Glory Only in the Cross: A New Creature in Christ

In this Sunday Morning Service, Pastor Chris Parker brought the study of Galatians to a close, walking through the whole of Galatians 6 with the text of Galatians 6:14-18: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Reminding the church that Romans is from the schoolhouse while Galatians is from the battlefield, he reviewed Paul’s battle with the Judaizers who tried to add law-keeping to the gospel of grace. From the opening verses of the chapter he showed the believer’s duty to restore a brother overtaken in a fault in a spirit of meekness and to bear one another’s burdens, while recognizing that some burdens each person must bear alone. Verse 6 teaches the congregation to share material blessings with those who minister the Word, and verses 7-9 set out God’s unalterable law of sowing and reaping – illustrated from the pastor’s own testimony that even forgiven sin can leave a lifelong harvest. The heart of the message rested on verse 15: in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creature. Religion, ritual, and morality save no one; like Nicodemus, every person must be born again. Paul, who bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus – the beatings, stonings, and shipwrecks of a life spent for Christ – refused to glory in anything but the cross. Pastor Parker closed with the testimony of Vietnam veteran Dave Roever, who resolved to serve God despite disfigurement, pressing the question: are you in Christ, and are you yielded to Him? This life is brief, and every believer will give an account at the judgment seat of Christ. The invitation called the lost to quit trusting religion, self, and works, and to trust Jesus alone – and called the saved to obedience, surrender, and love for one another.