Power of God, Part 2

 Hey Everyone.

We will continue our examination of Romans 1:16-17.  In my previous post we looked at the first two of four clauses in these verses and today we will ook at the other two.  Here is a reminder of the passage: 

16  I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of all of those who have faith, first to the Jews, and then to the Greeks, 17 for in the Gospel the righteousness of God has been revealed to the faithful from the beginning to the end, for as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”

We have seen how discusses the how he was not ashamed of the Gospel, because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.  Here is our look at the other two:  

“In the Gospel the righteousness of God has been revealed to the faithful.”

Romans was actually written before any of the Gospels had been written, so when Paul talks about the gospel, what is he referring to?  He is talking about the ‘good news’ message of Jesus, the Cross and God’s grace.  Now, we have just seen in verse 16 that this message is the power of God for the salvation of those who have faith.  The clause that we are examining now elaborates on this power.  It tells us that God’s righteousness has been revealed, where it is revealed and to whom it has been revealed.  

So, we see that this gospel message reveals God’s righteousness.  The question becomes then, “What does Paul mean by “the righteousness of God’? Some possibilities (Moo, 70-71.): 

• Righteousness as an attribute of God.  
• Righteousness as a status God gives to the faithful.  
• Righteousness as an activity of God. 

Two of these possibilities involve who God is and what He does, while the other possibility involves what God confers upon His people, He makes us righteous. Any of these, or all of these could be what Paul means here.  All of these can be revealed in the message of God’s grace. The context, “it is the power of God for salvation”, could apply to all three. We don't really have to choose one.  All three work and have a valid meaning. The important part of this is that this righteousness is revealed to the faithful.  

Paul has been battling against works-oriented righteousness.  The message of the gospel is grace through faith, not obedience.  It is our faith, not works, that allows us to see God’s righteousness. 

In the Greek Paul uses the phrase  ἐκ πίστεως  εἰς πίστιν  (ek pisteōs eis pistin).  A literal translation would be ‘out of faith into faith.”  John Harvey explains that the two prepositions indicate a starting point and an ending point. Like ‘first to last,’ or ‘beginning to end.” (Harvey, 30.) We should to our faith throughout our Christian walk. 

“It is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

Paul supports his statement about the gospel revealing the righteousness of God by quoting Habakkuk 2:4.  In Habakkuk, it is God who says this to Habakkuk, teaching the prophet that it is indeed God who is in control, and if you trust Him, you are considered righteous. Habakkuk learned to trust God even when the crops fail and there are no cattle in the stalls.  (Hab. 3:17-18.)  

Paul had quoted from Habakkuk 2:4 in Galatians, as well. In Gal. 3:10-11, he says, “For those who base their righteousness on works of the Law are under a curse.  It is written, “Those who fail to obey all that is written in the book of the law are under a curse.” 11 It is obvious that the Law does not make anyone righteous before God, instead, “the righteous will live by faith.” (Harvey, 30-31.) 

Paul is making the point in Galatians that righteousness before God is not based on our performance or obedience.  In fact, trusting in our own obedience is a curse.  Obedience does not make us righteous, faith does.

Here, in Romans, Paul is saying that if we are faithful, we will see God’s righteousness, and that our righteousness has always been based on faith, from the beginning to the end. Thomas Schreiner says, “Like Abraham, the people of God are summoned to trust in Yahweh when circumstances aspire against such trust. Thus the fundamental call of Habakkuk is to trust in the Lord.”  (Schreiner, 80-81.) As he did in Galatians, Paul is presenting a message that a right relationship with God is gained through faith and not through obedience to the law. 

Here is a quick summation of Romans 1:16-17:

• Paul takes ‘pride’ in the Gospel, as he says he is unashamed of it.  (v. 16a) 
• The reason for Paul’s ‘pride’ in the Gospel is that it ‘contains or mediates’ the power of God for our salvation for all who believe.  (v. 16b.) 
• The Gospel brings salvation because in it we can see the righteousness of God. A righteousness based on faith. (v. 17a.)
• Finally, the connection between righteous and faith is backed up with scripture, as Paul quotes Hab. 2:4.  (v. 17b.)

       John Harvey, Exegetical Guide to the Greek: Romans, B&H Academic, Brentwood, Tennesssee, 2017. 

        Thomas Scheiner, Romans, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Baker Academic. 1998. 

Power of God

Greetings everyone. 

Today, we will start examining Romans 1:16-17, a passage that Douglas Moo calls in his commnetary on Romans, "The Theme of the Letter."  (Moo, 63.)  Here is my translation:

16  I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of all of those who have faith, first to the Jews, and then to the Greeks, 17 for in the Gospel the righteousness of God has been revealed to the faithful from the beginning to the end, for as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”

As we move forward we will see whether or not this idea that gospel of Jesus as the power of salvation for those who believe is the theme of Romans.  Moo goes on to explain that these two verses contains 4 clauses that build on the those come before.  (Moo, 63-64.)  We will look at two of  those clauses today, and two in my next post.  

“I am not ashamed of the gospel” 

Paul declares that he is not ashamed of the Gospel. This clause reminds us of Mark 8:38, where Jesus says, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” 

Back in verse 15, Paul has just said, “I am eager to proclaim the good news to those of you in Rome.”  He follows in verse 16 with a statement that he is not ashamed of gospel.  It is his ambition to spread the gospel everywhere.  Also, he is not ashamed as he understands the power of the Good News.  It is God’s power for our salvation.  

The Greek here that is translated as ‘ashamed’ is ἐπαισχύνομαι (epaischunomai). The Lexicon defines this word as ‘to experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status because of some particular event or activity.”  Paul does not fear losing status or anything else because of his association with the Gospel of Jesus.  He does not fear such things because he understands its value, it is the power of God for our salvation.  

We don't want to ashamed of the gospel, either. A good way to avoid being ashamed of the Gospel is to remember what the gospel does.  It brings salvation to those who believe. 

“For it is the power of God for salvation for all of those who believe.” 

Δύναμις Θεοῦ (dynamis Theou) - The power of God. Paul declares that the gospel, or good news of Jesus Christ, is the power of God.  Thomas Schreiner says this about the ‘power of God’: “The Δύναμις Θεοῦ in the gospel signifies the effective and transforming power that accompanies the preaching of the gospel.  God’s power is expressed in the proclamation of Jesus as risen Lord.” (Schreiner, 64.)

More to the point the  Δύναμις Θεοῦ is the power of God for a specific purpose.  It brings slavation to those who believe.  So there are two things in play here:  God’s power and our faith.

Note: Like Galatians, the book of Romans preaches a gospel of salvation by faith, and not works.  Paul does not say, “for it is the power of God for salvation for all who obey.”

John Stott, in connecting these two phrases makes the point, “In the long run, only because we have experienced its saving power in our own lives.  Has God reconciled us to himself through Christ, forgiven our sins, made us his children, put his Spirit in us, begun to transform us and introduced us into his new community?  Then how can we be ashamed of his gospel?” (Stott, 44-45.) 

It is important to remember that salvation comes entirely due to God’s power and not any of our own.  As much as I want to be saved, be righteous or be transformed into the likeness of Jesus, I remain powerless to do any of these things on my own.  He is the one with the power, and my role is to trust Him.    

      Douglas Moo,  The Epistle to the Romans, Eerdman's Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996
       Thomas Schreiner, Romans, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998.
       John Stott, The Message of Romans, InterVarsity Press. Downers Grove, Illinois, 1994. 

Mutually Encouraged

 Greeting everyone.  

We continue to look at Romans, as Paul greets the church:

8 First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, as your faith is being talked about all over the world. 9 I serve God in my spirit as I proclaim the gospel of his son. He is my witness of how I am constantly making mention of you. 10 I am always in prayer for you, asking that possibly, at last, I may succeed in coming to you, according to God’s will. 
11 I am eager to see you, so that I may give you some spiritual gift to strengthen you. 12  This is so that we can be mutually encouraged by one another’s faith.  13 I do not want you to be unaware , brothers and sisters, that I frequently planned to come to you, but so far I have been prevented from doing so. This has happened so that I may see fruit among you, just as I have among other nations. 
14 I am one who is under obligation to both Greek and non-Greek, to the wise and the foolish, 
15 Therefore, I am eager to proclaim the good news to those of you in Rome.

According to Douglas Moo, in Greek letters, it was fairly common to include an expression of thanks, and a petition to the gods on behalf of the reader.  (Moo, 56.) Paul adopts this custom here in verses 8-10:

He expresses his gratitude for them and their faith.  Even though he has no connection to them, unlike most of the people and churches Paul writes to, he begins his letter expressing his gratitude for them. Apparently they have shown themselves to be very faithful.  In verse 8, he says that “your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world. 

What an amazing thing to have someone say about you, that faith is being talked about all over. To have someone with the apostolic authority that Paul carried must have been encouraging indeed.  Paul follows this thought up in verse 9, stating that he always mentions them, and God would verify that, as his witness.  It is as though he is saying, “everyone is talking about your faith, particularly me,”  Paul is undoubtedly speaking in hyperbole, undoubtedly not everyone is talking about them, but, as Moo points out, the church in Rome, the seat of Roman power, is not bowing a knee to Caesar, but only to Jesus Christ.  They would at various points in time, face tremendous persecution for this, and their faith would encourage those who hear of it. (Moo, 57.) 

In verse 9, Paul tells them that “I serve God in my spirit.”  There is much talk about what that particular phrase means.  The explanation that makes the most sense to me is that when Paul talks about serving God in his spirit, he is referring to the deepest part of himself.  In other words, Paul is simply saying that he serves God with whole-hearted devotion. Then, as he serves God in his spirit, he proclaims the good news of Jesus. His bold proclamation of Jesus as God’s son springs out of whole-hearted devotion. 

Paul frequently prays for those in Rome.  Part of his frequent and constant prayer for the Roman church is that he will soon be able to see them.  He expresses a little later on that he has long desired to do this, but to this point has been prevented from doing so.  

In verse 11, Paul expresses that his motive behind wanting to see them so badly is so that he can give them some kind of spiritual gift to encourage and strengthen them, but that there also may be a mutual benefit It is not clear what spiritual gift Paul desires to give to the Romans, only that the gift would in some way strengthen them.  To me, it makes sense that he would want to lay his hands on them and give them some kind of miraculous gift, as it seems that no apostles were connected to the church in Rome.  

In verse 12, Paul continues his talk of being eager to see them, this time stating that they would be mutually encouraged.  He has something for them, (spiritual gift), but he would also receive something from them, encouragement, of course, but likely something more.  Perhaps, he seeks financial support to go to Spain. (Romans 15:24)  

To this point, Paul has already stated that he prays for them a lot and talks about them a lot. Now, in verse 13, he states that he has wanted to come see them, but so far, has been prevented from doing so.  

He doesn’t explain how he has been prevented. He does add that he wants to come to Rome to see fruit among, just like he has everywhere else. He has an obligation to preach the gospel to all and so he is all the more eager to preach it among those in Rome.    

Although Paul did not start the church in Rome, his missionary zeal is such that he still desires to go there for the purpose of spreading the gospel.  Since the church was already in place, he had dual objectives.  He can spread the gospel while strengthening and encouraging the church. Paul has an obligation to share the good news with everyone, whether Jew or Gentile,  wise or foolish.  This obligation that he feels makes all the more eager to join them in Rome, so that he can spread the good news there.

Good News, Part 2

Hey everyone. 

We will continue to look at Paul's initial greeting in the letter to the Romans.  Here are verses 4-7:

4  The Spirit of holiness has designated him, in power, as the Son of God, through his resurrection from the dead. He is Jesus Christ, our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship, for the purpose of calling all nations to an obedient faith in His name, 6 and through Jesus Christ, you too, have been called.  

7 To all of those in Rome, loved by God and called to be His holy ones:  Grace and peace to you, from God, our Father, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

In my previous post we looked at verse 2, and how the Son of God was promised to us and became flesh. Verse 4 tells us a few more things about this Son of the Promise. In verse 4 and 5 we see this about the Son:

• The Holy Spirit designated Jesus as the Son of God.
• This designation was made with power through the resurrection of the dead.
• The Son, identified as Jesus, is Lord.
• It is through Jesus that we receive grace.
• It is through Jesus that we receive apostleship.

(This doesn’t mean that we all, like Paul, were given the title Apostle, but we have been sent to the world, to call it to an obedient faith in Jesus. The word ἀποστολὴν (apostolēn), according to the Lexicon, means “the office of a special emissary.” So, while Paul bore a special title, we are all emissaries of the Gospel.)  

Our grace and apostleship has a purpose. That purpose is the calling of all nations to an obedient faith in Jesus. To be sure, God has given us His grace to be enjoyed, but also to be shared. Some thoughts about verse 5:

• It is a call to take the good news to all the nations. Πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν (pasin tois ethnesin) all of the nations. Jesus made the same call in Matthew 28:18. His gospel, or good news is for everyone, and is to be taken to everyone.
• It is a call to obedient faith. We have this idea that faith is merely belief. It isn’t. Real faith involves obedience. Consider the men and women of faith discussed in Hebrews 11. All of them are considered faithful because of their obedience, not merely a belief in God’s existence.

Douglas Moo explains it like this, “In light of this, we understand the words "obedience" and "faith" to be mutually interpreting: obedience always involves faith, and faith always involves obedience.” Moo, 52.)

Gordon Ferguson explains how throughout Galatians and Romans, Paul rejects salvation by works in favor of salvation by faith. He says in regard to obedience, “ There is one kind of obedience that belongs to faith, and another type that belongs to legalistic works. The apostle’s rejection is never to be interpreted as a rejection of obedience.” (Ferguson, 23.)

In verse 6, Paul adds that it is through Jesus, that they, too, have been called. This statement comes within the context of calling all nations to an obedient faith in Jesus. This includes his readers in Rome. (Us, too, of course.)

The introduction concludes with a statement about those Paul is writing to: the church in Rome. He describes them as those “loved by God and called to be His holy ones.” Again, we see a couple things that puts in about his audience. They are 1) loved by God, and 2) called to be holy.

Finally, as Paul does in most of his letters, he offers his readers Χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη (charis kai eirēnē).or Grace and peace. Grace and peace is something we all want, and it comes within the context of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Good News

Greetings everyone.

Today we start a journey through Paul's letter to the Romans.  I have heard it said many times that, "If you get Romans, then God gets you."  Well, let's get Romans.  Today we will look at the first three verses:  Here is my translation: 

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus, the Messiah, called as an apostle, and set apart to proclaim the good news of God. 2 This good news was promised long ago by his prophets, in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His son, who became flesh, a descendant of David. 

In verses 1-7, we see what is something of a standard greeting, in that time, for a letter.  The sender identifies himself, then identifies the addressee, and offers them a greeting.  Paul certainly identifies himself by name, but then quickly declares himself to be a servant of Jesus and His gospel.  Most of the first 6 verses, in which Paul identifies himself, are really about Jesus, where Paul finds his identity. 

Paul says three things about himself: 

1. He is a servant (or slave) of Jesus.  According to the Lexicon, the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos) means slave (involuntary servitude), but it also states “or those to whom total allegiance is pledged.”  Paul has not been enslaved by Jesus.  His service to Jesus is completely voluntary, and it comes with total allegiance to Jesus.
2. He was called to be an apostle.  As in Galatians, Paul establishes his apostolic credentials.  Paul has been given some authority as an apostle. He was κλητὸς (klētos) - “called” to his apostolic position by Jesus.  We know from what The Lord said to Ananias in Acts 9:15 that Saul (Paul) was called specifically to be sent to the Gentiles. Paul was to be the Lord’s “chosen instrument,” as an apostle to the Gentiles. John R. W. Stott points out an interesting dichotomy that Paul shows us here.  He is a slave, or servant, a position of great humility, and at the same time, an Apostle, a position of great authority in the church.  (Stott, 31.)
3. He was set apart to proclaim the good news of God. - εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) is a noun meaning ‘good news’ or ‘gospel.’ The word εὐαγγέλιον in its verb form, it means 'to announce or proclaim the good news.'  We know that Paul was set aside specifically for this reason, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus to the Gentiles.  Paul has told us in other places, like Gal 1:1,11, that Jesus called him, specifically and gave him authority and the gospel of grace that was to preach among the Gentiles. 

In verse 1, Paul has already told us something about this ‘good news’ or gospel.  It is of God. Thomas Schreiner points out that this means that the gospel is from God, but also about God.  (Schreiner, 41.)  

Stott says this about the good news of God, “ This is still the first and most basic conviction that underlies all authentic evangelism. What we have to share with others is neither a collection of human speculations, nor one more religion to add to the rest, not religion at all.  It is rather the gospel of God, God’s own good news for the lost world.  Without this conviction, evangelism is emptied of its content purpose and drive.”  (Stott,  32-33.)

So far, Paul has this gospel, or good news, that is from God and is about God, and with it comes an obligation to share this good news.  

Continuing on, in verses 2 and 3, Paul begins telling us more about the gospel, or good news.  He says two more things about the good news: 

1. The prophets promised this 'good news' in the Scriptures, long ago. The idea that the gospel of Jesus was promised in the Old Testament, affirms that the gospel that he is preaching is not something of his own creation. (If you read Galatians, Paul spent considerable time in Galatians establishing that the gospel he was teaching had come directly from Jesus, not from himself.) 
2. The promise concerns God’s son, (whom he identifies as Jesus in verse 4). This son became flesh, which certainly implies that the son did not start out as flesh, but rather as something else. The son is also identified as a descendant of David.  

So what do we make of this good news:  So far, we can see that God had planned long before to send His Son to the earth in the flesh, and had made promises about this through His prophets in the Old Testament.  It is not the whole picture yet, but it is good news. 

The New Creation

 Greetings everyone.

This post will close this study of Galatians .  If you, reader, are interested, I plan to study out and examine Romans next. Anyway, here is my translation of the last four verses of Paul's letter to the Galatians. (Gal. 6:15-18):

15 As for circumcision, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision account for anything.  What really matters is a new creation.  16 For those who walk according to this rule will have peace and mercy, and so will the Israel of God. 

17 Moving forward, let no one create problems for me, since I carry the marks of Jesus on my body. 

18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers and sisters. Amen. 

In 6:15 Paul repeats an idea that he stated in 5:6 “ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, has the power to do anything.”  In 5:6, he follows with, “Instead, real power comes from faith, at work through love.”  In Galatians 6;5, he follows with, “ what matters is the new creation.” 

What does Paul mean by 'new creation'? As we embrace Christ we are a new creation.  The old has gone and it has been replaced by something new.  These new selves have their lives Christ (Col. 3:4) and Christ lives in them (Gal. 2:20) by the Holy Spirit.  It is a new life created by God’s grace.  In His grace we by faith, which is at work through love. (Gal. 5:6) 

Paul’s overarching message has been that this new creation has come to by God’s grace, not through strict adherence to the Law.  The work of our new self, (and our salvation, for that matter), has been done by God and not by us. Those who walk according to this rule will have peace and mercy.  Paul uses the word Κανόνι (kanoni), which means ‘rule.’ It is an interesting word choice, as he has been battling teachings of the rule-keepers throughout the letter.    

So, what is the rule that we are to walk by that will bring us peace and mercy?  Based on the context, it would seem that the peace and mercy bringing rule is to be a new creation.  Get rid of the old self, and be created in the image of Christ, filled with the Spirit and full of love and faith, and living in gratitude for His grace. Thomas Schreiner says, “The rule he has in mind is the preeminence of the new creation, which leads to the conclusion that both circumcision and uncircumcision are irrelevant.”  (Schreiner, 380.) 

Paul uses the word to mean ‘obey’ here.  He used the Greek word, Στοιχήσουσιν (stoichēsousin), a participle of the word στοιχέω (stoicheo), which means ‘to walk.’ He could have used ὑπακούετε (hypakouete), which means, ‘you obey’, but he didn’t.  He chose a word that brings with a greater sense of relationship, rather than commandment. 

Paul has recently used  another form of στοιχέω (stoicheo) in 5:25 to tell us to keep in step with the Spirit.  Schriener links these two verses to say, “Those who keep in step with Spirit also keep in step with the new creation.”  (Schreiner, 380.)  The conclusion, then, is that as we stay in step with God’s Holy Spirit, we walk according to the rule of being a new creation. 

In verse 17 Paul says, “Moving forward, let no one create problems for me.”  It is like there is a time stamp here. He uses the word λοιποῦ (loipou), which means “from now on.” From this moment on, Paul would like to put this circumcision question to rest.  He is basically saying to the Galatians, “Now that you are a new creation, quit bothering me with this stuff about the old creation with its rules and regulations.”  

Paul follows that with an explanation for why they should stop bothering him about the whole circumcision question, “since I carry the marks of Jesus on my body.” Paul, born a Jew, had carried  the ‘marks’ of circumcision since infancy, but has been saying throughout the letter that marks are now meaningless.  The only marks that matter now are the marks that he bore because of Jesus.  

Paul undoubtedly carried numerous scars from being persecuted in his service to Jesus.  His opponents did not carry such marks, as they tempered their message in such a way as to avoid persecution.  Paul certainly counted those scars as of greater value than his circumcision.

Paul concludes his letter as he began it, with grace.  In 6:18, he says, “may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”  Paul includes in his final words the word ‘our’.  Jesus was his Lord, but also theirs.  In spite of the whole circumcision argument, Paul still considers them Christians. 

His second-to-last word, right before he says ‘Amen,’ is ἀδελφοί (adelphoi), translated here as ‘brothers and sisters.  Again, in spite of the whole Law and circumcision argument, Paul still considers them brothers and sisters and all part of the family of God.  

He began the letter being sharply critical, but toward the end moves into a hopeful posture, certain that once they really understood the value of faith and grace, and the complete lack of value contained in obedience to the Law and legalistic righteousness, that they would choose the better path, the superior gospel, God’s grace. Let's make sure that we are following the better path, as well. 

Big Letters

Welcome back.

We have been looking at Galatians 6, and today we will start a look at Paul's concluding staements.  He wraps up this letter to the Galatians in verses 11-18.  We will look at the first half of that today.  Here is Galatians 6:11-14:

11 See what big letters I am writing to you with my own hand.  12 Those who desire to look good in the flesh, are compelling you to be circumcised, just so that they are not persecuted for the Cross of Christ. 13 Not even those men who want you to be circumcised are actually able to keep the Law. They want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh. 14   As for me, may I never boast about anything except the Cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, as I have been crucified to the world.  

As he begins his closing remarks, Paul establishes that he is now writing in  his own hand.  Scholars tend to think that up to this point Paul has dictated this letter to someone else.  Now, at the end he handwrites his conclusion.  

In his conclusion, now in his own handwriting, he takes one last shot at convincing the Galatians that they have no need of circumcision.  He refers to his detractors as ‘those who desire to look good in the flesh.”  He has spent a fair amount of time denouncing the flesh, and here, at the end, he is connecting those men to the flesh.  

The Greek Paul usus εὐπροσωπῆσαι (euprosōpēsai) means to make a good showing.  In simple terms, it means good + face.  Paul would know, as a former Pharisee, these men are like the Pharisees, they want to make a good showing.  He goes on to say that they do not want to be persecuted for the Cross of Christ.  It appears that they want to be Christians but without upsetting those of their former faith.  Paul is unconcerned about that. These men are the ones that are compelling the Galatians to be circumcised. They have been telling them that circumcision is necessary for salvation, and trying to force the Law on them.  

Paul makes some quick criticisms of his opponents in verse 12-13, establishing some less-than-flattering motives behind their teachings: 

• As previously mentioned, they are doing this to avoid persecution. 
• They are trying to bind the Law on them, but these men themselves are actually unable to keep the Law.  
• They are really only doing this to make themselves look good.  They want to be able to boast about what they have done in Galatia, how they came in after Paul and set the record on circumcision straight. 

Paul’s discussion of their inability to keep the Law fits with his message in Galatians.  No one, save Jesus Christ, has the ability to fully keep the Law.  Here is a reminder of some of the things he said: 

• Gal. 3:10 - “For those who base their righteousness on works of the Law are under a curse.”
• Gal. 5:3-4 - “I bear witness once again, that every one of you that submits to circumcision becomes under obligation to keep the entirety of the law. 4 Those of you who are intent on being made righteous through law-keeping, set Christ aside, and you lose out on grace.”

Paul has held this argument throughout his letter to the Galatians.  We are either saved by fully keeping the Law, or we are saved by God’s mercy and grace.  But, since it is impossible to keep the Law, we are much better off within the system of grace.  Even those pushing the Law here, cannot keep it. 

In verse 13 Paul talks about how his opponents were wanting to boast in the flesh about how they got the Galatians to submit to circumcision.  Paul compares such boasting with himself in verse 14, stating that the only thing he wants to boast about is the Cross of Christ.  

This stands in stark contrast to his detractors. While his opponents would boast of their accomplishments among the Galatians, seeking to look good among fellow Jews, Paul boasted in the Cross.  Later, he would write that he would boast about his weaknesses because God’s grace was sufficient for him.  (2 Cor. 12:9) Paul is not looking to lift himself up, only Jesus and His grace.

As Paul talked about his boasting in the Cross, he adds, “through whom the world has been crucified to me, as I have been crucified to the world.” This phrase calls us back to Gal. 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.  I no longer live, but now Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself up for me.” 

Paul reminds them that they are crucified with Christ to the world.  Christ lives in them now.  The world is also crucified to them.  Fleshly things like working to please other people should be crucified too.  

Douglas Moo points out that to the modern reader, a statement about boasting in the Cross may not be that unusual, but to 1st Century readers this would be shocking, as crucifixions were known to be “violent and shameful deaths.”  (Moo, 395.)  

Paul’s thread throughout has been that circumcision counts for nothing, and God’s grace given to us through Cross is what matters.  Think about it.  It is the Cross, not the knife, that saves us.  How can the removal of a piece of flesh, usually done during a person’s infancy, matter in comparison to the Cross of Jesus Christ? It can't. It doesn't.