Galatians 6 Verses 11 to 18 Do Good March 31, 2024

Galatians 6 Verses 11 to 18 Do Good March 31, 2024

Lesson 13 A Cry for Freedom

Class Presentation Notes AAAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

· Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV) 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

· Hebrews 12:3 (NKJV) 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Main Idea:

· We need to depend upon the Holy Spirit to serve.

Study Aim:

· To understand that we can grow weary and lose heart in our service to God.

Create Interest:

· Some years ago, somebody came up with this question: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” That is a good question, isn’t it?

· Let’s see if Paul answers this question and apply it to our lives.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· The end of Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches carries the same weight of seriousness, urgency, and indignation as the rest of it. At both the beginning and end (1:3; 6:18) he commends his readers to God’s grace, and his deep concern for the spiritual welfare of those to whom he writes is evident throughout the epistle. But he takes no time for the personal amenities found in most of his other writings. It is almost as if the courier were standing at the door, waiting for Paul to finish writing so he could rush the letter on its way.

· Except for the closing benediction (v. 18), verses 11 to the end are largely a parting barrage against the Judaizers, whose heretical activities prompted the letter in the first place. They were teaching the spurious, man-made gospel (which was no gospel at all, 1:6–7) of salvation by works and of living under the government of law, in complete contradiction to the divine gospel of salvation by grace and living by the Spirit that Paul had preached when he ministered in Galatia.

· God’s way is the way of divine accomplishment; all other ways rely on human achievement.

o Those who follow the religion of divine accomplishment say, “I cannot accomplish anything in my own power or goodness, and I throw myself on the mercy of God, trusting in the sufficient sacrifice of His Son on my behalf.”

o Those who follow the way of human achievement, no matter what its packaging might be, say, “On my own merit and in my own power I can make myself acceptable to God and worthy of a place in heaven.”

· Before exposing the ungodly motives of the Judaizers in preaching the false gospel of Jewish legalistic achievements, Paul first gives insight into his own godly motives in preaching the true gospel of divine grace.[1]

· He has shown them that the believer living under Law and the believer living under grace are diametrically opposed to each other. It is not just a matter of “different doctrine,” but a matter of two different ways of life. They had to choose between bondage or liberty (Gal. 5:1–12), the flesh or the Spirit (Gal. 5:13–26), and living for self or living for others (Gal. 6:1–10).

· Now he presents a fourth contrast: living for the praise of men or the glory of God (Gal. 6:11–18). He is dealing with motive, and there is no greater need in our churches today than for an examination of the motives for our ministries.

o We know what we are doing, but do we know why we are doing it?

§ A good work is spoiled by a bad motive.

· Paul approaches this delicate subject in an interesting way.

o The legalists wanted to subject the Galatian believers to circumcision, so Paul takes this up and relates it to the work of Christ on the cross, and also to his own ministry.

o In this section Paul presents three “marked men”—the legalist (Gal. 6:12–13), the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14–16), and the Apostle Paul himself (Gal. 6:17–18).

Bible Study:

Galatians 6:11 (NKJV) 11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!

Vs. 11: Paul brings his letter to a close, switching from dictation to writing for himself—see what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Paul, like many other ancient writers, used a secretary or trained copyist (the letter to the Romans names the scribe—“I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter” [16:22]). Sometimes at the end of his letters Paul would write a few lines in his own hand (see 1 Cor. 16:21). One reason for this practice was that it discouraged forgery (see 2 Thess. 3:17).[2] The other possible reason speculative and not proven is Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was poor eyesight and these large letters added emphasis to his proof of approving the writing of the letter.

Galatians 6:12-13 (NKJV) Let’s look at the legalist 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

· Paul does not have anything good to say about the legalist. He describes him and his kind in four ways.

· They are braggarts (vv. 12a, 13b). Their main purpose was not to win people to Christ, or even to help the believers grow in grace. Their chief purpose was to win more converts so they could brag about them. They wanted to “make a fine impression outwardly” even though they did no good inwardly. Their work was not done for the good of the church or for the glory of God; it was done for their own glory.

o While it is certainly not wrong to want to win people to Christ, or to see the work of the Lord increase, it is definitely wrong to want these blessings for the glory of man. We want to see more people sharing in our ministries, not so that we can count people, but because people count. But we must be careful not to “use people” to further our own selfish programs for our own glorification.

· They are compromisers (v. 12b). Why did they preach and practice circumcision and all that went with it? To escape persecution.

o Because Paul preached the grace of God and salvation apart from the works of the Law, he was persecuted (Gal. 5:11).

o The Judaizers tried to make the Christians think that they too were Christians, and they tried to make the followers of the Mosaic Law think that they too obeyed the Law.

§ Consequently, they escaped being persecuted by the legalistic group for their identification with the cross of Christ and its devastating effect on the Law.

Note to Consider before moving on:

· We are prone to look at the cross (and crucifixion) in a sentimental way. We wear crosses on our lapels or on chains around our necks. But to the first-century citizen, the cross was not a beautiful piece of jewelry; it was the lowest form of death and the ultimate in humiliation. The proper Roman citizen would never mention the cross in polite conversation. It stood for rejection and shame.

o When Paul trusted Christ, he identified himself with the cross and took the consequences.

§ To the Jew the cross was a stumbling block, and to the Gentile it was foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18–31).

§ The legalists, emphasizing circumcision rather than crucifixion, won many converts.

📷 Theirs was a popular religion because it avoided the shame of the cross.

· They are persuaders (v. 12a). The word compel carries with it the idea of strong persuasion and even force. It is translated “compel” in Galatians 2:14.

o While it does not mean “to force against one’s will,” it is still a strong word. It indicates that the Judaizers were great persuaders; they had a “sales talk” that convinced the Galatian believers that legalism was the way for them.

o Whenever Paul presented the Word, it was in truth and sincerity, and he used no oratorical tricks or debater’s skills. (See 1 Cor. 2:1–5 and 2 Cor. 4:1–5 to see how Paul presented the Word to his listeners. Paul was not a politician; he was an ambassador.)

· They are hypocrites (v. 13). “They want you to submit to the Law, but they themselves do not obey the Law.”

o The legalists belonged to the same group as the Pharisees about whom Jesus said, “They say and do not” (Matt. 23:3).

§ Of course, Paul is not suggesting that the Judaizers shouldkeep the Law, because keeping the Law is neither possible nor necessary.

§ Rather, he is condemning them for their dishonesty; they had no intention of keeping the Law, even if they could. Their reverence for the Law was only a mask to cover their real goal: winning more converts to their cause. They wanted to report more statistics and get more glory.

📷 Yes, the legalist is a marked man; so when you detect him, avoid him.[3]

In summary of the legalist:

· The Judaizers who insisted that circumcision was necessary for salvation (cf. Acts 15:1), in summary, were only braggart men-pleasers (cf. Gal. 1:10) seeking to make a good impression outwardly; were afraid of persecution (6:12b); wanted to boast about the number of Galatians they hoped to win over to circumcision as a religious and merit-earning rite of which they did not want to submit (v. 13). The legalists knew the offense of the Cross would be softened if they openly proclaimed justification by faith and works (i.e., circumcision) and if they could claim conversions to that position in Galatia.[4]

Galatians 6:14-15(NKJV) Let’s look at the Lord, Jesus 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

· Vs. 14: Paul’s usage of boast/glory/ kauchaomai suggests, boasting is self-centered, self-reliant, and proud. Arrogance might also be a facet of its meaning because it ignores the work of Christ and gives credit to one’s own abilities. Positively boasting is permissible, but only if it complements the message of the gospel (2 Corinthians 12:1ff.).[5]

· “That I should boast”; or that I should rely on anything else. Others glory in their conformity to the laws of Moses; others in their zeal, or their talents, or their learning, or their orthodoxy; others in their wealth, or their accomplishments; others in their family alliances, and their birth; but the supreme boast and glorying of a Christian is in the cross of Christ.[6]

o It is hard for us to appreciate how strange Paul’s words are here. For people who knew what crucifixion was all about, the words “cross” and “glory” just did not go together.

o They were direct opposites because there was not a more humiliating, shameful way to be executed than the cross. It seemed much more logical to glory in your good showing in the flesh, instead of the cross. But Paul thinks and writes with a heavenly logic that surpasses anything of this earth.[7]

· In contrast to the Judaizers’ boasting in the visible results of their human efforts, Paul returns to the true center of our boasting: the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only means of justification and sanctification.

· Christianity isn’t about our achievements. It’s not about what we can do for God. It’s about what God has done for us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

o In fact, a true understanding of the saving work of Jesus Christ on our behalf excludes all boasting in our own merit. Paul makes this clear elsewhere:

§ “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).

· God chose us (Eph. 1:4). He sent His Son to die for us (Gal. 4:4). He gave us a new life we never could have earned (1 Pet. 1:3).

o His power and grace alone justified us, sanctified us, and will glorify us. We have nothing to boast about except the person and work of Jesus Christ.

o Every ounce of credit for who we are and for the hope that we have goes to the Savior who died for us at Calvary.

o Now that we have seen ourselves as sinners and Christ crucified as our sin-bearer, we do not care what the world thinks or says of us or does to us.” This change in perspective has profound practical implications. The more we focus on Christ and what He accomplished, the less we’ll focus on the world and what we accomplish. When the Cross becomes everything to us, the world loses its luster. As the words of a very old chorus go,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Thought to Soak on Submitted by Charles Spurgeon September 13, 1885

· Yet the apostle selected beyond all these that center of the Christian system, that point which is most assailed by its foes, that focus of the world’s derision the cross and, putting all else somewhat into the shade, he exclaims, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”Learn, then, that the highest glory of our holy religion is the cross. The history of grace begins earlier and goes on later, but in its middle point stands the cross. Of two eternities this is the hinge: of past decrees and future glories this is the pivot. Let us come to the cross this morning, and think of it, till each one of us, in the power of the Spirit of God, shall say, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[8]

· Vs. 15: This verse reflects what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:14–21, where he ties the cross to the new creation. In that letter he says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17).

· What does a new creation look like? Look at Galatians 2:19–20. These wonderful verses put boasting in the cross and a new creation together.

o A person who is united to Jesus Christ, who died on his behalf, is never the same person again! He has become a new creation!

§ Galatians 2:19-20 (NKJV) 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the lifewhich I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Thoughts to Soak On:

· Are you glad this is true? Are you glad that you are a new creation? Christianity is not about being a nice person, trying harder, or just being religious. It is about becoming a new person. And this new life is made possible by the cross.

· As new creations in Christ, we are now fit for a new creation. The new creation has dawned with the coming of Christ. We live between the times of His comings. We will enjoy the blessing of the new creation because of the cross.

· What matters is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision—neither the marks in the flesh of the Jew nor the absence of such marks in the Gentile.

o What matters is that God has unleashed upon the world his own new creation, and through the gospel of Jesus invites all to share equally in its blessings, its new life, its promises for the future.[9]

· The gospel is not about religious acts. It is not primarily a code of ethics. It is an explosion. It is about being united to Christ, who then works in His followers, empowering them to live differently.[10]

Galatians 6:16 (NKJV) 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

· Vs. 16: Paul then says that “those who will walk by this rule”—the principle that the new life is to be lived in the shadow of the Cross—will be granted peace and mercy.

o Unlike the Law, which produced anxiety and wrath, God’s grace fills a believer’s life with a profound, inexplicable peace and a sense of pardon from sin and its penalties. No longer are we trapped in a dark pit of guilt and fear.

· Paul extends this blessing of peace and mercy not only to all those who accept this principle of the Cross but also to “the Israel of God.” Bible students have interpreted this phrase in numerous ways. Some understand it to be a further description of “those who will walk by this rule,” meaning it could be translated, “that is, the Israel of God.”

· Because this is the only place in the Bible where we find the phrase “Israel of God,” we have no way of determining exactly what Paul meant.

o The phrase could refer to all believers in Christ—Jews and Gentiles—as members of “spiritual Israel” in the sense that children of faith are the true children of Abraham (Gal. 3:6–9).

o Others understand “Israel of God” to refer to unbelieving Israel. Here, Paul would be expressing his earnest desire that even the present enemies of the Cross would one day inherit the blessings of peace and mercy (see Rom. 9:3–4).

o Still others see the “Israel of God” as the Jewish Christians who, though true physical members of the nation of Israel, overcame the cultural and religious bondage they were in and embraced Jesus as their Messiah, choosing to live according to grace rather than law.

§ Paul himself would fit in this category (Phil. 3:4–11).

· Nevertheless, the principle still stands—only those who trust in Christ and His redemptive work will receive the peace and mercy for which every man and woman yearns.[11]

Galatians 6:17-18 (NKJV) Let’s look at Paul. 17 From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

· Vs. 17: Having made his point, Paul rested his case—From now on let no man trouble me. The apostle had exhausted himself in the service of Christ and in substance asks that in the future he be spared the abuse and distress heaped upon him by his opponents. The justification for his request is: I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

o The figure alludes to the prevalent practice of branding slaves, indicating to whom they belonged. Paul often identified himself as the slave of Jesus Christ; for him it was a favorite figure. The wounds and scars of the battle (cf. 2 Cor. 11:23–33) were his badge; the marks (lit., stigma) of the Lord Jesus were indelibly etched on his body. They marked him as a slave in deed and not simply in word; but he bore his identification joyfully.[12]

· What are these marks?

o Probably he is referring to the literal scars he had from the torture, imprisonments and beatings he had received for the sake of Christ.

o The teachers of the false, popular, self-salvation gospel had none of these, because the world loved to hear their message.

o But Paul is a true minister, a true apostle, as he argued in chapters 1 and 2. Do not doubt me, he says: I have the real marks of apostolic authority—not greatness and riches, but signs of suffering and weakness.

· And then he signs off. But even here, Paul is reminding the Galatians of the message of his letter. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v 18) is the entry point to, and the way to continue with, and all we will ever need in, the Christian life.

o We begin by grace, by being justified by faith in what Christ has done.

o We continue by grace, not by anything we do.

o This gospel of grace is what the Galatians need to know, and love, in “your spirit”.

§ It is not a set of abstract truths.

§ It is a way of life, of a deeply fulfilling, secure life now, and of eternal life to come.

· Amen.

Questions for reflection

1. How does verse 14 thrill you? How does it challenge you?

2. In which areas of your life are you knowing the peace of living by the gospel? In which are you forfeiting this peace by living for the world’s approval?

3. If you had to sum up the message of the whole book of Galatians in a few words, what would you say?[13]

As we go our way, Spurgeon shares a parting thought:)

Are you trusting in the cross? Are you resting in Jesus? If not, may the Lord teach you this blessed privilege. There is no joy like it. There is no strength like it. There is no life like it. There is no peace like it. At the cross we find our heaven. While upon the cross we gaze all heavenly, holy things abound within our hearts. If you have never been there, the Lord lead you there at this very hour; so shall you be pardoned, accepted, and blest for aye. The Lord grant that you all may be partakers of this grace for Christ’s sake. Amen.[14]

[1]John F. MacArthur Jr., Galatians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983), 193–194. [2]L. Ann Jervis, Galatians, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book, 2011), 157. [3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 725–726. [4]Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 611. [5]Thoralf Gilbrant, “Καυχάομαι,” The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991). [6]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: II Corinthians & Galatians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 398. [7]David Guzik, Galatians, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Ga 6:14–15. [8]C. H. Spurgeon, “The Cross Our Glory,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 31 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1885), 495. [9]Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 82. [10]David Platt and Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 142–143. [11]Charles R. Swindoll, Galatians, Ephesians, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015), 144–146. [12]R. E. Howard, “The Epistle to the Galatians,” in Galatians through Philemon, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 2020), Ga 6:17. [13]Timothy Keller, Galatians for You, God’s Word for You (Purcellville, VA: The Good Book Company, 2013), 184–185. [14]C. H. Spurgeon, “Three Crosses,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), 684, message no.1447