messiah to come. The New Testament tells us that the true Israel of also includes those who share Abraham's faith and look to God alone for salvation through faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah who has come. Thus the true Isaiah Israel of God and the church made up of every Jew and Gentile who Christ went to salvation.
[00:31:42] Speaker A: Wow, you just came up of that off the dome. I'm just joking. I'm kidding. You got a new study Bible. That was a great.
That's a great note. I'm glad you have that, that Bible.
Yeah, he's right. I'll just summarize and repeat. So just in case you guys couldn't hear everything, but that was exactly right, Lincoln. He's referring to all Christians specifically and importantly, both Jewish and Gentile Christians. That's the context of the book. They are primarily Gentiles that have been forced to take on the historic Jewish sign of the covenant. But Paul is saying that both Jews and Gentiles can be members of God's people.
Jews and Gentiles can be sons and daughters of Abraham. Jews and Gentiles through faith can be the Israel of God. The Israel of God is more than just the ethnic nation of Israel. It is those who share in Abraham's faith is what he's telling them.
So no matter what their background, no matter if they're circumcised or not, they're all justified by faith alone and are one people of God. It's not even like two tears.
They are unified and brought in. Gentiles are to be part of the one people of God in Christ.
And we should think of this all the time if we're tempted to exclude people or to look to other people of faith and put them down, or to try to divide ourselves up over superficial matters.
Paul's saying we should be unified as one people of God. We should pray for one another. We should pray for other churches. We should love Christians of other churches as well, those that share and proclaim the same gospel that we do.
This is one way that we can kind of apply that idea.
Now, I'm trying to wrap up. Let's get those last two verses. In verse 17, he says, from now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
I read someone who helpfully explained this first phrase.
He said, now that the new creation has been started, no one should trouble Paul with the requirements and regulations of the old creation by trying to impose the law on his converts.
And what's his reasoning?
Well, the hint is in the word, for you see the word for he is explaining his reasoning. And it is because he has endured the persecution given to those who believe and preach the cross of Jesus Christ. The marks of Jesus, that's what he means. He has received persecution. He might be even specifically talking about receiving whippings.
But it could just be more broad for just general persecution, such as Jesus endured. And through it all, Paul has not shied away from the true gospel.
He has always preached it. And so the Galatians should look at that example, should remember the marks of Jesus on Paul, and they should not shy away from proclaiming the true gospel.
And so in concluding, he says, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Now, this is not an unusual benediction to end a book, but there are three features that are a little more unique. It's not necessarily completely unique, but a little bit more so. I want to focus on those so he says the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He uses the word our. You know, a lot of times you might read the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why do you think he would use the word our instead of the yes?
Yeah, they believe as well.
It wouldn't have been wrong. He wouldn't have destroyed his whole letter if he used the word the. I'm not trying to make more of it than it is, but I think he wanted to emphasize that they are members of the true church.
Jesus Christ is theirs.
He doesn't just belong to the circumcised. He does not just belong to Jews. Only Jesus Christ belongs to them as well if they believe in him.
He is our Lord Jesus Christ.
He also calls them brothers.
Maybe you have a translation that says brothers and sisters, and that's an appropriate translation.
It has the same purpose. They all share in Christ, brothers and sisters. They share in Christ as one family of God.
And then he concludes saying, amen.
This is a word that confirms all that has been said. It's a solemn way to say, so be it or let it be. That's what that word means, you know, which is why people often say this during worship. They say it at the end of prayers.
In fact, it's a great way for you to listen and affirm a prayer. You know, you hear someone pray for you to say amen at the end is not just something we do. Just because it's you saying, I agree and I'm praying that with you. I would even challenge you to try to try to focus during the prayers, even the longer ones, and agree and voice your agreement today.
That's my challenge for the day. And as we close the book, I just want to remind you guys one last time the theme of this book. May you remember this until you die, that sinners are not justified by works of the law, but through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for the good news of the gospel and your word, God. We ask that those who are far from you or wandering, that you call them to yourself.
Lord, help us to find areas in our lives where we might be tempted or prone to legalism. And may we just be amazed at the wonderful free grace of Jesus Christ.
Lord, may that be the song in which we sing today in worship. We pray this in your son's name. Amen.
