Boasting in the Cross of Christ

All right, so Andrew dealt with this last week, but before we go and review briefly what Andrew has covered, let's read the verses for today. So we're going to be looking at verses 11 through the rest of the chapter, and I'll be concluding with the end of the chapter next week. All right, verse 11. See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand.

And 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. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom or by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits. Amen.

All right, so just two more weeks of Galatians and then on to 1 Peter, right? Yeah. All right, let's see what Andrew taught us last week, and I'm going to be very brief in my kind of approach to his nice lesson. If I get this to advance, let's see. There we are. All right.

So, you know, Paul wrote this section in large letters because of the urgency of the message, as really Andrew reviewed with us. There were other reasons he may have done this. I think one of the common ones that I've always carried with me is he couldn't see very well and maybe this was the thorn in the flesh. But I think many commentators in terms of our excellent member of the body, Andrew Malloy, has really felt that this relates to the urgency of the message, that this is an important message that was directed to the church in Galatia, in terms of this division between law and grace. And secondly, as Andrew concluded, I think circumcision, I think, listen, there's kind of a badge of legalism. And it's not a new life in Christ. And I think that's the emphasis that Paul was really bringing through writing this in large letters. And we could debate the large letters, but I don't think we need to worry about that so much.

Let's go on to, I think, the reason we only have one verse for today. I can remember when I was a member of a Baptist congregation decades ago now, that I brought this verse up as the major verse that we should be concerned with as we walk the path of Christianity. And I got criticized because the Bible has so much more to it than this. I didn't mean to dismiss the rest of the Bible. I just thought this was an incredibly important verse. All right, let's see maybe whether that belief that I had 30 years ago has any merit here today.

Notice that this powerful verse is bookended by the legal flaw of circumcision. So what Andrew taught last week, it was before this verse, and what occurs subsequent to this verse, which I read this morning, is circumcision. Boy, this must have been an incredibly important issue at that time. and the body of believers in Galatia.

But God forbid is so translated as, but it may never be, and this is incredibly strong language. This wasn't kind of some reluctant bypass kind of verbiage that Paul was using, but he very convincingly and strongly stated Never let this be that you should be boasting except on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let's drill down in terms of the content.

You know, God forbid is one word, may. So both those letters together is may. And it's a disjunctive participle expressing a choice between two mutually exclusive possibilities. So you could do one or you could do the other. But the strength of this verse, of this God forbid, is that pay attention.

This is really an important message that he's transmitting. What does it mean to boast? That's a question to the class, even though you may not want to answer it. Well, we typically think of boasting as being, having a negative connotation, but I seem to remember, it's been a while since I've studied this, it can be either, it can be a positive boasting and a negative boasting, certainly this is I'm going to review that approach. There can be a positive and negative. Crossing Christ is a good thing to boast about, but boasting about yourself or your circumcision isn't good.

Okay, so how can we recognize boasting versus just a statement of fact? Just in our day-to-day lives. We confront non-believers or believers. How can we distinguish between a factual statement versus something that's self-glorifying? Well, let's look maybe a little bit more at what boasting means.

It means to glory and it's also used for the flesh in verse 13. So the verse we read before 14 talks about boasting and circumcision. It's something that's really necessary for one to prove that he or she is saved or he's saved for circumcision, obviously. Okay, so the next question is how do we know when we're boasting in the flesh? kind of who it's exalting. It depends on who you're exalting, yourself or Christ. It's who's getting that. Who's best to perceive that besides God?

Well hopefully we're comparing our thoughts with scripture and it would correct us obviously. This verse is actually made to correct us about our boasting, right? It's going to correct us about what's proper boasting. That's one of the intents of this verse. In the second part of the verse, we're going to drill down on that a little bit more.

So, if you're just having a conversation with someone, what makes you perceive that it's boasting rather than simply a statement that's more humbly sharing the facts of what somebody's saying? perhaps the Holy Spirit. As believers we want to be able to test whether what's being said is consistent with scripture.

We dealt with that some yesterday, didn't we, in terms of all the presentations. Anything else? People who boast in their jobs some will glory in themselves, but then you can also boast but highlight the people who are your team who helped you get to that success. Okay, I would opine that a statement of fact could be, if you will, simply a statement of fact without self-glorification or without the glorification given to God. We don't need to dissect everything that's being said.

But when one's glorying in oneself in terms of what he or she is contributing, either in the way of a factual expression and or an interpretation, that gets to be something that the Holy Spirit in us will allow us to judge as being boasting outside the cross. Now our walk in itself could be a demonstration of boasting in terms of the way we carry ourselves. But anyway, I think we can carry this conversation on indefinitely. But what do you think is the importance of the word our here?

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This makes it really special. He's our Savior, our Lord. It's more than just off someplace else. It personalizes it, doesn't it, for the body of Christ. I mean, this is just not something for me or for you. It's for all of us, really, to be warned against boasting in anything but the cross of Christ. In contrast, what is boasting in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ?

What might that look like? Now, by the way, that could be obnoxious also, couldn't it? If we think about boasting, I think the better interpretation is probably bringing glory to the Lord. And scripturally and grammatically, that's probably a better interpretation, glory.

So how can we boast in our Lord Jesus Christ? Well, see what Paul said in Philippians about this. For we are the circumcision. who worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. I mean, this kind of is a rabbit trail a little bit, but there's nothing we have confidence in, but it's a spirit-led rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ. But that's kind of to your point. Rejoicing is, you know, another side of boasting, you know, joy, rejoicing, making him glorious, making great. That boasting is all about that. They're all kind of tied together in that idea.

Well, that's the walk, is it not? And I mentioned yesterday, maybe that's something I overly personalized, but I think being part of this body encourages me and makes the Christian life joyful. And law is not that, is it? Law is a burden because we're never satisfied where we're doing it. So I think that in contrast, boasting of the Lord Jesus Christ, the way we walk, the way we carry ourselves, the Holy Spirit life brings glory to Him and we're not the ones to judge that. God Almighty is the one who judges that. And we're not working for our rewards.

We're walking by grace in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a new life. And that's Holy Spirit directed as Paul has said in verse three here. So this is the third time in the epistle that Paul reflects on the importance of the cross. And when we think ultimately of the cross, let's consider how the cross was viewed in those days. Somebody want to comment on that?

Well, wasn't a lot of shame connected with the cross? Criminals were put on crosses. It wasn't something that you... Well, you know, this is a succinct statement, but it says it was a horrible and unmentioned Roman in Roman society, and yet Paul boasted in how the cross changed his life. If you will, white, black, or dark and light aspect of the cross in terms of what it represents to the world system, it's not explained to the Jew, it's a stumbling block to the Gentile's foolishness. But the cross to the believer is everything.

You know, we'll talk about Galatians 2.20, we always bring that up in this body of believers. But 21 said if we were saved by law, Christ's death and resurrection was worthless. So ultimately it's a very strong statement.

Okay, so Galatians 2.20, I set it up, didn't I? I have the crucifixion of Christ, no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me, and I now live in the flesh, I live in the life that's of him, so paraphrasing. Alright, is this verse positional or conditional? Let's think a little further in terms of the fact that having been crucified is perfect, passive, indicative.

So we've been put to death. Did we have anything to do with that? We're the recipients of the benefit of the cross for our justification, our sanctification, and ultimately our glorification. So passive, we had nothing to do with it. Perfect tense, how do we interpret perfect tense?

It's an ongoing lasting benefit and indicative means it's factual. Boy, pretty strong statement. So, you know, ultimately having been crucified makes us go back to the previous question. Is this positional or conditional or perhaps both? What are your thoughts? I think it's both. Okay, where does it start? It's got to start positionally, doesn't it?

So if we're seen as being crucified, as he was crucified, and were therefore to further the kind of the Roman VI theology, then we're raised with him in newness of life. So the fact that we've been crucified means our sins have been forgiven. The old man's been crucified. Sin nature's still there, which I think was taught yesterday very nicely. The sin nature is still there. We don't need to get back on the cross or get him back on the cross to get that taken care of. But positionally, we're crucified and God sees us as crucified with him.

Okay? Now, how does this become conditional? Well, the life we live in the flesh is conditional. And the life we live in the flesh is because of the position we have in Christ. Thank you. Greatly stated, Jim. That's really right. So the position influences our condition. And I think that's important for us always to return to our citizenship.

It's in our position. Remember, He hath made Him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. So we're seen as righteous because we've been crucified. We have been crucified by God, the Lord Jesus Christ, not something we actively did.

Other thoughts about that? Well, you know, it's fascinating that we had nothing to do with this. We wouldn't have even chosen this way. God did it all. If it was our choice, we never would have chosen this. Well, that gets into this whole issue, the process by which we're justified to come to the saving faith. And again, you know, God knows to whom we'll come, but also He would call all men and women to Himself. So, I mean, we don't want to get into that discussion. We don't need to, because God knows and we have a choice, right? And so once we come to the Lord, that growth path is what we're talking about here. We're not to boast. anything other than in the cross of Christ as believers.

John? Yes, Roy. Just a thought here that keeps going over in my mind when you asked is it position or condition and we sort of concluded it's both, right? Right now the intimacy we have with God says when somebody accuses us and you know what flares up a defense mechanism generally speaking is that part of us that's been crucified do we recognize the intimacy that we have with Christ that we're no longer sensitive as new people in Christ with his new nature and we can see it clearly now that intimacy. I don't know how to say it, but that's important.

Yes, and the intimacy, I think, is shared conditionally based on one's view of how you're living the Christian life. And that was the issue in Galatia, was it not? They were bringing legal principles in to prove that they were really saved. And there, that intimacy is lost, isn't it? Because I think positionally, when God sees us as crucified, and we walk based on the faith, in fact, that we're living through a new nature, that's a whole different dialogue and comfort zone with other believers.

So I think this could be an area where that intimacy is more difficult when we're conversing with other believers. Other thoughts about that? I mean, it's not elitism. There's nothing very special about this. It's just what the scriptures say that Christian life looks like as it's being led and lived. It's not being taught.

So many people, you know, we also had to come to the realization of this. It wasn't so clear when I was first a believer. I had no idea about this until I actually heard the message. And then it made perfect sense. perfect sense. But if you don't hear this message, and I would say this is never even being taught in most churches, because it's too complicated for people to understand.

To paraphrase what you just said, you know, grace takes the pressure off the flesh. But amazingly, grace is not welcome many times. And we see that, unfortunately. It's kind of a head-scratcher in some ways, but in some ways it's not. I mean, when you have to admit that you can bring nothing, you bring nothing, you bring, you know, like, the burden is to have a zero, you bring zero. You can contribute nothing to what God has done for you. He's done it all.

But what came up yesterday is, what is sin? Right. And Myles shared it's missing the mark, and it's missing the mark of the righteousness and holiness of God. And we're not going to define that with A, B, and C. We're just going to define that broadly as that's what sin is. So ultimately, as believers who understand positional truth, that life we now live in the power of the Holy Spirit is a new life. We're new creations. And that's a point where what Roy mentioned, the intimacy may be lost when we're actually discussing this with other believers.

All right, let's go ahead. Now we're going to get to the hard part of this first. How should we interpret world or world system, first of all? Let's keep moving here. Actually, I think Strong says it pretty well in a great detail. Strong defines cosmos as worldly affairs, the aggregate of things earthly, the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments, Riches, advantages, pleasures, and then he gets tired of listing these things, et cetera. Which although follow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God, and are obstacles to the cause of Christ. So anyway, these would be anything that is irrespective of God's pathway of grace. And inseparably, you know, these are aligned with the flesh. The world system is everything that is fleshly pleasing.

Now, you know, we get caught up with this and we're going to come back to that a little bit. Margaret, why did you mention that? I never know what she's thinking. Well, you know, here's an example of the cosmos impact in the history of Paul. Everybody knows these verses, but I'll read them. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I'm more so.

Circumcised the eighth day, stock of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church and concerning the righteousness, which is in the law, blameless. I mean, here's a guy, by the way, I'm equating the legal system of classic Judaism with the cosmos in terms of the earthly environment. Because remember, Israel was all of the earth anyway, right? Their kingdom is earthly, not heavenly, like ours. All right? And then what happened? Well, How then was the world, the law system of Israel, crucified to Paul?

And a lot of verses, but we've got to read these. But what things were gained to me, those I've counted loss or damage for Christ? And indeed, I also count all things lost or damaged 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 or dung, but that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is from the faith or through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. being conformed unto death. So, I mean, Paul has stated his cosmos-based, flesh-driven life and all the accomplishments, and now look what he says in terms of what he's given up for the Lord.

Now, how does that relate to us? We're going to get into that now. In the beginning of this epistle, ultimately the following was stated, Galatians 1, 3 and 4, Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. What do you make of that? Deliver us from the present evil age.

Don't all answer at once, please. Well, maybe we can further that in another way. Has the world system really been put to death and is no longer out there? Or is it that there is no lasting value? How are we dealing with that? The evil age continues.

And as a believer, we are separated. All right, that's positional truth where our citizenship is heavenly, we've been crucified with Christ and God sees us as righteous. We can wring our hands all we want about what's going on today in the news. One of the things, Margaret, along that line that really makes me be reminded of the way the world system operates, how many Christmas cards do you get that end with, we need peace on earth? It makes me kind of take a step back. Scripture doesn't really say that, does it? There can be no peace until the Prince of Peace comes.

Ever. It's interesting how through the cross we're crucified to the old man or taken offline with the old man. Same with the world. Right, yeah, it is interesting. So, about the nuggets lost last night, my heart was heavy, but all that aside, can we therefore have no pleasure in anything that's of the world system? We can. Now you're on a more important topic. Every fall we spend a football weekend in Cincinnati. Anyway, all that aside.

No, but I mean, what kind of music do you like? Do you ask God's approval for that? I mean, I like some rock music. I still listen to it, but I don't feel taken away from my faith by listening to that. I mean, some people under law systems say, you can't do that, you're a believer. No, I like some rock music, and I play it sometimes. Yeah. Don't talk about your dad like that. I didn't think he said anything. No, but seriously, I mean, so is in fact having some pleasurable things in the world system, is that sin? How would we know? How does it separate you from Christ? All right, yeah, I think that's a good answer. And that's where the Holy Spirit in our lives allows us to really tincture our activities and our desires in a way that God gets glory.

So, other thoughts about that? Andrew, you were at the Haydn Symphony last week, right? Yeah, yeah. Haydn? I mean, that's wonderful. Well, and that was spiritual in a way, too, because they take All of that is fantastic. But do you like Shostakovich also? Yeah. Shostakovich is a Russian who wrote music at the time of the turn of the Soviet Union to communism, right?

The point I'm saying is we can't sit there and dissent what's right and right. The pattern of grace we live under allows us to enjoy some things in the world. It's just that we don't boast in those. Yeah, I'm a sports fan, but I don't... that's not my life.

I enjoy it, but it's... yeah, Carol? Well, I keep thinking about what you overstated. This is our business address, you know, and it's kind of where you have your priorities and, you know, like, you know, your identification. And, you know, the rest is... I mean, there are things around us that we enjoy or don't, you know, but... We keep our priorities right and our balances right.

So then what does it mean to have the world crucified to me? Isn't it the influence of the world on our walk? It's how the world system influences our choices and our desires. It makes you think of what Hal used to say. Sometimes we're the only Bible anyone ever reads. Our life. How we interact and how we act.

But the Holy Spirit within us gives us the room to make choices that are not sinful, but yet enjoyable. I don't think we need to get legal about this. In the Baptist church, they're legal about everything. I mean, in some Baptist churches. But that's not the faith we have. We have faith in a living Savior. And positionally, we've been crucified, seen as righteous, and our walk should reflect that.

So if you like a baseball game, or if you like a soccer match, so what? So I don't think we need to get legal about this. And then the next part of this, how then should we interpret that the cross has crucified me to the world? How does that fit? So the world's been crucified to me, but now what about me being crucified to the world? What does that mean?

Bob, isn't this a contrast of the world looks at us as being different. And when you look at us, we're cut off from it as well. Exactly. Thanks, Roy. And ultimately, I'm going to word it very differently but similarly, but we should no longer seek to please the world or be defined by the world system. Now, let's think about how that relates to our day.

If you have a job, are you going to do it responsibly? I mean, I think that brings law to the Lord indirectly. So, are we there to prove ourselves to someone? Well, in a sense, to our boss, we have to do our job, which has been what we've been assigned to do, but we bring glory to God by doing it responsibly. But the idea that we're just here to please the world in terms of being compromising in circumstances where, in fact, the world system is really glorified by our choices, then that's what we're called not to be.

Other thoughts or comments about that? I think a lot of times in the workplace, There's so many opportunities for that Christ-like to show up. Because other people you might be working with have a different view of how to interact with the client, or how the finances are going, or whatever. A lot of times, because of the way you are, and not really of the world, but of the Lord, you have a different perspective on that.

Just a pathway in the growth and grace. My job was defined by basically one thing for the most part, not entirely, but for the most part, is getting grants funded to do research and secondly to publish papers. Publish or perish is the rule in academia. So that was my job description. Does that bring glory to me? I hope not. But it brings glory to my boss and that's my job description and that was my choice as a profession.

And each one of you need to look at the professions you've been in or are currently in in terms of how that impacts what you do. But I think the idea is, you know, and the Lord was gracious to me because in research, the more you understand about something, the more you realize you don't know about it. I mean, the draw into understanding science and medicine was really something that created, you know, really curiosity in me. Why is God so spectacular the way things are made biologically? So I think what this is, I wasn't there to please the world, but we all have earthly responsibilities that really make us accountable. Peter, any thoughts?

You have a complicated job. But I think what's important is, yes, I can lead tax work, and so can this other guy. But also, what is the way you go about doing the work? And what sets you apart based on who we identify with spiritually and how that leads our daily decisions?

And sometimes there's no difference. I mean, I fill out a compliance form, and so does that guy. Thanks for sharing that. Other thoughts, comments about this? Sometimes it comes out just in your ethics and how you treat people and what road you choose. Do you choose to take the high road when stuff gets tough? I just see that in my work. I work with a good group. I see it time and time again that they make choices that other people would not make, and they choose the high road.

It might cost more money, but that's... Most of them are Christian in some form or other and that's important to them to be ethical and to treat people that way and to do their business that way. And I think it makes us different from from some other people. But I see that a lot in my book. The way we carry out the responsibilities that the world system depends on to do correctly, right?

You know, Paul was a tent maker but he never is glorified in that process, is he? We know he made some income by making tents or working with other leather supplies. And ultimately, we don't see that highlighted in scripture as to how wonderful he was as a tent maker. So I mean, that's a simple response to what Paul states about himself. No boasting in himself. I bet he made really well-made tents.

I was thinking that, too. In the work world, it's really hard, though, because there's so many unbelievers. C.H. Macintosh, he writes this whole thing about, do not be unyoked with unbelievers. And I always, that means marriage, right? So you think marriage. No, he's saying, in your business relationship, in your home, just get believers all around you.

Yeah. Because he recognized, yeah. One of the things that our Lord Jesus gave us as an example is that he was a friend to sinners. Right. Okay. Alright, well, it's time to kind of wrap things up, so let me not do that, but let Darby do that. So, here's what Mr. Darby had to say about this verse.

It's not self. that we glory in when we look at the cross of Christ. One is strict of self. It was he who hung upon that cross who was great in Paul's eyes. The world which had crucified him was thus seen by the apostle in its true character. The Christ who had suffered on the cross in his likewise and that cross with the Apostle glory happy by this means to be dead to the world and to have the world ended crucified and put to shame as it deserved to be for his heart. Faith in the crucified Son of God overcomes the world.

How could we say that any better? Roger, close us in prayer please. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the truths that are there about our Savior and about ourselves, Lord. We thank you for this time. In Christ's name, amen. Amen.