But God forbid that I 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

The letter to the Galatians was written by the apostle Paul. On his missionary journey Paul and Barnabas brought the gospel to the Galatians – the gospel of Christ Jesus – that man had sinned and the wages of sin is death, both physical and spiritual. Man cannot pay for his sin so God sent a perfect and acceptable substitute in His Son, Jesus, who was/is our savior and redeemer. In Christ alone, in the cross, we are made right with God.  Conversely, God’s love is meaningless to us if the cross is meaningless. But because of the cross we will never have to stand and answer for our sin.

At the moment of faith we are sealed with the Spirit. We are born again; transformed as new men and women in Christ. This is salvation by faith in the Lord and not by any merit of man. It is either Christianity and pure grace or salvation by human achievement, the end of which is destruction. Our verses today are Paul’s final appeal to the Galatians – the Judaizers are the culprits and corrupted the gospel Paul preached. They taught the religion of human achievement as opposed to salvation in Christ in faith alone. The Judaizers taught Jesus yes, but Jesus and good works – be circumcised and keep the law.  You cannot add to pure grace, to faith –  then it ceases to be such and becomes works.  It’s either glory in the flesh or glory in the cross.

In the miracle of faith we become right with God in Jesus. In a physical sense we are still of this world but spiritually we are no more in this world. In the cross we are at peace with God and have peace in this world here and now. The world system cannot know God nor can it lead us to God.  Man is either with Jesus or against Him and Paul closes this letter by saying the only thing he honors is the cross of Christ. Our life depends on it.