The cross is one of the most recognized symbols in the world, but what does it mean? 

I was curious what people thought about the cross, so I went up to a bunch of strangers and asked them, “What does the cross mean to you?”

It’s a wholistic symbol of how you should live your life and treat other people (first guy; working at a coffee shop wearing a crucifix necklace)

Here’s what the cross meant in ancient times. In the Old Testament era, crosses were used as instruments of torture and public execution for serious criminals. The emergence of the solitary cross as a mode of punishment may be traced back to the ancient practice of making public display of corpses or of people’s heads. Impalement as a form of public humiliation and death was also used by the Assyrians.

A few years ago, I got to visit the British Museum in London, and there you can see remains of an engraved bronze band depicting this very thing. This was discovered in Iraq and is dated back to 850 BC.

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If you remember the story of Jonah, God commanded him to go to Ninevah, which was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. you might better understand why he was a bit hesitant to preach to them. It was a brutal, barbaric form of punishment.

By the time you get to the first century, in addition to this earliest form as a simple vertical stake, several variations came about. You can see several variations on the screen. 

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The most common version we understand today is the Latin cross +, with the upright beam projecting above the shorter crosspiece. From the mention of an inscription nailed above the head of Jesus we can safely assume this was the form of the cross on which He died. There are several other types of crosses, and different traditions use these.

During Jesus’ day, the cross was a universal symbol of death, suffering, and humiliation. Cicero, an ancient Roman statesman in the first century BC described crucifixion as “the cruelest and most terrible punishment.” The cross was referred to by ancient writers as “the infamous stake,” the “criminal wood,” the “most evil cross” reserved for slaves and rebellious foreigners. Jews viewed anyone crucified as cursed by God based on Deuteronomy 21:22-23, which says, 22 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.”

But through Jesus Christ, God has taken the cross and redefined it for His purposes. How has he redefined the cross? We’re going to answer that question tonight, so keep listening as we close out this letter to the Galatians.

Let’s do a brief recap of where we’ve been in these past 16 sermons. Paul is addressing a specific issue that is plaguing the churches in Galatia like gangrene which is the heresy of the Judaizers. They were teaching Christians, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Paul has been refuting this heresy by explaining that the purpose of the Mosaic Law is to expose our inability to keep God’s commandments and that the promise of Abraham is fulfilled by faith in Jesus. In the past few messages, we’ve been looking at Paul’s exhortations for Christian living in light of the gospel, and now Paul is wrapping up his letter in our final message. 

Paul concludes his letter with an unusually brief and terse paragraph, similar to the opening. Normally, Paul’s letters close with a benediction or some personal updates. But not in Galatians! Remember that this letter is different. Paul’s tone is urgent, angry, and direct. He’s not acting like “Papa Paul,” checking in on how they’re feeling and asking them to say hello to others in the church. He has an urgent message that the Galatians need to hear. He says in verse 11, “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.”

We can see from Paul’s other letters that he typically had a copyist write down his letters followed by his own personal farewell, which is similar to how an attorney drafts up a letter for a client to sign. Why did Paul write with such big letters? Commentators come up with all types of reasons, but regardless, Paul is emphasizing the importance of his personal message to the Galatians.

Go ahead and write this down for point #1 in your sermon notes: 

The cross of Christ bails us out (6:11-13)

He continues in verses 12 and 13, 

12 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. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

Paul reiterates his message: DON’T TRUST THE JUDAIZERS.

Why? First, they wanted converts for their own selfish desires. These heretics were trying to impress others with their external religious observances and pad their conversion stats for the Jewish motherland back home. They didn’t love the Galatians, and they certainly didn’t love Christ. This echoes what Paul said in chapter 1 of this letter, “10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Paul knows this because he used to be like the Judaizers, outwardly zealous for the Law but inwardly selfish. He writes in chapter 1 that he was advancing in Judaism more than any of his peers. He hunted down Christians better than anyone else. He didn’t suffer persecution as a Pharisee, but things changed after he started following Jesus.

Second, Paul reminds the Galatians of the Judaizers’ hypocrisy. How could Paul say that the Judaizers were not keeping the Law of Moses? How did he know? Again, personal experience! Paul writes about his inability to carry out the Law’s demands in Romans 7. The Law is good and holy, and I know that it is good and holy, and yet I do what I hate and hate what I will do. Who will save me from this body of death? Paul says.

Perhaps the Galatians thought, “Well, maybe that’s just a Paul problem. But look at the Judaizers! Look how devout and committed they are! They’re circumcised, they eat all the kosher foods, they never work on the Sabbath, they observe all the Jewish festivals. They seem way more devout than you, Paul. Salvation is more complicated than just believing the gospel, right?”

Well, here’s the problem. Earlier in this letter, Paul says in Galatians 3:10-11, “10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.””

Why is it evident that no one is justified before God by the Mosaic Law? Because no one can meet the Mosaic Law’s standards. Keeping the Law means keeping every law. As James 2:10 says, “Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” The Law and the Prophets and the Psalms each testify that no one is righteous, not one. All have turned away from God’s Law. Paul says in Romans 3, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (3:19-20).

But, here comes the power of the cross! Galatians 3:13 “13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” Through the cross, Jesus became a curse on our behalf. He became sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21). He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Pet. 2:24). The cross delivers us from the power of sin and the wrath of God. God uses the cross, a symbol of punishment and death, as an instrument to usher in forgiveness and eternal life.

The cross is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, not circumcision, not works of the Mosaic Law, not penance, not converting a certain number of people, not keeping certain covenants or any other form of self-righteous law-keeping. Anyone who tries to keep the Mosaic Law to earn salvation is cursed by God. They have absolutely nothing to boast about.

There is only one thing that we can boast about. Let’s read verse 14.

14 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.

Write this down for point #2: 

“The cross of Christ becomes our boasting.”

Paul is juxtaposing circumcision and the cross. Paul used the word “circumcision” as a symbol for the false gospel of the Judaizers, the futile attempt to earn God’s favor through Mosaic Law-keeping, but the cross is a symbol of something totally different. The “theology of the cross” is an idea Paul builds throughout his letters in the New Testament. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). It is a new type of circumcision, a circumcision of the heart. It’s the symbol of the gospel. The cross, historically a symbol of humiliation and death, has been transformed by God into a symbol of power and life. Through the cross we have peace with God, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, a brand-new heart.

The Galatians had a choice to make: the crucifixion of Jesus or the circumcision of the Judaizers. And that offer is still on the table today, like the famous offer from Morpheus in The Matrix: red pill, or blue pill? Do you want to accept the brutal facts of God’s wrath being poured out because of your wicked, selfish heart, or do you choose to embrace the delusion that you don’t need Christ’s sacrifice? Do you come to the cross to die, or do you try paving your own path to God? One is a divine operation, the other a human one. One is of faith, the other is of works. One leads to eternal life, the other leads to eternal damnation. Which one are you going to choose? When you die and stand before God, what will you say to Him when He opens the books and examines your life?

Here's what you say: “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!” That’s what you say. Or sing the stanza from “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,”

Forbid it Lord that I should boast // Save in the death of Christ my God // All the vain things that charm me most // I sacrifice them to His blood

Jesus isn’t the only one who has been crucified. Paul points out a “triple crucifixion” in this verse: the crucified Christ, the crucified world, and the crucified Christian. Paul makes mention of our co-crucifixion with Christ throughout Galatians. “I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (2:20) and “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (5:24). Through our union with Christ, our sin nature has been crucified with Jesus on the cross. We now consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

And because of Christ’s crucifixion, the world has been crucified to us. The “world” Paul is referring to is the satanic, godless system of the world, not the earthly, physical realm. We are in the world but not of the world. We are no longer controlled by the weak, worthless elementary principles of the world as Paul mentions in chapter 4. We’re freed from the various man-made, self-serving, moral-management religions and systems of the world, and we’re also freed from the world’s temptations of hedonism, self-gratification, and running the rat race of endless achievements and selfish ambition.

Have you ever thought why God doesn’t instantly teleport you to heaven after saving you? Why does he keep us here in this evil, wicked world filled with sin and death? I believe it’s because it displays the power of the cross! It brings more glory to God to keep us here than to take us away. It is one thing for God to forgive a sinner. It is another thing for God to transform a sinner into a saint, and we demonstrate the power of the cross when we say no to the ways of the world. Like Robin talked about on Sunday from 1 Peter, our conduct is a testimony to God’s glory. It tells an unbelieving world that we are not of this world, that we have been transformed.

This brings us to our third point: 

The cross of Christ bears new life (6:15-16)

Paul goes on in verse 15,

15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

The OT rituals of Judaism pointed to the realities to come in Christ. Circumcision, the removal of human flesh, is a shadow of the cross, which removes the sinful flesh in our hearts. The power of the cross has an individual aspect, reconciling hostile sinners to God, but there is also a corporate aspect. Through the cross of Christ, the division between Jews and Gentiles has been broken down. The Jews are God’s chosen people. They were given the covenants, the promises of the patriarchs, the prophecies. The Gentiles were not. Paul says in Ephesians that we Gentiles were cut off from the promises of Israel, having no hope and without God in the world (2:12). But now, through the cross of Christ, God is reconciling both Jews and Gentiles to Himself and removing hostility between both groups.

Whether someone is circumcised or not does not matter under the New Covenant. What matters is if you are in Christ. As the Lord declared in Peter’s vision in Acts 10, both Jews and Gentiles were declared clean by Christ’s blood poured out at Calvary. God is building a new creation, the Body of Christ, where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). 

Paul uses this phrase from verse 15 in two other places in his letters, in 1 Corinthians 7:19 and Galatians 5:6. In First Corinthians, he says, “For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.” Then in Galatians 5:6 he says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” So we’ve got 3 things that matter: keeping God’s commandments, faith working through love, and a new creation. This is what matters in the Christian life! And all of this comes by being in Christ.

And for those who live in Christ as a new creation, Paul announces a blessing upon them. Look at verse 16.

16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

“This rule” refers to Paul’s thesis of justification by faith in Christ, specifically being a “new creation” mentioned in verse 15. The word for rule could be translated as “standard” and is used by early Christian writers to describe the “rule of faith” or “canon,” a list of truths and standards for orthodoxy. This thesis is reiterated throughout this letter in different ways: being crucified with Christ, receiving the blessing of Abraham by faith, walking by the Spirit.

Rather than ending the letter with a personal farewell, Paul gives a conditional blessing. Remember how Paul opened his letter: “If anyone preaches to you a different gospel, let him be accursed.” Paul started with an apostolic curse, and now he ends with an apostolic blessing. If you reject the Judaizers and embrace the true gospel, then you will have peace with God. 

Now, what does this second part of this verse mean, “upon the Israel of God”? This is the only time this phrase is used in the New Testament, and scholars are divided on this. Both of the main commentators I’ve been reading for Galatians disagree on this actually. There are some grammatical difficulties with this verse in how you interpret some of these prepositions. I won’t dig too deeply into the complexities, but there are a few interpretative options:

The blessing of peace is for all who walk by this rule, which is the Israel of God (this option interprets the Israel of God as Christians who walk by the Spirit);

The blessing of peace and mercy is for those who walk by this rule and the Israel of God (separate group) (this option interprets peace and mercy upon both Christians (the church) and Israel, 2 separate groups

The blessing of peace is for those who walk by this rule, and mercy for the Israel of God (this option interprets peace for the church and mercy for Israel, noting a distinction between the groups).

Most scholars go with option 1, that Paul is saying the true people of God, the Israel of God, are those who receive the promises of Abraham by faith in the Messiah. You can see how Paul describes two different “Israels” in Romans 9, the true Israel being those who receive the promise of Abraham through faith in the Messiah.

Regardless of which view you choose, what is clear is that we have peace with God only by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the Law.

Alright, let’s turn to Paul’s concluding thoughts in verse 17: 

[17] From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 

What is Paul saying here? What are these “marks of Jesus,” and why should these stop people from giving Paul trouble?

The Greek word is stigmata, and this word was used in the ancient world to refer to the “brand” that masters would use to mark their slaves. A slave’s marks communicated ownership. What marks did Paul have on his body? These aren’t the actual piercings of Jesus’ crucifixion as some mystics have claimed to have experienced. These marks were all the scars and wounds he received from following Jesus.

Paul is basically saying, “You think circumcision marks you as a child of God? Look at me! I’m the one who is truly branded for Jesus!” 

Write this down for point #4 in your notes: 

The cross of Christ brands a Christian (6:17-18)

Paul is again reminding the Galatians why they should listen to him. Paul was commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself through a direct revelation. That’s how he starts the letter. And now that he’s followed Jesus for years, he has experienced the “marks” of Jesus. Before Jesus, Paul was the persecutor. After Jesus, Paul became the persecuted. In fact, the Lord told Ananias, the disciple who took care of Paul at Damascus after his blinding vision, “For I will show him [Paul] how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16).

God certainly fulfilled this promise. Paul suffered for following Jesus. Let’s take a brief look at his resume in 2 Corinthians 11: lashings, beatings with rods, being stoned and dragged out of a city, shipwrecks, danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from the Jews, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false teachers, many sleepless nights, starvation, freezing cold, sickness, and the daily anxieties of caring for all the churches he had planted. 

Just stop and think about that for a moment, how much Paul was willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus and His church. If I’ve lost your attention, please come back in.

Unfortunately, I think many of us think we can have the blessings of Jesus without the marks of Jesus, the glories of the gospel without the suffering of the cross. We’ll follow Jesus if it’s convenient for us, if it’s not too uncomfortable. We’ll downplay the offensive parts of our faith so that people aren’t as offended. We’ll avoid sharing the gospel because we don’t want to seem weird or judgy. We’d rather be praised by people than praised by God, and we’d rather be comfortable than sacrifice for those suffering around us.

Dear saints, following Jesus is costly. We have to count the cost of following Him. Have you ever sacrificed something for following Jesus? Anything? How much are you willing to suffer for the sake of following Jesus? Are you willing to suffer sleepless nights, starvation, beatings, hatred, mocking, rejection if God calls you to that?

Or how about a little discomfort for sharing your faith at work, or maybe losing a little bit of sleep to get up early to worship God, or being late to a meeting because you helped a homeless man on the street, or having a little bit less for retirement because you decided to give some of your finances to the church?

I am afraid we have totally lost the meaning of the cross in the sea of prosperity here in America. I’m not sure we understand what Paul means by these marks of Jesus or what it means to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily to follow Jesus.

Many of our brothers and sisters overseas know the marks of Jesus. Open Doors is a global missions organization which was started by a man named Brother Andrew known for smuggling Bibles into Eastern Europe. Every year, Open Doors releases a World Watch List with a ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. They estimate that over 380 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution for their faith.

Here are some of the crosses our precious brothers and sisters have to bear. In Afghanistan, the Taliban monitors people’s phones for Bible apps and Christian messages and will arrest, interrogate, or execute Christians caught with this content. In Pakistan, a man named Lazar, a 73-year-old Christian, was falsely accused of blasphemy. His home and business were destroyed, and he died after being brutally beaten by a mob. In Somalia, all people are expected to submit to Islam. Any converts to Christianity are ruthlessly targeted by their community, by the government, and by Jihadists. And at #1 on the list, North Korea. The country has a strict authoritarian regime of emperor worship. Anyone who recognizes another deity besides the Kim Family will be killed immediately or sent to a labor camp to work to death. The country is filled with starving people, dead corpses, and paralyzing fear.

We don’t understand how good we have it here in America. O, Lord, give us grace! I will be the first one to confess the idolatry and apathy in my heart. I want to be like Paul and say, “I have been completely, utterly crucified to the world! I am totally sold out for Jesus! I am unashamed of the gospel!” I want to say like Isaiah, “Here I am Lord. Send me!” I want to shout that from this pulpit. But I’ve neglected and avoided so many opportunities to share the gospel. Especially at work. I am far from where the Lord is calling me to be. The comforts, the conveniences, the fear of man, these things have held me back from fully surrendering to Christ. There is a great cost of following the Lord. Salvation is a free gift, but it costs you everything. Jesus said, “Anyone who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

There’s a line from the song “What If I Gave Everything” from Casting Crowns that convicts me every time I hear it:

So afraid what it might cost to follow you // I’d walk by faith if I could get these feet to move // But I don’t want to live that way // I don’t want to look back someday // On a life that never stepped across the line

I pray that God would give us godly sorrow that leads to repentance. We should examine ourselves to see if we are truly living out the faith, but, as Robert Murray M’Cheyne said, “For every one look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ,” the Author and Perfector of our faith. What did our Lord have to endure?

The agony in the garden – the crushing of Jesus in the olive press of Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” The blood pouring down his body under the stress of what is about to take place in His final moments before the cross.

The scourging at the pillar – the cat of nine tails layered with glass and nails ripping the flesh out of his back with every strike after the crowd asked Pilate to release a murderer in his place.

The crowning of thorns – the battalion of soldiers coronating the King of the Universe, their Creator, with a crown of thorns, saluting Him with blows from a rod, anointing Him with their own spit, mocking the sinless Son of God as a worthless fool.

The carrying of His cross – being forced to carry the heavy, wooden beam laid upon his frail, lacerated back as he crawls up the hill to be publicly executed.

The crucifixion – the nails pierced through his wrists and feet, Jesus taking the cup of God’s wrath for the sins of His people who killed Him, crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Listen to this line from the classic hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”:

See from His head, His hands, His feet

Sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet

Or thorns compose so rich a crown

These are the marks of Jesus, friends. He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by his wounds we are healed. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rarely will someone die for a good man; how much more the righteous for the unrighteous! Why would anyone like this do such a thing? Because God wanted to show His amazing grace and love to His helpless creatures. Through the marks of Jesus, we now are marked as sons of God and recipients of His grace. 

And that’s why Paul can end his letter to the Galatians like this: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. 

Amen

I want to end with some applications:

Marvel at the cross.

Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. He willingly laid down His life for us. The gruesomeness of the crucifixion—the nails, the beatings, the blood, the cross, the shame—setting aside His heavenly glory to enter our earthly existence, taking the cup of God’s wrath on our behalf. How did he do it? Who on earth would do such a thing? And to do this because He loves sinners! How does this not grip you and destroy your pride and stir up your affections to love this One who paid the ultimate price? It is not enough for us to simply read the Bible and go on with our day. I know plenty of people who hear the gospel every week and yet have little to no affection for the cross. We must allow God’s Word to penetrate our hearts. Go into your room or your closet, read the text, mediate on the text, ask God to open the eyes of your heart, and allow the Holy Spirit to shine light inside of your heart. Pick Luke 23 or Philippians 2 or Romans 5, and read a section out loud, multiple times, think about it, and pray over it back to God. Keep doing that until the Spirit pours out His love and grace into your heart. Perhaps its conviction, repentance, humility, thanksgiving, praise, worship. The Holy Spirit promises to give us these things when we walk in step with Him. But we have to seek! We have to prayerfully engage with the Word of God. 

Embrace the cross.

Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4). This perseverance will produce in us character, and character brings us hope, and hope does not put us to shame! God has ordained suffering and pain in our lives to make us holy, to make us Christ-like. If we didn’t suffer, we would be such shallow, selfish creatures. Embrace whatever cross God has placed in your life, whether it’s a difficult boss at work, loneliness, struggles in your marriage, ungrateful kids, debilitating health problems, whatever it is, count it all as joy knowing God has sovereignly arranged this for your good and His glory, just like Joseph with his brothers, just like the Israelites in Egypt, and just like Jesus on the cross.

Look beyond the cross.

When you sense God calling you to step out in faith, you need to count the cost. What is this going to cost me? We don’t have a blind faith. We don’t blindly take on risks. We consider the risk because it is real. So you pile up how much it’s going to cost you, maybe a few pennies (we often make mountains out of molehills), or maybe it’s a giant stack of gold. Or suitcases filled with hundred-dollar bills. And then, after you’ve piled up the payment, you set that aside, and you turn and behold the ultimate treasure you receive in exchange, more precious than gold or silver or anything in the world, and you realize that this momentary lightness of affliction is achieving an eternal weight of glory that far surpasses any cost. We follow the example of our Savior, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Remember, if we share in His suffering, we will also share in His glory.