Galatians 6:11-18; The Marks of Jesus (Household of Faith, part 16)

INTRODUCTION: Last week when I was visiting with my parents, they introduced me to a faith-based show from the early 2000s called “Doc.” The lead character was played by Billy Ray Cyrus, a Montana doctor who moves to New York City to work in a small hospital there. In the 1st episode, Doc is still in Montana & he is branding cows. There is a little boy watching him brand the cows who asks if it hurts. And of course, it does. The cattle feel a brief moment of pain, but it leaves a permanent mark that identifies the cattle as belonging to their owner.

Do you know that following Jesus leaves a mark on us? As we wrap up the book of Galatians, in today’s text Paul says he bears on his body “the marks of the Lord Jesus.” “Mark” is stigmata- a brand, a scar left on the skin in reference to a slave-owner, or to a deity that one serves. Paul frequently said he was a servant of Jesus Christ, so his body & life were marked by his service to Jesus.

Galatians 6:11-18, See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 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. 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. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 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.

Just as Paul’s life & ministry were marked by the Lord Jesus, this text describes how the Lord’s church is to be marked by Jesus as well.

We are to be Marked by SUFFERING, vss. 11-13

In vs. 11, you notice that Paul points out “what large letters I have written in my own hand!” Why this detail?

It’s known that Paul’s letters were commonly dictated to someone else, i.e., a scribe, who wrote down his words, & the letter was sent in his name. E.g., Romans 16:22, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.” The technical term is amanuensis. It seems that at this point in the letter Paul relieved his scribe & wrote the closing himself. It’s possible that the “large letters” is an indication of Paul’s failing eyesight. It also may be that he is drawing particular attention to what follows because it summarizes several of the letter’s themes.

One of the major themes of Galatians comes from its purpose, to counteract false teaching that the Galatian churches were hearing. Judaizers were Christian Jews who attempted to impose the Jewish way of life on Gentile Christians. The Greek verb “to Judaize,” is found only one time in the NT, Galatians 2:14, But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? “To live as Jews” is the word for Judaize.

These Judaizers are who Paul refers to in vs. 12 are those who “desire to make a good showing in the flesh.” They were teaching that for Gentile Christians to be saved they needed to essentially become Jewish first, submit to Jewish laws & regulations, particularly circumcision, because it was the sign of being a Jew (a descendant of Abraham). What Paul says here is that those Judaizers would compel (force) Gentile Christians to be circumcised because they didn’t want to suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. How would that be?

Judaizers added the law to the Gospel, & works to grace, because they didn’t want to face the judgment of the Jews and suffer persecution like Jesus, or even like Paul. Suffering is one of the very things Jesus predicted for His followers. John 15:20, Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 2 Timothy 3:12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Some of the worst persecutors are those who claim to be Christian but convince others that Christ isn’t enough.

They didn’t keep the law themselves, but they wanted to be able to boast that they proselytized Christians into Judaism, i.e., boast in their flesh. They were choosing their reputation over persecution. But the mark of a true church, & of true Christians, is that we will choose persecution over reputation. To be a true Christian, & a true church, is to be marked by suffering just like Jesus was.

We are to be Marked by SACRIFICE, vss. 14-15

Though the Judaizers wanted to boast of their reputation by the conversion of Gentile Christians to circumcision, Paul says he wouldn’t boast in anything except the cross of Christ. And if anyone had any reason to boast in the flesh about anything, it was the Apostle Paul.

In Philippians 3:4-6, If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

All those things he said that were gain for him, he counted as loss for Jesus Christ. In fact, he went on to say, Philippians 3:8, Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Paul sacrificed all things for Jesus, because Jesus sacrificed everything for him.

Paul’s identity was the cross, not his loss. He didn’t go on & on about everything he gave up for Jesus, he goes on & on about Jesus & makes very little to do about everything he gave up. If the Judaizers were choosing reputation over persecution, Paul was choosing crucifixion over ambition. If we are to be marked by Jesus, then we will too.

Crucifixion was a horrible way to die, it was a great object of shame, to be hanged on a tree was considered a curse. Paul is essentially saying, the world is dead to me & I to the world, the world is shameful to me & I to the world, the world is cursed to me & I to the world.

Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Paul is showing us that true Christians, & true Churches, are marked by sacrifice, but not a sacrifice of our own making. The sacrifice Jesus made for us. Paul explains further that for the person who is in Jesus Christ, being circumcised (a Jew) or being uncircumcised (a Gentile) doesn’t do anything. It’s not who you are that matters, it’s not what you have done, or not done that saves you, the only thing that works (avails- has power) is being made new, i.e., a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. The only sacrifice that saves is not ours, it’s Jesus’. His cross is our identity, not our perceived loss. We are marked by His sacrifice.

We are to be Marked by SERENITY, vss. 16-18

Some of you Seinfeld-watching people might be thinking “serenity now, serenity now.” It’s through the sacrifice of Christ that we find serenity (state of calm, peace, untroubled).

“As many as walk according to this rule,” this is the 2nd time he uses the phrase “as many as.” In vs. 12, it was “as many as desire” to be something, they want you to be circumcised. Here is a stark contrast, “as many as walk according to this rule,” what rule? The rule of the new creation. Walk- hold to, conform, follow; sense of agreement, falling in line; ILL: battle formation. Rule- assignment, formulation; sense of basis for comparison.

The New Creation (Christians) lines up in battle formation against the legalist’s formulation. You can tell who is and who is not by how they live their lives. Those who are part of the new creation in Christ are marked by peace, mercy, & grace. Grace- unmerited favor of God, His goodwill freely disseminated to His recipients. Mercy- pity & compassion towards offenders. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, mercy is NOT getting what you do deserve.

Peace- a state of peace that is a blessing or favor from God. When God shows us mercy in spite of our sins, & freely extends His grace to us, then we are in a state of peace. That state is the serenity of God. Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

That state of the believer lines up against the state of the legalist. The opposite of peace with God is hostility with God. The opposite of mercy is punishment by God. The opposite of grace is earning with God. The legalist is at odds with God, he stands in fear of God’s punishment, and he is doing whatever He can to earn God’s favor, even if it means trying to convince you that you need to get like him to be saved. The true “Israel of God” is those who have Christ by faith. New Creation Christians must fight the philosophy that to be saved, you must add the law to the Gospel, & your works to grace.

Legalists will choose reputation over persecution, Christians will choose formation over formulation. Paul says about those people, you better leave me alone. “From now on let no one trouble (bother) me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Marks- branding. Texans understand branding- permanently marking cattle for identification and proof of ownership. If you’ve been to the National Ranching & Heritage Center you’ve probably walked through the 6666 barn where there are hundreds of branding irons on display.

There is another kind of branding- a modern term that refers to marketing; how businesses convey their identity, message, & market. In his book, Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller, “Every day, most business leaders make a mistake that costs them money: they don’t explain clearly what it is their company does.”

Don’t take this the wrong way, but The Church has a branding problem. There are too many mixed messages about who the church is & what the church is trying to do. The world looks at the church & thinks we’re a bunch of religious fanatics, culturally resistant, politically motivated, moral hypocrites. Do you know why? Because we are too often living off brand. Mahatma Gandhi- “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Matthew 10:25, It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. For us to be the church God wants us to be, His household of faith, we will be marked by Jesus- marked by suffering, marked by sacrifice, & marked by serenity. Our lives will be characterized by grace, mercy, & peace; just like our Master, Jesus.