Boasting in the cross...verse 14: Paul always came back to the cross. Truly, "the way of the cross leads home." Paul told the Corinthians, "We preach Christ crucified." When it came to boasting, there was only one thing Paul boasted in...the cross. In the first century, the cross was an object of shame. It was capital punishment. It was the lowest form of death and the greatest means of humiliation. The cross would never be mentioned in polite company. Yet there Paul stands, claiming the cross as the only thing he would boast about. The legalists did not glory in the cross or in Christ. They gloried in circumcision and all the people they compelled to follow them. What a contrast!

You see, Paul knew the One who hung on the cross. At least 45 times, he refers to Jesus Christ in the Galatian letter. He also knew the purpose of the cross...death. He states in the last half of verse 14 that it was through the cross that "the world had been crucified to him and he to the world." Already, in Galatians 2:20, Paul had made a very powerful statement about being crucified with Christ. Paul knew that he and his old way of life were dead and that he now had Christ living in him.

We need to remember that crosses are for dying. We die initially when we submit to the Lord in baptism and we are raised as a new creation. Then, we die daily as we take up our cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). To the extent that we can crucify the "old person" and let Christ live in us, we are going to be a powerful redemptive force in a world desperately in need of redemption.

What counts...verse 15: Paul's statement here must have been a slap in the face to the Judaizers. He flat out says that circumcision does not count. Nor does uncircumcision. In fact, the whole fuss over circumcision is moot. There is only one thing that matters...a new creation. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul had said that in Christ, the old is gone and the new has come. What a wonderful thought for the person who becomes a Christian...the old is gone! It does not matter how bad or how ugly the "old" was...it is gone! In its place is "the new." Our God is a God of new beginnings. The ultimate new beginning is the one he gives us through his Son and the cross. Bottom line, that is all that counts. Forget fame and fortune. They do not matter. Again, there are only two categories of people: saved sinners and lost sinners. What makes a difference is the cross. What counts is being a new creation in Christ Jesus.

Peace and mercy...verse 16: Paul is now concluding his letter. He gives a Pauline ending, using the Hebraic, "peace and mercy." In verse 18, he will switch over to grace. Ultimately, it is God's grace which allow us to have peace and mercy.

I bear the marks...verse 17: If you ever want to compare yourself to someone, try reading Paul's autobiographical account in 2 Corinthians 11:18-33. Every time I read that account, I am left feeling that my own faith has barely been tested and that I have never really suffered at all for my faith. Paul had the scars, literally, to show that he was God's man. All the legalists had was the scar of circumcision. There was no comparison. So Paul says to them, in effect, "Don't bother me." Do you bear the marks of Jesus?!

Because of the Cross,

Mark Pugh

Southern Hills Church of Christ
Mark's e-mail address: mspugh@hotmail.com

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