"See with how large letters I write unto you with mine own hand." So opens the post-script to the letter, added by Paul himself in his own handwriting. And for conclusion he sums up in few words some of the chief points of his epistle to the Galatians.

      First, he exposes the hypocrisy of the Judaizers. It was not for any real interest in souls that they tried to force circumcision on the simple Christians of Galatia; nor did id they care as much as they pretended for circumcision and the law. Their zeal was of the political sort. From of old politics has ever played a big part in fleshly religion! The motive for their insistence on circumcision was twofold: (1) to escape persecution, (2) to glorify themselves.

      To the Jews the Cross was the Jews' greatest stumblingblock (1 Cor. 1:23). They looked upon it with abhorrence. To Jewish minds it was the final refutation of Jesus' Messianic claim. For was it not written (and the scripture cannot be broken) "cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree"? (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13). And it was a very shame and reproach to their nation that a crucified one should be proclaimed as Israel's Messiah. Also it cast upon the nation the guilt of Jesus' death. Hence their bitter hatred toward those who accept the gospel. However, it would have been something of an appeasement if the Gentile converts were induced to be circumcised; for this would mean their incorporation with and enlargement of the nation of Israel as Jewish proselytes. And those who carried out such a scheme would receive credit for their shrewdness and Jewish loyalty. To avoid the stigma and reproach and persecution for Christ's sake, and to win popular favor and glory for themselves--that was the real aim and object of these Judaizers. "They were false to the Christ in whom they professed to believe; and to the law which they pretended to keep. They were facing both ways, studying the safest, not the truest course, anxious in truth to be friends at once with the world and with Christ."--This kind of religionists are not unknown, even in our day.

      Paul's glorying was of a different sort. "Far be it from me to glory save in the cross of Jesus Christ." And what was that cross to him? To Christ it meant death, the execution of God's judgment upon sin--not His sin but ours; for the iniquities of us all were laid upon Him, and He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. (Isa. 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24). By His all-sufficient sacrifice of Himself was the penalty of our sins discharged, and our guilt removed. To those who are identified with Him, who are "in Christ," united to Him, His death is counted for them. In His death they died.

      A number of consequences follow from this fact. Death removes a man from the world. The one who has died is no longer reckoned as a son of this age, nor as a citizen of this world (Gal. 1:4). If he was crucified with Christ (the crucifixion of Christ being reckoned to him) he is thereby cut off from the world, and the world from him (Gal. 2:20; 6:14). The world has repudiated him, and [37] he in turn repudiates the world. He no longer belongs to it. He is no longer numbered as one belonging to the world. As Moses led his people out of Egypt so Christ in His death had led the exodus of His own out of this present evil age and out of the realm of the world.

      More follows. A dead man is no longer under the law. The law has dominion over a man for so long time as he liveth (Rom. 7:1-6). But the man in Christ has died in Christ's death for him. Therefore, Paul says, "I through the law"--that is by the law's just sentence executed, not upon me personally, but upon Christ to whom I am united--I died unto the law, that I might live unto God. I have been crucified with Christ . .  . . ." (Gal. 2:19, 20. See also Rom. 6:1-11). And furthermore that means that such a one is entirely outside of and above all the religion of the flesh--all the ordinances of ceremonial religion, circumcision and all other ritualistic observances included. (See Col. 2:20-3:4) Hence, in Christ "Neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." For "if any man is in Christ he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. But all things are of God . . ." (2 Cor. 5:17, 18). There is indeed a circumcision to those who are in Christ--not a mere mark in the flesh which would make them Jews, but the removal of the whole body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ--i. e. through the death of Christ which is reckoned to us (Col. 2:11-14). The life which henceforth Paul lived in the flesh (Gal. 2:20) he lives in faith in the Son of God "who loved me and gave himself for me." This then is the whole rule of the new life in Christ: "for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision but faith working through love." (Gal. 5:6).

      "And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." Some erroneous conclusions have been drawn from this latter clause. It has been interpreted to mean that the church today is Israel--God's spiritual Israel; and that, in turn, has been made the argument to nullify all the inalienable promises which God made to the nation of Israel; although in Rom. 11 the restoration of the nation which is now temporarily cast away is plainly foretold (Rom. 11:12, 15, 28, 29). But, we are told, "they are not all Israel that are of Israel." True; but the apostle does not thereby deny the nationality of the disobedient Israelites, as the context in Rom. 9, 10, 11, abundantly shows. The "Israel of God" in Gal. 6:15, as contrasted with the false Jews, the Judaizers which Paul denounced in vs. 12, 13 are the faithful Jewish believers, such as those who originally constituted the membership of the church in the beginning. However, in the church there is no distinction of nationality. There is "neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male or female" in Christ (Gal. 3:28). Their relative positions are recognized; the bond and the free have corresponding obligations; the male and the female their respective places and duties; but in privilege and standing all are equal in Him. Thus also the respective nationalities of Jewish and Gentile Christians are marked and distinguished (See [38] Romans 15:26, 27) and the will of God as to their attitudes one toward another is enjoined upon them (Rom. 11:13, 14, 17-24).

      Finally, Paul shows the badge of his, apostolic calling and authority; the decorations and the emblems of His service under his Lord's commission. As in Canada you see officials bearing the letters O. H. M. S. ("On His Majesty's Service") emblazoned on their uniforms--so Paul, in much deeper sense, bears the brands of His Lord's service: "Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus"--the traces of the stripes which he suffered for His Name's sake, scars from the stones at Lystra, the injuries which left their imprints on his flesh, and which testified to his Lord's ownership of him. Let no man despise it!

      "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen." [39]

[PLG 37-39]