Galatians 6:11-18
11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 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. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which[a] 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.
Sermon Quotes & References
“The Law contributes to justification only because it drives us to the promise of grace & makes it sweet & desirable. The Law is a servant to Christ. The purpose of the Law is to make us not better but worse; it shows us our sin, so that we may be humbled, frightened, & worn down, and so that we may thirst for grace & mercy.” – Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians
“The cross tells us some very unpalatable truths about ourselves, namely that we are sinners under the righteous curse of God’s law & we cannot save ourselves. Christ bore our sins & curse precisely because we could gain release from them in no other way. If we could have been forgiven by our own good works, by being circumcised & keeping the law, we may be quite sure there would have been no cross. Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’ Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size … the truth is we cannot boast in ourselves & in the cross simultaneously. If we boast in ourselves & in our ability to save ourselves, we shall never boast in the cross & in the ability of Christ to save us. We have to choose. Only if we have humbled ourselves as hell-deserving sinners shall we give up boasting about ourselves, fly to the cross for salvation & spend the rest of our days glorying in the cross.” – John Stott, Commentary on Galatians
“With his letter nearly complete, Paul hopes it has decisively turned the tide in Galatia … As those who follow a Lord whose risen body still retained the scars of his suffering, we can take courage that the scars (whether physical, emotional, or spiritual) we acquire in his service remind us of God’s faithful & sovereign purposes in our suffering, marking us off as his beloved servants.” – Matthew Harmon, Galatians