In Galatians 6:11-18, Paul is concluding his letter to the believers in Galatia. As he does, Paul is doing two things: First, Paul summarizes the main themes of his letter. Secondly, Paul challenges the Galatians to stay true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that shall be my aim this blog: To bring to your memory a summary of everything discussed throughout Paul’s letter; and also to challenge you to stay true to the gospel in this ever changing, increasingly secular, anti-God culture.
Point 1: The first thing that Paul does is assure the Galatians that this letter is from him.
In Galatians 6:11, Paul states, “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” Now, you may read that and wonder: did Paul not write this letter? That statement certainly implies that not Paul, but someone else has, and you would be correct, if you came to that assumption. Up to this point Paul has likely not personally written anything. It is most likely, up to this point in this letter, Paul had been dictating his letter to a scribe, which is not uncommon for Paul. In fact, most of his letters are dictated by scribes. For example, in Romans 16:22, we see that Tertius dictated Paul’s words to the believers in Rome.
However, it was also very common for Paul to reach the end of a letter and conclude the letter with his own hand, and when he does that, he lets us know. For example, Galatians 6:11, “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” 1 Corinthians 16:21 states, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.” Colossians 4:18 states, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.”
Now you may wonder why Paul would emphasize the fact that the closing of his letters are written by his own hand? Paul’s letter to the believers in Thessalonica answers that question for us. Paul, in 2 Thess. 3:17 wrote, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.” This is Paul’s way of authenticating his letters written to the churches. Think of it like Paul’s signature, that what has been written, is by him and no other.
Now, you may ask, why did Paul emphasize his closing to the Galtians with “large letters”? The reason Paul writes his closing with such “large letters” is because he wants to be sure the believers in Galatia are absolutely certain what was written, even though it was dictated, has come directly from him. No one can say this is a fabricated letter. No one can say it wasn’t from Paul.
Why is this important? It’s important because the believers in Galatia were having trust issues. If you remember, false teachers had infiltrated the church in the region of Galatia, and were trying to persuade the believers in Galatia that Paul could not be trusted. They were attempting to discredit Paul’s ministry. And so, Paul wants them to be absolutely certain this letter is from him.
Point 2: Now after Paul assures the believers in Galatia that this letter is from him, the next thing he does is address the issue of false teachers; specifically, he addresses their motives.
Again, remember false teachers had infiltrated the churches of Galatia trying to persuade them away from the gospel of Jesus Christ to a different gospel, a gospel that is based on law-keeping, a gospel that is based on good works. And they are trying to persuade the believers into believing they have to be circumcised in order to truly be saved.
But if you recall, in Galatians 1:6-9, Paul makes a point in his letter to let us know there is no other gospel. There is no other message that brings forth the good news of salvation. And if anybody says there is, even if it is an angel from heaven, they are damned.
Perhaps, you have gone through this series and wondered, why? Why would false teachers come behind Paul, in the region of Galatia to persuade these believers away from the gospel of Jesus Christ? What’s in it for them? Paul gives us 2 reasons for their motives, and I think these two reasons apply to false teachers today.
Reason #1: These false teachers proclaimed a false gospel to look good in front of others.
Verse 12 states, “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.” When Paul says “make a good showing in the flesh”, he means these false teachers were only trying to make a good impression in public so their efforts could be seen by their fellow Jews. They had infiltrated the churches of Galatia and preached salvation by works only to show off. They were only preaching salvation by works so that they could make a good reputation for themselves.
What kind of reputation were they attempting to make? They sought to create a reputation of converting people who believed they were saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to a works based theology. They wanted to make a name for themselves for infiltrating these gospel believing, Christ-following churches and converting them to a system of law keeping.
Why would they want that kind of reputation? Answer: That they may boast. Paul said in verse 13, “they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.” In other words, they desired a reputation of converting gospel-believing, Christ-following people to a works based theology, a reputation for persuading people away from the gospel of Jesus Christ to a gospel that offers no hope, so they could be elevated, praised, glorified, and honored by their fellow Jews.
This means two things about these false teachers: First, a false teacher is like a self-righteous Pharisee who, according to Jesus in Matthew 6:5, “loved to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.” False teachers love to be honored by their fellow man. They do not concern themselves with seeking the approval of God. They do not concern themselves with pleasing God. Instead, they concern themselves with seeking the approval of man and pleasing man.
False teachers do what they do so that they can be made much of, and to make much of themselves. They are lovers of themselves. They must have the spotlight on them. They must be the center of attention. They are selfish instead of selfless. They are prideful rather than humble. And they practice their righteousness to be seen by others in order to be boasted about.
False teachers really do not care about the souls of people. These false teachers did not care if these people knew the truth. They didn’t care if these people in Galatia went to heaven or hell. They didn’t care if these people truly had peace with God. They didn’t care if these people had a right relationship with God. They didn’t care if these people had their sins forgiven.
All they cared about was how well they looked before their fellow Jews. All they cared about was having a favorable and good name among their fellow people. All they cared about was what they had accomplished. For the false teacher, it’s not about Jesus, it’s not about helping others see the light, it’s not about helping people live in a right relationship with God, it’s not about helping people surrender to the Lordship of Christ, it’s all about them being celebrated, honored, glorified, esteemed, exalted, and praised by men.
Reason #2: Not only did these false teachers proclaim a false gospel to look good in front of others, but also to avoid being persecuted.
Looking back at verse 12, Paul said, “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.” They did not want to be persecuted, harassed, oppressed, afflicted, or tortured for proclaiming that the cross alone can save. Therefore, they preached a gospel that is no gospel at all, they spoke what the majority of their fellow Jews wanted to hear, and did so in order to gain popularity, be on the good side of mankind, and avoid suffering.
And that is a key marker for a false teacher – they are unwilling to declare the truth of God’s Word in fear of what their fellow man might do. Therefore, they preach a feel-good, watered-down gospel that never offends anybody and pleases everybody. The problem with that is this: that kind of preaching and teaching is devoid of truth, and does no one any good.
The truth is, the preaching of the cross does not fit in with the majority of the world. In some parts of the world, if a preacher declares the whole truth of God’s Word, he is risking bringing about persecution upon himself.
Paul is someone who knew this all too well. In 2 Corinthians 11:22-28, Paul noted all the sufferings he went through for preaching the cross of Christ. He was subject to many imprisonments, countless beatings, left for dead, received 39 lashes five different times, was beaten with rods three times, was once stoned, and faced many other dangers from his fellow people.
And we are seeing this more and more hit closer to home. In the UK, for example, a preacher was arrested for preaching what the Bible says about marriage being between one man and one woman.
You might ask: why does the preaching of the cross bring on such harsh treatment? The reason is because the preaching of Christ crucified to this world is complete foolishness. The world believes it is stupid, crazy, ridiculous, absurd, silly, and unwise to believe that a person can be saved by faith alone in Christ alone. And so, the world persecutes what it does not know.
And the false teacher wants nothing to do with this kind of suffering. They want comfort, they want a life of ease, they want popularity, they want to be praised by man, not affliction. So, they preach what is false and what is accepted by the majority. All the while, they keep people from knowing the truth and are leading people into the gates of hell.
Point 3: Not only does Paul address the reason for which false teachers do what they do, but he also warns the believers in Galatia, that false teachers want to persuade people to believe and do what they themselves do not believe and do not do.
Paul said in verse 13, “For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.” False teachers are hypocrites. The false teachers who infiltrated the churches of Galatia preached that the believers in Galatia had to be circumcised, while at the same time, ignored other Jewish laws. They preached circumcision, but did not abide by God’s Moral Law. They were picking and choosing which laws to obey, instead of obeying the whole law of God. And if you recall Paul’s words in Galatians 3, whoever lives by one part of the law must live according to the whole law. But that’s not what false teachers do. They persuade you to believe something, to obey something, and to live a certain way, for which they do not believe or obey or live themselves.
False teachers are like the self-righteous Pharisees, they preach what they do not practice. They appear clean on the outside, but on the inside they are dirty. Outwardly they appear righteous, but on the inside they are full of hypocrisy, greed, and self-indulgence. They are like the Pharisees to whom Jesus said in Matt. 23:27, “For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” They appear good, righteous, holy, and god-fearing people on the outside, but on the inside they are evil, unrighteous, unholy, and godless people.
Now, you may ask, what’s the chance that you come into contact with a false teacher? I would say, very good. Ever since Christ ascended into heaven, and the church of Christ established, 1 John 4:1 tells us that “many false prophets have gone out into the world.” And Jesus tells us that one of the signs of the end of the age is that “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matt. 24:11), which means not only will many false teachers arise, stand in pulpits, and attempt to persuade people away from the gospel of Jesus, they will be successful.
You may ask, if the chances are very good that I will come into contact with a false teacher, especially as we continue to draw closer to the return of Jesus, how will I know? How will I know whether or not a person who declares the gospel is true or not?
One could argue that their pride, boastfulness, and hypocrisy will give them away. But we have to understand that false teachers and false prophets are very sly. The believers in Galatia likely did not outright recognize these Judaizers as false teachers, which is probably why they tolerated their teaching.
You see, the Bible says that false teachers are “deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ; like Satan, who disguised himself as an angel of light, they disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). The Bible also says the heresies they introduce are secretive and destructive (2 Peter 2:1); meaning their false teachings are not always so apparent. And, according to the Bible, what they teach is very appealing, especially to the flesh (2 Tim. 4:3-4); so, their message may even attract the masses. They can preach really good sermons, stir the emotions of the heart, they may have a large following, they may have a very large church, with the coolest worship environments, but all the while they are deceitful workmen who disguises themselves as a servant of Jesus. They are, like Jesus said in Matt. 15, “blind guides.”
However, we can know who they are, according to 1 John 4:1, by testing them; and we test them by comparing them to the sound words of Jesus in the Scriptures. False teachers do not teach sound doctrine, they do not teach the words of Jesus, and they do not teach with what accords to godliness. Now, they may use the Bible, but they twist the Scriptures to fit their agenda and please their audiences instead of giving truth.
In addition, we can know who they are by observing how they live their life. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20, “You will recognize them (false teachers) by their fruits…every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit…Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” A false teacher will not and cannot produce fruit that accords with the righteousness of God, because their hearts are evil and wicked.
You will also find, according to 1 Timothy 6:3-10, false teachers are puffed up, arrogant, conceited, envious and have an unhealthy craving for money. Not that a preacher can’t make money or be paid, but the false teacher has a love of money, which is partly why they preach a false gospel, like the prosperity gospel or the progressive gospel, because the true gospel of Jesus, which demands people to repent and be saved or go to hell is not popular to the masses. So they change the message of Christ and preach to the masses, telling them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear, to increase their worldly wealth and earthly goods. False teachers are never content with what they have, they must always have more, therefore they use their supposed godliness for financial gain. And this desire to get rich has unfortunately plunged them into ruin and destruction.
Point 4: After Paul assures the believers in Galatia this letter is in fact by him, alerts them to the true motive of false teachers, and explains that false teachers are hypocrites, he explains the only thing any saved person can boast about is the cross of Jesus Christ, because only by the cross of Christ are we saved.
Verse 14 states, “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.” Paul is saying, unlike those false teachers who infiltrated the churches of Galatia, personally he simply could not boast anything aside from boasting about the cross, especially in regards to salvation. And the reason for that is this: salvation is not a result of works but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
In Galatians 2:16, Paul declared, “we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” No person is made acceptable unto God, made right with God, or has their sins forgiven by God because of works or how good they believe they are. People are made acceptable unto God, right with God, and have their sins forgiven by God simply by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. And, if we are going to boast about something, let it be about what Christ has accomplished for us over 2,000 years ago on a blood-stained cross.
Paul also said in Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.” If we could be saved by our works, if we could be saved by simply being circumcised, if we could be saved by law-keeping or by being a good person, we would have every reason to boast and brag about ourselves, and what we have gained. We would have every reason to brag about how good of a person we are. We could brag about how we saved ourselves.
But as it is, grace is not from our own doing. Grace is a gift given freely to men by God who believes in the Son of God – Jesus Christ – by faith. Therefore, no man has a right to brag about how he or she saved himself or herself. All we can brag about is the love, kindness, mercy, and compassion God has bestowed on wretched sinners like ourselves.
What we deserve is the cross, because we are sinners. What we deserve is the wrath of God, because we have not and cannot keep God’s Moral Law (The Ten Commandments). What we deserve is an eternity in hell, because we are law-breakers. But God, who is rich in mercy, and because of the love he has for us, sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die the death we deserve, to pay our sin-debt, to redeem us from the curse of the law, to make us alive by faith, and to save us by grace.
Therefore, because we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Paul declares in verse 15, “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” Paul’s argument to the believers in Galatia is that it does not matter whether a man is circumcised or uncircumcised, regardless of what those false teachers say, because neither saves. In the same way, doing good works as a means to save yourself is meaningless. What matters is that we are a new creation. And the only way we can be a new creation is by faith in Jesus Christ and surrendering to his Lordship.
As Paul draws to an end of this letter, he writes in verse 16-18, “And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”
As he closes Paul does three things: First, Paul wishes everyone peace who depends on the grace of God rather than works for salvation. Secondly, he insists the churches in Galatia respect him and his ministry, especially because of the persecution he has had to endure from the Judaizers. And lastly, Paul ensures that he has not given up on them; in fact, by the end of this letter, Paul still refers to them as “brothers.”
With that our study of Galatians is complete. What you need to know as we close this study is this: First, there is no other gospel aside from the gospel of Jesus Christ, and anybody who says there is, is condemned. Secondly, Paul’s ministry, including all 13 of his epistles, are reliable and trustworthy. Thirdly, we are not saved by works; we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone. This has always been God’s means of saving us, or else, the death of Jesus is pointless. And lastly, we are to use the freedom we have from the law to love our neighbor as ourselves.