“BUT MAY IT NEVER BE THAT I SHOULD BOAST, EXCEPT IN THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHICH THE WORLD HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED TO ME, AND I TO THE WORLD.”
When Paul wrote his letter to the church in Galatia, it was in reaction to their having gone back, from receiving the grace of God, to once again wear the fetters of the Mosaic Law.
Judaizers, those who followed after Paul, accusing him of license and saying that to be a Christian one must believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but also that they must keep the Law, had confused the Galatians and through what our modern vernacular would term a ‘guilt-trip’, convinced them that in order to be saved they must be circumcised and keep the various feasts and ordinances of the Jewish faith.
Paul had once boasted in these things. He had once bragged that he was a Jew among Jews. A Pharisee. Of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eighth day, a keeper and teacher of the Law.
But something happened to Paul that needs to happen to each one of us. He died.
Now there are various kinds of death, but only one kind is beneficial to the one who dies; only one leads to resurrection life. It is crucifixion with Christ.
Believer in Christ, have you died the death that Paul died? Let’s look at three crosses, and you let the Holy Spirit minister to your heart.
Paul said, “...the world has been crucified to me...”
Through the cross of Christ and its effect on Paul, this world and its pleasures and treasures had lost their appeal to him. More than that, the world system had lost its power over him, to guide his thinking, restrict his speech, control his movements, rule his life.
It had become a dead thing to him; rotting, stinking, a thing to walk away from.
Now that is not to say that Paul walked through life with his nose in the air, harboring a feeling of superiority above others. That was the old Paul. That was the attitude of the Judaizers; in fact, that is the attitude of all of the religious of any age, who have put their trust for righteousness in the keeping of their religiosity.
The spirit of this world does not only demonstrate itself in licentiousness and greed and envy and hatred and bigotry. It is expressed also in the legalism of church members who point the finger at anyone not living up to their special brand of Christianity and demand that that person step up to their standard.
We see this worldly spirit in churches that push divorcees to the back pew, or give a cold shoulder to those whose styles of hair or dress do not fit the norm of that congregation. We see it leaking even out of pulpits in the guise of exhortations to stop this or start that, or be here or be there, in a condemning tone that beats the weaker vessel down and drives the mature believer to discontent.
This was the spirit of the world that Paul battled in his epistles, and very pointedly right here in Galatians.
The world was dead to Paul, because he died in Christ, and the life he was raised back to so transcended the so-called life of this world, he was now able to see that fixing the problems was useless. Have you ever noticed that? Most Christians today, in the pulpit and out, would argue that we as Christians should have a voice in the world, in speaking out against political and moral wrongs; and of course the aim is always described as representing Christ to the world, taking up for the downtrodden, offering a Christlike influence in areas of our society where that influence is otherwise missing. But the only way to truly represent Christ to a Godless society, is to present the gospel message. It is God’s power for salvation, and until they have His kind of life, spending our time and resources fixing social problems is like putting mascara on a corpse.
Paul knew better, and besides, he had a better mission.
On the road to Damascus the risen Christ did not tell him to boycott businesses that sold meat sacrificed to idols. Jesus didn’t tell him to write letters to Roman officials blasting their worship of idols or decrying their politics in occupied provinces. He gave Paul this simple commission:
“I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only of the things which you have seen, but also the things in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me”
Paul’s new life’s goal, after his conversion to Christ, was to call on all who would listen, to drop their chains and take up their only key to freedom: the cross of Christ.
Now, don’t think I’m condemning those who do speak out on social issues and work for change. I would never discourage them or you from obeying the Lord’s leading in your life. Just remember as you do it, that it is a patch, not a cure. The only hope for life in a crucified world, is to go to the Life-giver.
In short; whatever endeavors you pursue in this life; however worthy and noble, your primary purpose there as a Christian is to carry and present the gospel message. Why? Because it is God’s power for salvation, for in it, the way to be right with God is revealed.
As Christians still in this world, we live in a graveyard. The only thing we have to offer them of worth, is resurrection power.
In chapter 5 verse 24 of this same letter he said, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Those passions and desires are not only in things like gluttony or greed or sexual lust. They are also in misplacement of trust and hypocritical religion that says, “be like me”. The passions and desires of the world encompass any endeavor that does not have an eternal value, and does not minister the grace of God.
One day outside of Jerusalem, a thief hung on a Roman cross. He had been put there next to two other men, and all three of them now suffered together the mid day heat, the excruciating agony of the spikes that held them there, the thirst, the humiliation, the mocking of the mindless crowd below, the thoughts of imminent death.
Somehow, at some point during this nightmare, he looked once more at the figure on the center cross and suddenly the world was crucified to him.
He no longer heard the mocking and the insults. He no longer thought of his past or yearned to go back to it.
All thoughts of making amends or atoning for his own deeds were banished. The world was dead to him, and he turned to his only hope, the only One worthy of attention there, and believed.
This thief looked with the eyes of an aged saint through the blood and sweat and ragged flesh, the smashed face, and the crown of thorns; deafened himself to the wagging tongues all around, and spoke to his Messiah.
“Lord, remember me when you come in your Kingdom”.
People, is the world dead to you?
Oh, I don’t mean to say we should go through life enjoying nothing, criticizing everything, standing out as one who stands out! I mean that our focus on Christ should be so intense, our confidence in His work on the cross for us so sure, that the spirit of the world would have completely lost its influence over us. That we would not even hear their mockings, hardly be aware of our own pain or inconvenience or humiliation, no longer seek ways to atone for our own sin through religious exercise; rather, we would be an influence drawing others away from the world to cast their eyes also to that cross and be redeemed.
Paul said, “...and I to the world...”
Christian, when you went down into the waters of baptism, you testified that as Christ died, so you had died to your old life; and when you were brought back up out of the water you testified that you had been raised into newness of life.
Did you really die?
If you did, then why do you still bend the knee to the gods of the world system?
Why do you submit yourself to the world’s decrees, such as, “do not SAY this or that”, “do not DO this or that”
“favor this group over this other one”, “pursue this worldly goal and be accepted”, “always feel just a little bit guilty so that you cannot ever feel absolutely under God’s grace”
“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world,” wrote Paul to the Colossians, “why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “do not handle’, ‘do not taste’, ‘do not touch!’, in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?”
Have you really died to the world?
There was another cross outside of Jerusalem that day.
On it was a man who refused to die to the world. He embraced it until it was ripped from his arms through death.
Isn’t this the perfect picture of foolishness?
He is nailed to a cross by the same people who drove spikes through the wrists of Jesus.
He is being mocked and chided, I know, because that is the great game of dark, blood-thirsty souls who attend public executions in any culture; any period of history.
But what does he do? He turns to the center cross and joins his own crucifiers in mocking and chiding the man next to him.
Stupendous folly!
“IF you are the Christ,” he says, “then save yourself and us.”
IF? IF? Doesn’t that sound just a little bit Satanic?
“IF you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread”
“IF you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down”
Faith does not say “IF”, faith simply asks to be remembered, knowing that when we are addressing the Son of the Living God, to be remembered is enough.
Christians, when you are outside of the church building and going about your daily life, do you criticize the church? Do you gossip about other believers? When talking to a friend or working partner who is unchurched do you agree with their condemnations of the church; or laugh at their irreligious, sacrilegious joking?
Then you are joining in with those who would put you on the cross.
You are yoking yourself with those who wag the tongue at the One you call Master. By profession, you are nailed to the cross with Christ, and yet when you do these things you are, in essence, saying, “IF you are the Messiah, defend yourself!” When instead, you should be saying to that person, “you and I are rightfully under the same sentence of death; but He is innocent”.
Paul died to the world, and considered the world dead to him. He could no longer hear their voices or feel the pain they inflicted. He ignored his own suffering and had eyes only for his Jesus; his great boast; his confidence; his life and his assurance of eternity.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me.”
People, the Laws of God are not contrary to His promises. But having the law, allows us to know God’s ways so that by contrast we might see our backward condition and be convicted of sin, so that we might turn and by believing, receive the promise of life in Jesus Christ. (Gal 3:21,22)
But the power of the law stops there. It is a tutor, pointing to Christ. It can only take us to the cross. Beyond the cross there is no law, there is only God’s grace. Empty your hands and lift them up in rejoicing and praise. You’re free! Eternally and gloriously free!
This boasting of Paul is not a prideful, arrogance. It is a joyful, settled conviction.
It is the kind of boasting that tells everyone around you of a friend who saved your life.
It is the kind of boasting that lifts up another who deserves recognition.
It is the kind of boasting that says “I love Him, because He first loved me” and “We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” The kind that says with confidence, “Though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh will I see God”
Believer, make these words of Paul your prayer and your creed: “May it never be that I should place my confidence and assurance in any of the vain, passing things of this world; neither worldly goods or comforts, nor manmade commandments, nor my own self-righteousness, but simply in the cross of Jesus Christ my Lord. May the world be crucified to me and I to the world, and may I only have eyes for Him, now and forever.”
We are entering Easter week.
There are churches who have various observances for the entire week. Sometimes I wish that we would do the same.
We hardly pay attention to Good Friday. Sometimes we have a short worship service on Good Friday; this year, we have nothing planned. There has been much to do and think about
over the past weeks and we’ve all been spread pretty thin.
But I wish that some year we would go even further than a Good Friday service and an Easter morning service.
On Monday we could have a service to commemorate the selection of a spotless lamb by the children of Israel and examining it for four days, and we could tie it in with Jesus entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, then purging the temple, thus becoming very public and visible.
On Tuesday we would hear a sermon on His healing of the man born blind while all eyes watched; both those willing to see and those not, and we would talk about Him as the Light of the world Who shines brighter than all the suns.
On Wednesday we would hear Him teaching in the temple, while the religious elite stood by, afraid to lay hands on Him in the daylight.
On Thursday we could gather and partake of a seder meal. Yes, it wouldn’t hurt us a bit to celebrate a Passover meal. The Jews even today do this with a veil over their hearts. How much more would we be blessed by it, as we who see clearly the significance of each element of the meal?
On Friday we would gather solemnly to partake of the Lord’s Supper, in obedience to Him, eating the bread, the symbol of His broken body, and drinking the fruit of the vine, the symbol of His blood poured out; remembering that day when He was crushed for our transgressions, chastened for our well-being, scourged for our healing, and took our iniquity on Him.
Then on Saturday, we would all stay home. No TV, no rented movies, no family picnics, no long distance phone calls, no business transactions, no shopping for brightly colored baskets filled with chocolate... (those would be purchased ahead of time) We would read our Bibles and pray and tell our children about the King of glory, who was willing to lay aside His crown of gold and precious jewels, for a crown of thorns. About the healer Who allowed His hands to be pierced, the gospel sharer Who let His feet be nailed down, the burden bearer Who let that strong back be ripped to shreds, the Life-giver who poured His life out on the ground deliberately as a sacrifice to God to take away the blackness of our sins.
We would weep to think that He who was innocent, had to suffer so much for we who deserved all His pain and suffering eternally.
Imagine how much fuller our joy would be, how much greater, after a week of focusing on Him, would be our sense of gratitude and reverence and awe, when our eyes open to Sunday’s dawn and we shout, HE IS RISEN!
AND BECAUSE HE LIVES, I TOO, SHALL LIVE!
This was Paul’s boast. Can you see why his vision of Christ’s cross obliterated all connection between himself and this world? I pray that by His Holy Spirit, He will pierce your heart also, until you are dead to the world and the world dead to you, so that the only life you boast will be that of CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY.
FORBID IT LORD, THAT WE SHOULD BOAST, SAVE IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST, OUR GOD. ALL THE VAIN THINGS THAT CHARM US MOST, WHETHER THEY BE WORLDLY GOODS AND COMFORTS AND PLEASURES, OR MANMADE RELIGION, OR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS OR SELF-EFFORTS; CAUSE US BY YOUR SPIRIT TO OFFER ALL THOSE PASSING THINGS IN SACRIFICE TO THE BLOOD OF OUR HIGH PRIEST, WHO CALLS US TO COME WITH EMPTY HANDS AND DRAW NEAR. AND WHILE MEN BOAST OF WEALTH AND POWER AND KNOWLEDGE AND FAME, TEACH US TO BOAST OF THE CROSS OF OUR LORD, TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING FOOLISHNESS, BUT TO US WHO ARE BEING SAVED, THE POWER OF GOD.
