Far Be It From Me
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| Photo by KC Luk on Unsplash |
In reading the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians, I was struck by the frantic nature with which he writes the letter. He clearly has an impassioned urgency behind his words, and throughout the letter you can see that he is motivated by his great love for the churches in Galatia.
He is primarily writing to persuade them to flee from the false gospel that teachers in the region have been pushing upon his people. Toward the end of the letter he claims that these false teachers are pursuing the Galatian believers so that the teachers can glory and boast in their flesh.
Paul warns:
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. (Galatians 6:11-13 ESV)
Paul says, these teachers want to boast in their followers. They want to avoid persecution. These teachers want numbers, they want followers, they want people who make "much of them." These teachers want to boast in how many they've gotten to believe their message. These false teachers are above all else seeking their own selfish glory.
Now look at the contrast of Paul's boasting:
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. (Galatians 6:14 ESV)
Paul says here, these men preaching this false gospel to you, want to boast in the fact that they've won you to their side. They don't love you, but they see you as a number which they can take pride in. They want to claim you as a follower for selfish gain.
He urges the Galatians to see the love he has for them. He makes this claim by showcasing the stark contrast of the thing that he takes pride in, the thing that is his glory: The Cross of Christ.
Paul says, far be it from me, may it never be, that I would ever boast in you as my followers, or in anything except the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He boasts in the bloodied tool that led to the death of his Lord?
Why boast in the cross? Why is this important?
This is important because the old you, the one that tried to "work" your way to God by being a good person, failed. We fail to live up to God's standard, we sin against him and against our neighbor. And in sinning against a holy God, we deserve wrath. Sin must be punished for the world to be good.
God in His holiness cannot dwell with sin, nor can He allow it. It must be punished.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers. (Psalm 5:4-5 ESV)
This is why Paul boasts in the cross of Christ. On the cross, God pours out His holy wrath for sin.
God pours His wrath for sin out upon Christ,
the sinless Son of God.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:20-21 ESV)
Paul has put his faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Through faith, Paul has been raised with Christ. So it is for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Your old self, the old you dies. The new you, raised with Christ, lives by faith in Christ.
Jesus has been raised from the dead, the cross didn't hold him, death couldn't keep him in it's mighty grasp.
In raising Christ from the dead, God shows us that the sacrifice of Christ's life for sin has been accepted. Which means, there is a way now for sinners to be forgiven and to dwell with God!
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 ESV)
The way we receive this gift of God's grace is through faith. As Paul says, he now lives a new life in his body, the life of faith in the Son of God.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
By grace. Through faith. Not our works. God's gift through Christ. So that no one may boast.
Our culture, our world, and even our own hearts love to boast. We love to look at our abilities, our bodies, our cars, our jobs, our relationships, even the color of our skin, and say:
"This makes me better than other people. This makes me the best. This is my hope, this is my glory."
God's grace works to eliminate our boasting. By faith we start to realize the emptiness of boasting in who we are and what we've done. We see that our only hope and thus our only boasting comes from this simple fact:
The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.
The desire to boast in ourselves will creep in. It is often very subtle judgments of others or gossip or heart attitude that reveal our boasting. It will happen. In those moments we have to remember that we are saved simply by God's grace, through Christ's work on the cross.
The cross of Christ, Christ's work, and the gift of our faith is what makes us right with God. We are not special, but we have a special Savior, so let's boast in Him!
What do you boast in?
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom,
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer,
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.
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