Galatians 6 -- BEING The New People

“The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging.  Through the cross of Jesus my world was crucified, and I died to the world.  It is not important if a man is circumcised or uncircumcised.  The important thing is being the new people God has made.”

Paul had started off this letter admonishing the recipients for letting false teachers sway them toward a “Christ+” gospel.  I like the way he ended his letter.  Everything about his old life died with Christ on the cross.  As far as the world was concerned, the old Paul was gone, too.

My commentary said, “Because the new creation is all of Christ from start to finish, it excludes any thought of gaining God’s favor through character or works.  A life of holiness is produced, not by the observance of ritual, but by yielding to Christ and permitting Him to live His life in the believer.  The new creation is not an improvement of or addition to the old, but something entirely different.”

That’s what we ought to be realizing about our lives in Christ.  There was no power on our part that changed us and that now enables us to live holy lives.  It’s Christ living within us through the Holy Spirit that motivates us and directs our thoughts and actions.  Just as we would not want to handle a body that had been nailed to a cross in death since the day we became Christians, we should feel a revulsion toward picking up our old lives which existed prior to our conversion.  Nothing of ourselves empowers us today – only our risen Savior.

Father, I know that there’s not a single thing I could ever do to earn my salvation.  Please help me each day to yield to Christ and permit Him to live His life in me so that You may produce holiness in my life.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford