Boasting

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

BOASTING

Gal 6:12-16

12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

NIV

These are the concluding remarks of Paul to these people of Galatia and he makes sure he repeats himself about this circumcision doctrine of those agitators who were confusing the people who accepted Jesus through faith. Again, these Jews wanted the Gentiles to follow Jewish law before becoming a believer in Jesus. How ridiculous to think following any law would make someone a better believer. Paul makes sure the Galatians know even those Jews who say they follow the law, cannot and they break the very law they want to impose on others. This boasting about the flesh does not always have to mean about circumcision in our modern culture for many males are circumcised right after birth. This has been done in our country for years boasted as for health reasons and the males had no choice in the matter as parents made the choice for them. However, both men and women might be guilty of boasting in the flesh today for other reasons. For example, how well we follow the rules we set for ourselves. We might boast in our accomplishments. We might boast in our abilities or our talents. We might boast in our success, our wealth, or our possessions. We might boast in our education, how many degrees or what kind of degree we have. We might even boast, at least to ourselves, that we are more holy then that other believer, or we do not sin like they do. In reality, it is all about impressing others by our appearance. We find all sorts of things we can boast about ourselves and all the while it comes down to being self-centered instead of Christ-centered. Wow, that is an indictment. But it is something we should think about more often. The only one we should ever boast about is Jesus, about the cross and what that means for us. We should boast about Jesus setting us free from the penalty of our sin. We should boast that the world has been crucified in us and us to the world. That means the world is dead to us and we are dead to the world. So then we should not be living as the world lives boasting in itself, but we boast in Jesus.