Galatians 6:11-18
There are some cryptic comments in this passage. My first observation is that Paul wrote this part of the letter himself (rather than dictating it to a scribe). This could mean that he wanted to emphasize the point he was making or that he wanted to include a personal touch (or both). He compares boasting in circumcision with boasting in the cross (not surprisingly, boasting in the cross is what Paul champions as the only kind of boasting allowed). The cryptic comments are "the Israel of God" (defined just before that as those who follow the rule of the new creation or those who follow the rule of only boasting in the cross - it's not clear which rule Paul is referring to). The other comment is "let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." Any idea of what that means? Is he exhibiting the wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side? Is he referring to wounds or marks that were inflicted on the road to Damascus when Christ's light blinded him?
The main point of this section is that the Judaizers are pushing for circumcision just to escape persecution. I'm sure they had a very logical and theological reason for forcing circumcision but at the heart was compromise and fear. I can think (much to my shame) of some very clear times when I compromised who I am and the gospel of Jesus out fear of ridicule, shame and "persecution" (not persecution in the sense of jail, torture or death but just being slighted by friends - man, I'm weak!!). Jesus, please forgive me for those times. Let me never compromise out of fear; give me the courage of my convictions.
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1 comment:
Hey Jer, why don't we just continue on our journey and hit Ephesians and Philippians next, have you done these two yet? I would be good with continuing with these books. Let me know what you think.
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