Do You Bear the Marks of Jesus?
(Galatians 6:11-17)

There is a saying that goes, “Tigers leave only their skins when they die, but through his achievements a man’s name lives on.” Everyone in the world wants to leave his or her name as well as marks of his or her life. However, we should live a distinguished life as Christians. We should live a life to leave the marks and the name of Jesus who was crucified and risen for all of us.

1. The boast of the flesh
The Galatian church was growing purely based on the gospel of salvation preached by Apostle Paul, which was focusing on the faith that people could be saved only by the faith in Jesus. However, when Paul left the area, the false teachers delivered the different gospel that people would be saved by keeping the law and being circumcised. Many people had turmoil due to the false teaching and some of them got really circumcised to pretend to be holy and showed off their flesh. That’s why Paul wrote to the Galatian church in this way, “The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.” and “they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.” And he insisted once again that people be saved only by faith in Jesus Christ not by the works. Salvation comes to us through faith. Therefore, good deed and devotion are not premise to be saved. They should become the fruits of salvation as thanksgiving for the grace of salvation.

2. Our boast
Apostle Paul had many things to be proud of. For example, he was an authentic Jew, and a Pharisee of Pharisees, a pupil under Gamaliel, and a Roman citizen. However, he considered all of them rubbish and boasted only in the cross after encountering Jesus personally. Because the cross is the proof of God’s Love to us and the victorious sign of salvation. People in the world are boastful of the flesh. The boasted of money, honor, and power. But we should be proud of the grace of the cross of Jesus in our whole lives.

3. The marks of Jesus
Paul confessed that he bore on his body ‘the marks of Jesus’. At that time, ‘the marks’ meant the special sign to show that a salve was owned by his master. Namely Paul confessed that he was owned by Jesus so that he could be alive or even be dead for Jesus. In fact, he was in prison and was flogged so many times while preaching the gospel, thereby bearing on his body so many scars and wounds. The marks on his body were the signs of his hardships engraved in his life to live according to the will of Jesus by giving up his fleshly life. What kinds of the marks do you have in your life? I bless that you may leave the marks of Jesus on your life by following the will of Jesus in your whole life.