(Edited excerpts from the message preached during last Tuesday night’s Prayer Meeting)
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).
Although not structured as a formal prayer, Galatians 6:14 conveys the apostle Paul’s deep godly aspiration and resolve out of a heart wholly submitted to God for the exaltation of Christ alone. Paul’s words in this verse contain several traits of genuine prayer: (i) they exhibit a worshipful resolve, (ii) they express the spirit of devotion, even a cry of deep allegiance to the cross of Christ and a forsaking of worldly and self glory, and (iii) they exemplify a heart dedicated singularly to the holy aspiration of magnifying Christ above all else.
“But God forbid that I should glory...”
Paul’s language (“God forbid”) is strong. “God forbid” translates a Greek phrase of strong rejection – “May it never be!” He was expressing a strong prayerful wish that it would never be found in him to boast in anything that exalts self. He desired to be stripped of every inclination to seek honour from his righteousness, success, or possessions. He wanted any desire or expectation of human praise out of his mind. His prayerful ambition was that he would be delivered from self-exaltation and spiritual pride.
In the context of this verse, Paul exposed the motives of the Judaizers, teachers who insisted that Gentile believers must be circumcised and observe the ceremonial laws to be fully accepted by God. Paul argued that they did so to avoid persecution and to boast in the outward conformity of their converts. Their focus was on external religion, not inner transformation. The false teachers boasted in the flesh – in outward marks of religiosity, such as circumcision.
We must be aware of our potential to succumb to subtle arrogance that can cause us to boast in our religious rites, roles, titles, performance, etc. So, like the apostle Paul, we must seek God’s help to cast down every trophy of flesh. A believer’s prayer must echo this rejection: a heart emptied of self, so it may be filled with Christ.
“O Lord, forbid that I should glory in anything of myself, my intellect, my beauty, my success, or my religious heritage. Let all boasting be silent before the weight of Thy glory.”
“... save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ …”
Paul’s prayer was that his soul would glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ alone – not just the wooden beam on which He was hung, but all that it means: the perfect atoning sacrifice Christ made for the forgiveness and justification of sinful, guilty, and condemned humanity. The cross was the symbol of God’s merciful provision for the removal of His wrath against us, that we may be eternally reconciled to God and be heirs of all His promised blessings, including heaven. The cross is not merely the entry point of salvation; it is the daily triumph and glory of the believer in all that God has provided for us through Christ (cf. Romans 8:32).
This prayer acknowledges the centrality of the cross as the believer’s sole claim before God. Paul utterly rejected any grounds for boasting in himself, his achievements, or religious observances (like circumcision, which he has discussed earlier in the Book of Galatians). The cross is the heart of a Christian’s theology, ethics, worship, ministry and life. The desire and prayer of a Christian’s life and ministry ought to be enjoying and fulfilling the purposes for which Christ died on the cross.
So let us pray, “Lord, teach me to live under the shadow of the cross. In all duties and experiences of my life as a Christian, may I humbly live for the cross of Christ, and not for the honour of self and the world. May the cross be my identity, my song, my hope, and my anchor.”
“... by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
To say that “the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”, is to declare that the world’s allure is dead and powerless to oneself. The world, in its rebellion against God, promotes self-exaltation and glory, so the believer ought to see through its dreadful spiritual state, and pray to God for maintaining a separation from it.
Paul sees not only the world as dead to him, but also himself as dead to it. This is a two-way crucifixion! Like Paul, every Christian should consider the world to be crucified through Christ. The believer, living by Christ, has a new identity in the world. He is no longer a worldly citizen, but a citizen of heaven on earth. His loyalty is no longer to this world, but to Christ. He lives not for earthly gain, but for divine purposes in Christ. Because of our admiration for Christ, the world should grow dim in our minds. Its pleasures should lose their sweetness, its ambitions their shine, and its applause its value.
Let us pray, “Lord, make me dead to the systems and values of this fallen world. Help me to detach myself from its pride, its lusts, its carnal passions. Guard me from loving what Thou hast taught us to hate in this world. May I be quick to sever the cords that tie my heart to worldly prestige, fleshly desires, and selfish ambition. Let Thy cross separate my soul from this present evil world, that I may always live for Thy glory.”
