THE ONE TRUE GOSPEL
Meditations in the Epistle to the Galatians
THE MARKS OF JESUS

"Finally, let no-one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit, brothers, Amen."
Galatians 6:17,18

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I HAVE taken these two verses together because it is plain that they together represent the closing words of Paul for this epistle, that is the 'yours sincerely', as it were. I feel that verse 17 warrants a closer and more in depth study, and I was going to take it on its own, but at the moment I feel that my understanding of it is not full or clear enough for me to do that, though I may as we progress in this sermon mention something of the questions it raises. The overall purpose of verse 17 is clear, however, and this we will share together.

The fact is that the problem of truth in Galatia is still burdening the apostle, and even after pouring out his heart over it in the letter, and making the truth as clear as he can, Paul still seems to feel that the problem of truth there is not going to be easily overcome. This burden seems to me to be behind these closing verses.

OVERALL VIEW

When Paul speaks of people troubling him, it is clear to me that he has very much in mind the controversy over the gospel which was raging in Galatia and which he has addressed in this letter. He is implying that he has told them the truth which they must now accept and believe. He wants no more communications and questions over it to trouble him. The time is not for questions but for action to renounce the error and hold to the gospel truth.

Paul reinforces the truth of the gospel he has proclaimed by saying that the truth is branded into his body in all the sufferings he has endured for the sake of it. These are the marks of Jesus, the sufferings for Christ sake, which all those who are faithful to the truth, in some measure, will have to bear. Paul is telling the Galatians to face the fact that there are sufferings when we are faithful to the truth, and that to turn from the error in Galatia will bring suffering, as those who are for the error fight back with all the weapons of the evil one.

Then in the final verse his pray for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with their spirits is a prayer that they may have the truth impressed upon their souls. He wants them to have the Spirit of Christ which will cause them to see the gospel as the only truth and the comfort of their souls. To be holding to the truth of the gospel is the indication that the grace of Jesus Christ was with them. On the other hand, to embrace the error is to renounce the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not to have it in their spirits.

PAUL'S TROUBLE WHICH IS THE CHURCH'S TROUBLE

Paul as an apostle of Jesus suffered many and great troubles. Wherever he went to preach Christ, the enemy of souls mobilised his forces to attack and trouble Paul. Paul gives a catalogue of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.

However the chiefest trouble to him was when any of the churches to which he had preached, and under God had been instrumental in forming and establishing, turned from the truth into error. This is the trouble undoubtedly that he is referring to here.

He does not want to be troubled any more with questions and claims which mar the gospel and destroy its beauty and saving power. The trouble is firstly concerning the dishonour that such apostasy brings to Christ. Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour. His work for us alone is a perfect work which needs no additions or human efforts to perfect. Any error creeping in is simply to suggest the blaspheme that Christ's work for us is in someway deficient, and needs addition or perfecting. Or if not as bad as this, it is to suggest that Christ did not intend to work a complete salvation, but always meant to place in our hands some of the work, so that we may still glory in our flesh. This troubled Paul so much because it was so offensive to Christ. How dreadful to suggest Christ's work was not perfect, or that he failed to provide what God promised, which was a complete salvation that answered the problem of sin forever.

Then secondly the trouble is that any error creeping in destroys the gospel. All error in some way is turning back to the law. Paul says so clearly in Galatians that to turn back to the law places us totally under the law again, and severs us from the grace in Christ. This destroys the soul and puts us back under condemnation, and makes the gospel unavailing for us.

Thirdly the trouble was in the idea of human glory and glorying which steals the glory due only to Christ, and gives that glory to us proud and failing sinners. Paul tells us in the first chapter of Ephesians that God worked all things for his pleasure and for his own glory alone. Taking glory to ourselves destroys the very purpose for which we were created, which is to give glory to God in all we do, think or say.

This trouble is a severe trouble to all faithful preachers of the Gospel, and to all faithful believers who treasurer the grace of God in Jesus Christ, and rest their souls only on the work of Jesus for them.

THE MARKS OF JESUS

The reference by Paul here to him bearing the marks of Jesus is where I am still in some confusion. I have no doubt as to the meaning in the argument. Paul is saying that the marks of Jesus in his body is proof that the gospel he preached and is pressing upon the Galatians, is the only true gospel. He is saying that nobody should question this gospel because Jesus has affirmed its truth by these marks which are in the body of his servant Paul.

The problem comes from the way the marks of Jesus have been understood in certain branches of the Christian Church. The Greek word used for 'marks' is stigmata. There was a person in the medieval period that had marks of nails in his hands and feet. These marks were known as the stigmata. They were claimed to have been brought upon the body by miraculous means, and were an indication of great sanctity. In fact there is every ground for believing that in the first person that these marks are reputed to be found, that he himself inflicted them on himself for the purpose of creating an image of sanctity in the church. However there have been those in the history of Catholicism who have claimed these marks as supernaturally given.

This stigmata, far from confirming the gospel Paul preached, actually contradicts it. People who claim this stigmata do it on the grounds of their own merit. It is a mark given for super sainthood. Thus they are claiming to receive recognition from God on the grounds of their good works, and special blessing as well. Thus such stigmata can not be from God. Any who claim such marks have come miraculously in their body must have them by the counterfeit of the devil. Surely it is offensive to any gospel Christian that the marks which are Christ's eternal glory in his resurrection body, should be found in any other.

The meaning of the marks of Jesus here in Paul's words are able to have a very simple explanation. Paul, you see, does not explain what he means by the marks of Jesus in his body. He just says he has these marks and they validate his gospel. We are left to speculate on what they are. Most take the view that marks on his body are all the marks of bodily abuse he suffered from those who opposed the gospel, and the marks of premature aging that he has suffered because of all the hardship he has borne. It seems to me that this is where the truth lies, though I still feel in the need of more light on the subject. What is true is that there is evidence of the truth of the gospel when the powers of Satan grow angry and attack the ones proclaiming the gospel. There would be no persecution or suffering if the preaching was not the true gospel. Satan would not attack what is really supporting his kingdom and keeping people in bondage in it.

It is a sign that the work of God is being done, and the gospel faithfully preached, when the church and the people of God experience suffering.

THE GRACE OF CHRIST

We have the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ when we embrace the gospel of grace. Paul is so concerned that the Galatians may be living under the gospel and not in the error of works, that his final blessings is for them to have the grace of Christ in their spirits.

There is no possible way that grace and merit can be combined. Any idea of our doings gaining favour before God immediately severs us from grace. Works in any form, however small, places us again under the law and the business of gaining salvation through our own effort in keeping the law. It does not matter how much we talk about relying on God for the grace of his strength in order to have victory, we have returned to our own doings to achieve acceptance with God, and we are then debtors to keep the whole law perfectly, or else be lost. We either rest only on Christ and on his merits and righteousness, or we don't but rather on our own imperfect righteousness. There can be no middle road.

This tendency to return to our own works is a failure to understand the gospel of grace. The moment we believe, we are not given a new start so that we have the ability to win to heaven ourselves, rather we are given heaven and eternal life. God's grace in Christ makes us a new creation. We are raised with Christ to a heavenly holy state in our new born state. Further Christ's death for us has met the justice of God for every sin we have or ever will commit, and so there is eternally now no condemnation for us. We are undefiled because the righteousness of Jesus clothes us forever so that there is no impediment for our close fellowship with God. We are made fit for glory the moment we are brought to faith by the grace of God. Because it is God's perfect work of salvation we can't lose it. Any sin we commit in the future has already been covered by the death of Jesus for us. There is no need to strive after salvation any more, because we are completely saved in Christ. To suggest that we can fall from grace or that somehow we lose salvation because of sin later, is to blaspheme Christ by suggesting that his work was not complete in our case, and we have to add to it by our repentance or restitution.

The sin we commit after salvation is because we still have to reside in a body that is of this world and is still fallen. Our sins are grieving to God. They are our responsibility, but God's 'all things' have taken these all into account, and all 'work together for our good'. God allows us to fail and fall sometimes, because it is the only way we can learn more of his grace and the corrupt weakness of our fallen flesh. The sins of one believer are often a means of working good in other believers as perhaps they see how they have failed in love towards the fallen brother or sister. Elijah, far from falling from some better reward by his failure to stand up to Jezabel after the victory at Carmel, was brought by God to a higher understanding of God's grace; of God's majesty and power, of God's love and good purpose, and of his own utter dependence on God.

We begin to serve on earth as we would in heaven. In heaven we do not serve to gain favour. We already have the favour of God and fellowship in his presence. We serve out of love and because our nature in heaven desires only to serve the God we love. So it is on earth for the believer. We don't serve to gain favour. We have already been brought into favour with God through the merits of Christ. We serve because it is the nature of our new creation to love and serve God, and love in our hearts to God motivates us to please God. There is no idea of gaining merit or reward in it whatsoever. It is quite impossible to be born again and not want to serve God out of love, and for love sake only. God may hide his face from us in some way from time to time, but this is never to lose his favour which is ours in Christ, it is only to lose the sense of his favour temporarily so that we may learn what God knows we need to learn and are unable to learn in any other way.

The blessing of verse 18 is not only the desire of Paul that the Galatians, and Christians for all time, should be living in the grace of God, and resting on that grace of the merits of Christ bestowed freely upon them, but it is also an expression of Paul's desire that this gospel may be deepened in understanding and experience in the soul, so that it may be ever more our great joy, delight and exceeding great blessing. Growing in grace is when we are ever more deeply resting on Christ, and living in the light of his grace towards us. This is the spring of all holy living and devoted service.

CONCLUSION

Let us see that we have grasped clearly this great salvation. Let us ever more rest our souls on the perfect work of Christ for us. Let us mortify all our corrupt affections in the flesh which would lead us back to the devil's lie that we must preserve God's favour by our own effort and goodness. Let us pour out our love upon our God for the love he has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God.