content/bible_journal/galatians_6:11-18.md

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-title = "Galatians 6:11–18"
-date = "2023-08-24"
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-
-### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Galatians6.11-18)
-
-In a at least one of Paul's letters, the secretary who took Paul's dictation
-inserted himself into the letter to send his own greetings to the church. More
-often, though, we see evidence that Paul pens his own conclusions to the
-letters. To the Galatians, he tells us that we could see the large letters that
-he wrote, if we had his original manuscript. (Now I wonder if any scribe tried
-to capture this style when they copied the manuscript.) I can think of a couple
-of good reasons why he would do this. In chapter 4, he mentioned that the
-Galatians would have given him their eyes if they could, which implies that
-there was something wrong with his own eyes. Perhaps his eyesight was poor or
-became so, and the Galatians could see these large letters and know for sure he
-wrote them.
-
-Another possibility is that Paul really wants to draw attention to what he's
-about to say. In the very next sentence he exposes the true motivations of the
-ones trying to force the Galatians to become Jews. During the middle of the
-first century, there was a movement of extreme Jewish nationalism. It's
-adherents chafed mightily under Roman rule and were concerned about the
-Hellenization encroaching on their way of life. They rebelled and agitated
-enough that Rome eventually sent an army that sacked Jerusalem and completely
-destroyed the temple in <span style="font-variant-caps:
-small-caps">a.d.</style> 70. Before then, these nationalists would be opposed
-to the church welcoming Gentiles into its number, so Paul says the Judaizer
-party is trying to make the Gentile believers into Jews in order to appease the
-nationalists.
-
-Paul reiterates that circumcision in itself does not affect one's status. Even
-those who trust in it can not keep the whole law. Instead, what counts is what
-Christ has done on the cross and what He works through us because of that.
-Nothing else matters in this world or the next, so let us make much of Him.
-
-* * *
-
-Your grace is more amazing than we can comprehend, and we are able to worship
-You because of it.