The peace and mercy of God are only for those who place their entire confidence only in what Christ has done for them and not in anything that they are able to do. You see, the beauty of the new creation is that it is like the original creation in the sense that the creation cannot contribute to its own creation. Therefore, this is a rule because it is certainly a principle that we hold to. But it is a rule that follow by looking only to what Christ has done and not to how well we are able to follow God’s rules.

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 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. 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. 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. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

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

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Galatians 6:11-18 ESV

Although some rejoiced at the recovery of the gospel of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone during what we now call the Reformation, the Catholic Church certainly did not. Being the bulwark of Western civilization following the collapse of the Roman Empire led to the Church amassing much political and financial power over society. Of course, they considered Scripture to be authoritative, but the Protestant insistence against the Church as the final interpreter of the Bible proved to be an existential threat. Thus, the response was quite often a brutal one. Nick Needham writes that:

Roman Catholic persecution of Protestants made people think twice before embracing a faith that could swiftly lead them to an agonizing death. Roman Catholic civil authorities had burnt the first Lutheran martyrs at the stake at Brussels in the Netherlands in 1523, and many other Protestant martyrdoms followed… (189-190)

In light of this ever-present danger, many who were convinced of the necessity of the Reformation still refused to leave the Catholic Church. They continued attending the Mass and other church functions to avoid being persecuted as a Protestant. Toward this impulse, John Calvin gave this counsel:

For if we desire to serve God and his church, we must always be prepared to undergo danger. Even though the fires are not lit, and the enemies are not armed to execute the cruel persecution that they would like to mete out (or rather, even though our Lord is restraining those who are furious with his Word, and who wish to throw off his yoke), yet we must, nevertheless, suffer the revilings of many people. We will be defamed; there will be murmurings and slanders against us; but let us breathe it all in and then harden ourselves against it, as it were. We see that wherever the gospel is preached, a thousand accusations come against those who seek to carry out their duty faithfully. They are put on trial, and accused of this and that, but it is all pure calumny. In short, all those who wish to pursue their course must prepare themselves to bear many trials; these would lead them to compromise, were they not determined to obey God despite everyone else. (638)

Here at the conclusion of his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul contrasts himself with the false teachers, the Judaizers, who were plaguing the Galatian churches. While they were embracing a false gospel in order to save themselves from persecution, Paul had wounds and scars of persecution all over his body. And while they fled from the scandal of the cross, Paul made it the aim of his life to rejoice in His crucified Savior. Indeed, he saw himself as being already crucified with Christ, even while he was still living.

Only That They May Not Be Persecuted // Verses 11–13

Galatians can be divided into five major sections. In 1:1-5, Paul opened with a greeting and a doxology. Next in 1:6-2:21, he rebuked the Galatians turning away from the gospel and reminded them of his own defense of the gospel, even in rebuking Peter. 3:1-5:12 contain the core arguments of the epistle. 5:13-6:10 then set forth principles for the Christian life as we keep in step with the Spirit. Finally, 6:11-18, we come to the letter’s conclusion, which, in the spirit of this letter, is both a final warning and blessing.

See with what letters I am writing to you with my own hand. Since Paul seems to have ordinarily dictated his letters to a secretary, most commentators believe that the apostle is saying that he wrote these final verses with his own hand. But it is certainly possible that he was referring to the rest of the letter, which he had just written. Either way, Paul’s point in calling their attention to his own handwriting as a sign of this letter’s authenticity. Even here, the apostle was anticipating the Galatians using the excuse, “But how do we know that this letter really is from Paul?”

With one last mark of authenticity noted, Paul then turns his attention one last time upon the false teachers, the Judaizers:

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. 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.

These false teachers were attempting to force the Galatian Christians to be circumcised as a mark of belonging to God’s people, just as God required of the Jews in the Old Testament while they were still under the law. Thus, as in chapter 5, Paul hones in on circumcision because it is the best representation of the overall problem: they were making observance of the law essential for salvation.

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