FAREWELL TO GALATIA (GAL 6:11-18)

SERIES: FREE AT LAST, PART 25

GCEFC: MAY 23, 2010

INTRODUCTION

1. We arrived in Galatia on September 27 of last year. Which makes our visit nearly 8 months. I trust it’s been a good visit. We’ve learned a lot about some important things.

2. Today I want to cover the remaining 8 verses of the book, and then take a couple minutes to look at the 3 main themes of this letter.

A. PAUL ADDS HIS PERSONAL TOUCH

1. In V11, Paul says something that may sound a bit strange. He says: See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

2. Which brings 2 questions immediately to mind. First—why is he writing with large letters? And second—why does he mention that he is?

3. We should first recognize that it was the custom of the day for a letter like this to be dictated to a secretary, who would write it out. Such a person was called an amanuensis.

4. Paul would have dictated his letter to the amanuensis, who would have carefully written it out longhand on some kind of parchment.

5. It was also customary for the one dictating the letter to take the pen at the end of the letter and write a brief greeting.

6. This not only added a personal element, it added authenticity—that the one claiming to have written the letter actually did and is responsible for its content.

7. This was what Paul typically did with his letters. But in this case, he not only signed off on the letter—he wrote an entire paragraph in his own hand. This was different.

8. Apparently Paul felt very deeply about some things as he finished up. So he grabs the pen from the amanuensis and says—I’ll take it from here.

9. But why the large letters? Well if Paul had been using a word processor, this is where he would have set the keyboard for bold underline—and increased the font size.

a. Most letters like this would have been read publicly. This was centuries before the printing press, and most people could not afford manuscripts.

b. So letters were read aloud—much like we do the Scripture reading each Sunday.

c. But when you only hear a letter being read, you can’t see how the letter is written—it’s hidden. Only if the reader gives the emphasis can you know the emphasis.

d. In this case there would have been 2 means of emphasis. The reader would have seen the larger letters—the equivalent of bold print underlined large font.

e. So the reader would have known to give the closing remarks greater emphasis.

f. And…even if the reader failed to give the proper vocal emphasis—the very words: See what large letters I use…would have alerted the hearer.

10. So it’s kind of an ancient world means of adding emphasis to the reading of the letter. Everyone reading the letter or hearing the letter would have picked up on the emphasis.

B. THE CONTRAST REVISITED

1. Paul has been countering the destructive influence of the Judaizers throughout this letter. The Judaizers were convincing Gentile believers that they needed to keep the law of Moses and be circumcised or they could not be saved.

2. In V12-13 he gives some characteristics of these people—none of them flattering.

3. First he says in V12: Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised.

a. In other words, they wanted to look good, so they compelled the Gentiles to be circumcised. And how did this make them look good?

b. By increasing their number of converts. The more Galatian Gentiles they won over to their side—the better their image.

c. Even in first century religious life people vied for market share. Of course it’s done today too. When a church becomes well known, standard questions are asked:

(1) What’s the average weekly attendance?

(2) What’s the average Sunday offering?

(3) Baptist churches ask: How many baptisms did you do last year?

d. Paul’s not saying that statistics are evil or wrong. He’s saying that conversion numbers and increased membership was a big motivator in the work of the Judaizers.

4. Then he says there’s an even deeper motive—that motive is to avoid persecution. He says: The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

a. This is largely lost on us in the 21^st century. For most people, the cross is either a harmless symbol or a piece of jewelry.

b. Some people get worked up over the cross as a symbol—especially when it’s seen as being in conflict with the First Amendment.

c. But for the majority—the cross is no big deal. People wear them as jewelry, put them on cemetery plots, and large insurance companies use them as logos.

d. But this was far from the case in the ancient Roman and Greek and Jewish world. In that world, the cross was not a pretty symbol—it was ugly and despised.

e. The cross symbolized crucifixion in general and Jesus’ crucifixion in particular. The cross was a picture of humiliation, torture, rejection, shame, and death.

f. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians, but the Romans took it to an art form. It was perhaps the most cruel, torturous, agonizing form of execution ever devised.

g. It was designed not merely to torture and kill, but to humiliate. It was reserved for the enemies of Rome and no Roman citizen could be crucified—for any crime.

h. A proper Roman citizen would not even use the word in polite conversation. They referred to the cross as “the unlucky tree.”

i. To speak of the cross or to preach the cross positively would have been to invite persecution, judgment, ridicule, rejection…and even death.

5. Judaizers wanted converts. They were even willing to say they were followers of Christ. But they were not willing to identify with his cross. This was a price they would not pay.

6. But that’s not all. V13: Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

a. Even though the Judaizers insisted that Gentiles be circumcised and keep the law of Moses—they did not even keep the law themselves—which made them hypocrites.

b. Paul’s not suggesting they should keep the law. Or that they could keep it. But if they’re going to require others to do so—they should at least require it of themselves.

c. Again—their motivation was not commendable—it was despicable. It was about their desire to boast in what they had done. It was all about them and not about others.

7. Notice the contrast to Paul in V14: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

a. While the false teachers downplayed the cross of Christ—Paul showcased it. It was not something to be denied—it was the central truth of the Christian faith.

b. The cross was not just an optional add-on to the gospel—the cross IS THE GOSPEL. Without the cross there is no good news. It’s only bad news.

8. Apart from the fact that the cross was an unpopular symbol, and represented something disgusting and shameful—the cross was a theological statement.

9. The cross tells us something very unsavory about ourselves. It says unmistakably that we are sinners under God’s judgment and unable to save ourselves from that condition.

a. If we know nothing else, we know that the cross was absolutely necessary for our salvation. How do we know that?

b. Because if there had been some other way our redemption could have been secured other than through the death of God’s Son—rest assured it would have been taken. Jesus did not relish dying—he died because it was necessary.

c. Remember the words from GAL 2: I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law—Christ died for nothing.

d. Christ didn’t die for nothing. He died because it was the only way we could be saved. The cross is foundational to our faith. It’s not an add-on. It’s not optional.

e. Not something to downplay like the false teachers—it’s something to….boast about. It’s our proudest moment.

f. The cross is not only history’s ugliest moment and darkest hour. It’s also its brightest moment and greatest hope for all who believe.

g. It’s the solution to our greatest problem and the answer to our greatest need. But the cross of Christ is something you either embrace or you hate.

h. Here’s what theologian John Stott says: Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. And of course men do not like it. They resent the humiliation of seeing themselves as God sees them and as they really are. They prefer their comfortable illusions. So they steer clear of the cross. They construct a Christianity without the cross, which relies for salvation on their works and not on Jesus Christ’s. They do not object to Christianity as long as it is not the faith of Christ crucified. But Christ crucified they detest. And if preachers preach Christ crucified, they are opposed, ridiculed, persecuted. Why? Because of the wounds which they inflict on men’s pride.

i. You see, we can either boast in ourselves and in our own spiritual accomplishments. Or we can boast in the cross of Christ—we cannot do both.

10. And the cross is not just a turning point in human history—it’s the divider of it. We see from V14 that the cross brought a kind of 2-way death.

11. Paul says that through the cross the world has been crucified to him and he to the world. In a certain sense it’s as if the world is dead to him. And he to it.

12. What the world thinks is no longer a concern for him. He’s no longer driven by a desire to be accepted by the world and hear its praise.

13. He’s no longer bound by some manmade system of rules. Nor does it matter to him how the world responds to the truth he proclaims.

14. Clearly he wants people to respond to the gospel and follow Christ. But he’s not responsible for their response. He’s only responsible to be faithful to the message.

15. That’s why he says: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

16. The world system, with its selfish, self-centered, short-sighted, temporal system of manmade righteousness—that world was now dead to him—and he to it.

17. To be part of the world system apart from Christ is to have a life that’s ultimately meaningless, hopeless, and without purpose.

18. Short term it may make sense—but long term is makes none. That’s why Jesus said what good is it to gain the whole world and forfeit who we were made to be.

19. Every believer’s ultimate treasure is in heaven and not on earth. That’s why Jesus said we should be storing our treasure in heaven—because our treasure here will be staying here.

C. THE ESSENCE OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE

1. V15 might be a good summary of the entire book: Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

2. Paul would not boast in being circumcised—as a Jew circumcised from his eighth day of life. Nor would he boast in being non-circumcised if he was a Gentile.

3. The only thing he would boast about was in the cross of Christ—the cross which made both of these distinctions not only meaningless—but irrelevant.

4. Remember back in chapter 3: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

5. All that matters is that Jew/Gentile, bond/free, male/female are now a new creation in Christ. It’s not what happens outside, but what happens inside that really matters.

6. Do you see the significance? Circumcision is what we do. Non-circumcision is what we do. Keeping the law is what we do. Living a life of legalistic righteousness is what we do.

7. This entire letter is dedicated to the proposition that it’s not about what we do. It’s about what God does for us. And what God does in us.

8. What he does for us is save us by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. What he does in us is sanctify us as we walk by the Spirit.

9. These are things God does so God gets the credit for doing them. Our salvation is meant to bring glory to God—not to us.

10. Then there’s a word of peace and mercy to all who follow this rule. A bit of irony here—the rule is that it’s not about the rules.

11. The rule is that it’s all about God’s grace and not our works. It’s about what God does for us by his grace—not what we do for God to earn his grace.

12. V17: Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

13. Some more irony. Paul didn’t care about the marks of circumcision. What he cared about were the marks he suffered as proof that he had not watered down the gospel message.

14. Paul could have easily escaped persecution by simply softening the role and the offense of the cross. It worked for the false teachers and it would have worked for Paul.

15. But he was not interested. He believed the truth was worth suffering for. Even dying for. Which eventually he did.

16. It was so nice of Paul and the Galatians to let us read their mail. And to get some insight from it. There are 3 main themes in this letter. Here they are:

a. The first theme is AUTHORITY. It’s where Paul begins CH 1.

b. He said: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

c. The authority of the message of God is the Word of God. And the authority of the Word of God is bound up in the messengers of God—the Apostles and Prophets.

d. We cannot change their message—they speak for God. We cannot change the terms of salvation. We can only accept them or reject them.

e. The second theme is: JUSTIFICATION. Salvation is not a reward for good works. It’s not deserved payment for legalistic rules keeping.

f. Salvation is the gift of God’s grace to condemned sinners, based on the substitutionary death of Christ—given freely to all who receive it by faith.

g. The third theme is: SANCTIFICATION. The letter to the Galatians shows us that we aren’t saved by grace and then made holy by works.

h. Both our salvation and our sanctification are the work of God by his Spirit in us.

i. If I may quote John Stott again: So we have Christ through his apostles to teach us, Christ through his Cross to save us, and Christ through his Spirit to sanctify us.

17. So I hope you enjoyed your visit to Galatia. I would strongly recommend that you go back and visit often.