Galatians
Unbound, Unchained, Unbroken
Week 13 | Galatians 6:11-18
Lisa Scheffler, author
You can listen to an audio version of the Engage God Daily at bit.ly/EngageGodDaily.
Well, friends, this is it! Our final week of Galatians. What an amazing journey through this letter. We’ve encountered a passionate Paul who has used every argument at his disposal to correct the Galatian house churches and get them back in sync with the glorious truth of the gospel.
Paul’s conclusion is going to give us the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned through this letter. My prayer is that you’ve gained a greater understanding of what Jesus’ sacrifice and victory over sin and death means for you and how you are called to live as a member of his eternal family. You are so loved by the Creator of the universe that he went to unfathomable lengths to save you and nothing but your faith in Christ is needed to reconcile you with God. This week, let’s rejoice in what God has done through our study of Galatians!
Day 1
Do you ever do this? Sometimes when I get close to the end of an article or email, I find myself skimming. I guess I assume that all the important things have been covered, and all that’s left is the perfunctory wrapping up.
Let’s not make that mistake with the end of Galatians! Paul’s endings are not typical. He emphasizes his main points here in the final verses. He gives us his most direct interpretation of what his opponents were doing and why, and reminds us of God’s promise to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Scot McKnight gives us a helpful outline for Paul’s ending. It includes (1) a signature (6:11), (2) a concluding summary that contains both a final indictment of his opponents (6:12–13) and an expression of what he, in contrast, is doing (vv. 14–17), and (3) “a grace benediction” (v. 18).[1]
As you read Paul’s closing, make note of Paul’s tone. How would you describe it? Do you learn any new information about Paul’s opponents?
[1] Scot McKnight, Galatians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), 298–299.
Read
Galatians 6:11-18(NIV)
11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.
Why do you think Paul concludes his letter this way? What main points does he emphasize?
Respond
As Paul prepares to sign off, he sums up his evaluation of the situation in Galatia, but also lifts their gaze beyond the strife and division these churches were facing. That, after all, is his goal. Paul wants to see them embrace the true gospel and recognize the wonders that God has, is, and will do in Christ and by the Spirit.
- Wright says of this passage, “Paul opens up, here in this last segment of the letter, a God’s-eye view of reality which lifts our minds and hearts out beyond Galatia, out beyond the sordid details of campaigns and plots in the primitive church, and out into the rich and wide-ranging purposes of the God of love for the whole cosmos.”[1]
Can you see what Wright is talking about here? At ground level, it would seem the Galatian controversy was all about circumcision and whether or not Paul was a trustworthy ambassador of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In reality, it was about so much more.
Did the Galatians really understand the vast implications of what Jesus had done — how he had granted them right standing with God by faith alone? Did they know the incredible freedom of life in the Spirit apart from the law? Were they prepared for the way Jesus changed everything, including their relationship with each other, and with the entire world?
Do we understand these things? Or like the Galatians, are we so fixated on the controversies and cares right in front of us that we fail to lift our eyes to the amazing grace and goodness of God that is available to us right now? Are we too blinded by self-focus, and self-righteousness to see the beautiful family of spiritual brothers and sisters that God has given us? Let’s ponder and pray over that this week and ask the Spirit to open our eyes.
[1] Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 82.
