We have come to the final
two verses of the book of Galatians, and Paul's words are some of the
most important he has written. He has told the church members that he
places his glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and whoever
walks by that rule should be blessed with peace and mercy from God
the Father. In chapter six and verse seventeen, we get an insight
into the price that Paul paid for his promotion of the gospel. He
wrote:
From henceforth let no
man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Paul
begins, “From henceforth let no man trouble me:...” The
idea is “from this point on, or in the future, or hereafter” no
one else should stand before Paul with this troubling problem. We get
the notion that someone came to Paul and told him of the happenings
with the Galatians. Whenever we hear bothersome news about someone,
it is vexing to the spirit within us. Paul wasn't much different in
that when he heard the news about the Galatians, he was grieved. The
perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ by the Judaizers and the
effect that it had upon Paul troubled him, and since he took such a
long time to refute it, hopefully, there would be no need to address
this problem again.
Paul
continued, “for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
The proof that someone believes something is when they have paid a
price for believing it. Paul the apostle certainly paid a price for
his belief in the gospel of Jesus. We read in the book of Second
Corinthians chapter eleven and verses twenty-three through
twenty-eight where Paul wrote:
Are they ministers of
Christ? (I speak as a fool) I [am] more; in labors more abundant, in
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. Of
the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. Three times
was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, three times I suffered
shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; [In]
journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers,
[in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen,
[in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils
in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; In weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings
often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without,
that which comes upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
If we go
over this list slowly, we can certainly agree that Paul suffered much
in his body for the gospel.
Paul
told the Galatians that the suffering he endured in his body was
proof that he believed and trusted in the grace of Jesus Christ. He
felt and believed the gospel so deeply that he saw his suffering as
“the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Just as Jesus bore marks
upon His body during the crucifixion process, Paul the apostle bore
marks in his body. In other words, he paid a price for his faith in
Jesus, and this should be sufficient proof to the Galatians that he
presented the truth to them.
Have we
ever considered whether we have bore in our bodies “the marks of
the Lord Jesus”? Have we truly sacrificed for the gospel to the
point where it hurts to trust in Him? Do we “play it safe” and
consider our own bodies which are temporary more important than
sharing the gospel with others which is eternal? Perhaps as we
consider Paul's words to the Galatians, we might ask, “If someone
were to ask us what price have you paid for believing in the gospel
of Jesus Christ, what would we be able to say?” May the Lord lead
us to know the worth of His sacrifice for us.
Next time we will end the book of Galatians with a wonderful
benediction, 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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