Daily Devotional for Monday, February 17

The Legalizers Boasted in Circumcision

“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ;’ Galatians 6:12.

There are differing opinions on if Paul wrote the entire letter himself or if he only wrote the last paragraph himself after dictating the rest to a scribe such as Tertius in Romans 16:22. In either case, he wanted to emphasize his summary and conclusion, and he wanted the Galatians to have no doubt that this information was genuine and authentic. He was very direct in his closing statements and told the Galatians that the Judaizers only wanted to get as many of the Gentiles circumcised as they could because it would lessen the persecution by the Jews. The Jews refused to believe that the crucifixion of Christ was redemptive in any sense. They persecuted all those Christians, especially Jewish Christians, who proclaimed such things. If the Jewish Christians could show that they were proselyting the Gentiles through the works of the Law, they could brag about it to the Jews and avoid persecution. Neither the Jews nor the Jewish Christians were keeping the entire Law, but they required the Gentiles to be circumcised.

The Judaizers were treating the Gentile believers like trophies to be won, racking up the number of circumcisions to make ashow. Paul wanted to make the Galatians truly understand that he had their best interest at heart and did not want them to be used. His desire was to help them live in the freedom of Christ.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Sometimes in our churches, we boast about the number of visitors we have on a Sunday or in other vain pursuits. May we boast only in Christ and Him crucified.

Ashley Ridings