As Paul the apostle
concludes his words to the church members in Galatia, we find him
giving last minute directions and thoughts about the way to be with
one another and the motives for their conduct. He has told them once
again to be careful with the Judaizers who love to persuade people to
follow their rules just so they can glory in their flesh. In chapter
six and verse fourteen we see where Paul the apostle placed his
glory. He wrote:
But God forbid that I
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Paul
begins, “But God forbid...” which means “perish the
thought” or “don't even think about it”. Paul wanted his reader
to not even give the opportunity for any other idea than the one he
is about to mention.
He
continued, “...that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ,...” Paul was sure to let the Galatians know
that he would have nothing other than the cross of Jesus Christ to
receive credit for his salvation. Paul knew it is the wonderful
gospel of grace and not about works, keeping of traditions or
rituals, but only by Jesus dying for his sins would he ever be saved.
This alludes to the greatest flaw in the Judaizer's teachings. If a
person were to attempt to keep the law of God, no matter how close
they might come, they would always be short of perfection. At best
they would achieve “self-righteousness” and “self-righteousness”
will never be enough for salvation. Paul leans his faith upon the
completed work of “our” (notice the inclusion of all) Jesus
Christ upon the cross who came and died for the sins of the world,
and those who believe in, trust in, rely upon and cling to Him will
be saved. All other glorying is in vain.
Paul
adds, “...by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world.” When Paul aligned himself with the cross of Christ, the
worldly ways became as dead unto him. The world had nothing for him
now, and he had nothing in the world to rely upon for salvation. The
fleshly ways were put to death, and knowing Jesus Christ as Savior
and Lord was now preeminent and most important. There were no amount
of works, no amount of behaviors, rituals or traditions that could
save Paul, and those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
should feel the same way. We are free from the world and its
obligations for salvation. The cross of Jesus Christ has the
affection of our glory now.
Are the
ways of the world as dead unto us? Have they been crucified on the
cross with Christ? Do we tend to rely upon fleshly means to find
ourselves in favor with God? Perhaps in our meditation time today we
will consider where we place our glory and our credit. Is it the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ or is it other ways, ideas, functions
or traditions? May our conclusion be, “To God be the Glory for the
things He has done.”
Next
time we will see the lack of benefit to circumcision, so read ahead,
and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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