14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world … 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. (Galatians 6:14, 17)
Paul’s great aim in this epistle to the Galatians is the defence of the gospel. The core of this gospel, which he expounds throughout the book, is the fact that we are justified (meaning, ‘made right’ with God, or counted ‘as if we have never sinned’) through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone, apart from works (anything we ever did or will ever do).
The recipients of his letter—the Galatian church—had been led to Christ through Paul’s preaching (we see this in Gal. 4:13) and the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. As Paul recounts, they had begun their Christian journey well, having put their faith in Christ (see Gal. 3:2) and been filled with the Holy Spirit (see Gal. 4:6). They consequently walked in step with the Spirit, outworking what He worked in them at their conversion, even in the face of persecution (Gal. 3:28-29).
But then, a faction of the Jewish Christians, who regarded the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as binding on all Christians, came to the Galatian church, preaching what Paul calls ‘another gospel, which is no gospel at all’, and were leading some members of the congregation astray.
In Apostolic Astonishment, Paul retorted:
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Gal. 1:6-9)
What was the content of this ‘other gospel’? Essentially, these Jewish false preachers were telling the Galatian Christians that faith in Christ alone was not enough to save them; they needed to keep the Jewish laws, specifically those regarding circumcision, or else their Christianity wouldn’t be complete. To which Paul responded:
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
(Gal. 5:2-3)
Isn’t Paul being a bit too harsh? Is one small compromise such a big deal? Indeed, it is! Any attempt to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross is a slap in the face of Jesus, as it suggests he wasted his time going to the cross – we are well capable of achieving our own salvation without his help.
Paul encouraged the Galatian Christians not to allow themselves to be enslaved again under a set of rules (5:1). Faith in Christ means we are free from the ‘curse of the law’ (3:13). Practically, this means we live by faith in Christ for every aspect of our Christian lives. We no longer rely on our own strengths or abilities. We derive our strength and worth from the finished work of Christ on the cross.
In the cross:
1) We have total forgiveness for our sins (2:16). We owed a moral debt we could not pay. Christ paid the debt, and thus, our slate has been wiped clean and our sins ‘blotted out’ (Isa. 43:25, 44:22; Mic. 7:18-19; Heb. 8:12, cf. Jer. 31:34)
2) We have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven (Gal. 3:29). As an initial deposit and foretaste of what is awaiting us in heaven, God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee (Eph. 1:14)
3) We have become heirs with Christ – meaning we share His life and righteousness and have become members of God’s family. We are His royal sons and daughters (Gal. 4:7)
4) We are filled with God’s Spirit and can call God ‘Abba, Father!’ (Gal. 4:6). We are no longer slaves to sin but have become God’s children. We don’t have to prove ourselves to our Father; this is the critical distinction between a ‘son’ and a slave. Father loves us just because He loves us, in spite of us.
As Paul comes to the end of his letter, where we pick up our opening passage, he recaps everything he has been telling the Galatian Christians. He encourages them to put no confidence in the flesh but fully and only trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. His summary statement, found in Chapter 6:11-17, can be summed up in this way:
“Boast in the cross!” “That is all that matters!”
Paul makes a similar conclusion to his letter to the Philippians. In the final chapter, he writes,
“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”
Paul uses the same root word (kauxáomai) translated as ‘boast’ in our opening passage. Thus, to boast in the cross is the same as to glory in it. This is contrasted with putting confidence in the flesh, which here represents ‘works’ or our own efforts, strength, abilities or merit.
Practical implications
What does it mean to boast or glory in the cross? Strong’s Greek Concordance defines kauxáomai as “living with ‘head up high,’ i.e., boasting from a particular vantage point by having the right base of operation to deal successfully with a matter”. Strong provides the word’s etymology, as likely derived from the root, auχēn (“neck”), i.e., what holds the neck up high or upright. Thus, to boast or glory in this context refers to living with God-given confidence.
In light of Paul’s teaching in Galatians, I suggest the following practical applications of boasting in the cross.
1) Daily living at the foot of the cross
To boast in the cross means recognising that so far as my efforts didn’t save me, neither can they add or take from my salvation. It is very easy to mentally assent that we’re saved by grace through faith alone yet live as though our salvation depends on our works. Living by faith means daily living at the foot of the cross, drawing from the power of Christ already at work within us (see Ephesians 3:20) to live the Christian life.
The questions below offer a quick test as to whether we’re walking the talk so far as living by faith is concerned.
a) Do you feel the need to ‘prove yourself’ to God so He doesn’t regret saving you?
b) Do you pat yourself at the back for being a ‘good person’, e.g., ’a good giver/tither’, ‘good husband’, ‘good father’, ‘good child’, or whatever else you hold yourself to be good at? Or you reckon that you are what you are solely by the grace of God?
c) Do you find yourself thinking God’ owes’ you certain blessings because of your obedience or service to Him in one way or another?
d) What is the first thought that comes to mind when you consider people whose lives are contrary to the gospel – for example, that drunk or addict in your neighbourhood? Do you find yourself thinking, ‘I thank God I’m not like that’?
2) Treasuring Jesus more than anything in the world
Is Christ your greatest treasure? To Paul, having Christ was everything. Even if living a gospel-centric life meant he would be persecuted, he didn’t mind. He was content to ‘bear on his body the marks of Jesus’. Boasting in the cross means being able to say with Asaph, “Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is nothing on earth I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25), and with the hymnist, ‘Sɛ me wɔ Yesu a, me wɔ ade nyinara, sɛ Yesu bɔ me a, ade nyinara abɔ me” [If I have Jesus, I have everything, if I lose Jesus, I have lost everything]. Is Christ enough for you? Would you be content if God never did anything else for you after the cross?
In the same breath that Paul said he boasts in the cross, he added, “by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. In other words, nothing in the world was worth comparing to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ via the cross.
3) A life of devotion to Christ
Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). Glorying in the cross means that we henceforth live every moment of our lives with the cross in view. To Paul, that meant being branded for Christ! He declares, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).
Isaac Watts, in his classic hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”, writes:
When I survey the wond’rous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but Loss,
And pour contempt on all my Pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God:
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
In the final stanza, he avows:
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Watts is right. A true appreciation of the cross will culminate in only one response: a life sold to, enamoured, and entranced by the One who loved us and gave Himself for us that we might be forgiven.
