Galatians 6:14 – Boasting in the Cross
Normally, boasting is wrong. It’s when we make a big deal of something, in order that we will look good. That’s what the false teachers were doing in v13. They were boasting in the flesh of those they had dragged aside from the true gospel. But Paul says that there’s also a type of boasting that is good. And that’s boasting in, or glorying in, the cross of Jesus Christ.
All false teaching diminishes the cross of Jesus Christ. The false teachers in Galatia diminished the cross of Christ by saying that, yes it was important, but what really got you over the line and into heaven was getting circumcised. False teachers today diminish the cross by preaching that your good works will get you into heaven. And by false teachers, I’m not just thinking about the cults, but about many who stand in churches where the gospel was once preached. But there’s no mention of sin, and therefore no need for the cross. The human problem is played down, and so the divine solution is no longer needed. Some diminish the cross by saying that it was Jesus doing his bit, but now it’s up to us to do ours. Some diminish the cross by putting their confidence in eloquent preachers, new buildings, and nice aesthetics. But Paul himself says in Corinthians that God didn’t send him to preach the gospel with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Some diminish the cross by telling people that it doesn’t matter how you live. As if Jesus bled and died for us to be no different than those around us – for us to be no different than we were before we were Christians.
But those in whom the Spirit of God truly dwells glory in the cross. If you ask them what their hope for Heaven is – they say it’s the cross. Every part of their lives is lived in light of the cross. And why do we glory in the cross? Because it has totally transformed our lives, both in this world and for eternity.
It’s easy to glory in the cross as a symbol. But if someone really glories in the cross, then the second part of this verse will be true for them as well: ‘by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’. If something is crucified, it’s dead. So we can rephrase that line: by which the world has died to me, and I have died to the world. It means that our hopes and dreams are no longer dependent on this world. It means this world no longer has power over us. Yes, sometimes we’ll still be tempted by what the world offers — but its hold over us is broken.
Questions
- What kind of boasting should we do?
- How do we glory in the cross?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for all that Christ has done.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.