Galatians 6:11-18 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 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. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
AsPaul comes to the end of his letter to the Galatians, he indicates that we who are alive IN CHRIST are the Israel of God: the chosen ones. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. WHAT RULE DO WE FOLLOW? 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. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. God protects his new creation by placing the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit teaches us as God's children; and we learn what has been, what is, and what will come through our walk in the Lord. As Paul said to the church in Ephesus, God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2: 6-7) No other destination other than the heavenly realm is God's will for our lives. But to completely understand God's will for us at this time, we must appreciate the work of the Holy Spirit within us. He is bringing the likeness of Christ into our lives. He is bringing new insight into our minds and spirits on how to think and act in the image of Christ. Sometimes the difficulties in our lives are the Spirit's workshop to develop Christ in us. As new creatures, we often have little comprehension of how to live out that life. The old perspective of life is deeply embedded in us; consequently, a new way of thinking and living is often hard to understand or to implement into daily living. We must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us in every situation. We must allow for the flesh to die if the new creature is to thrive. We must boast only in the cross, not in our human accomplishments or failures. Christ alone has made us alive; therefore, He is our focus.
As new creations in these vessels of flesh, we should live as Paul lived, the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. He found nothing in this world that would sustain his new life. He was in the world, but not of the world. He could not love the world and the things in it without compromising the new life he found by faith in Jesus Christ. John wrote: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) If Paul walked this world with only the knowledge and wisdom of man, he would always be frustrated, always worried and afraid. He had to be governed by a power greater than his own strength, the power of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God elevated his life to a reality greater than his own will and desires. He spent his life working for God by spreading the message of redemption to all who would hear. He not only preached to his own people, the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well. In fact, the latter became his primary mission. Paul was driven to preach and to teach, to reveal a loving God to the world. No other life would satisfy the new creation in him. He was so fully committed to the Lord and filled with the Spirit that he said, Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. (1 Corinthians 9:16) Paul was totally accountable to God. The question we all must answer is what kind of life will satisfy us. Does a new creature's life satisfy me or am I satisfied primarily by the old creature's life? If we don't know, we are double-minded, lukewarm. The Bible says a double-minded person is unstable and God wants to spew the lukewarm out of his mouth. If we are not living up to our privileges, our passion for God and his work is missing. Our worship and praise will be hollow, simply going through the motions. Our minds will seek the routine, the mundane of life rather than the excitement of knowing God's will in our lives.
Throughout Paul's writings to the church, he often tells believers to find joy in their walk: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) Paul knew regardless of human realities or circumstances, whether he was imprisoned or free, his gift in the Spirit was the joy that Peter described when he wrote about rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8) Paul had just told the Galatians that God wants their lives free from the acts of the sinful nature. He knows that circumcision or uncircumcision of the flesh will not make this happen. They must embrace their new creation in Christ Jesus. As they walk out this new life through the power of the Holy Spirit, they will see the fruit of the Spirit coming forth in abundance. As they follow the teachings of their spiritual father, Paul, they will grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord, and they will not easily be led astray by those who would come to spy out their liberty in Christ. We must ask ourselves today if we are walking in the fulness of our inheritance. Are we taking full advantage of the freedom we have as believers? We read that the Lord has set us free. The Bible says: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17) We walk in the Spirit, but do we walk in freedom? The answer is probably sometimes yes and sometimes no. Our prayer is that we might walk in freedom more and more as the Israel of God. May we rejoice in Christ our Savior and as the Bible tells us: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15) Remember, we do not desire to make a good outward impression upon those we meet. We want them to say, "There was something different about that person: a peace, a joy, an inner grace."
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