“When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we proclaim Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.”
These words of Pope Francis confront the heart of Christian ministry in today’s world, where faith is often commercialized, and God is treated as a tool for personal or institutional gain. Ministers sometimes prioritize material achievements over spiritual integrity, focusing on building grand structures rather than fostering authentic discipleship. In this context, today’s Scripture portion offers a timely reminder of the true foundation and ultimate goal of Christian ministry, centered on the cross and its transformative power.
The letter to the Galatians stands as Paul’s passionate words written to a community struggling because of false teachings. This epistle is also known as the Magna Carta of the Christian faith. During his first missionary journey, Paul visited the southern region of Galatia, and he established a community of believers. However, after his departure, the Judaizers infiltrated the community, preaching a distorted message of the gospel that Paul had proclaimed (Gal 1:7). They insisted that salvation required circumcision and adherence to Jewish laws. They also urged the Galatians to observe specific dates, months, seasons, and years as necessary religious practices (Gal 4:10). In response Paul passionately defends the true Christian gospel, firmly asserting that, salvation is not achieved through any human effort or obedience to the law but through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Galatians 6:11-16 serves as the peroratio, that is the closing argument of the letter. In these verses, we see, Paul emphasizing two realities: the transformative power of the cross and its role in ushering in the new creation.
Paul begins this passage by noting that he is writing in “large letters” (Galatians 6:11). This suggests that Paul has taken the pen from his scribe to compose his final words. The reason for writing in large letters is due to a physical disability, possibly his poor eyesight. Paul didn’t end this letter by writing a simple blessing but through the final passage, he appeals to the church to follow the true gospel of Jesus Christ. This passage reflects the passionate heart of a Christian minister. Paul’s deep love for the Galatians and his anguish over their spiritual well-being compelled him to write personally, with raw emotion, embodying the care of a shepherd for his flock.
Through this passage, Paul offers two key insights that are important for our ministerial journey, in our context of hatred, exclusion, and violence, where divisions threaten the very fabric of society and the Church. The cross challenges us to confront these realities, and the new creation offers a vision of unity and reconciliation.
The Cross: The Foundation of Ministerial Identity (12-14)
In Galatians 6:12-14, Paul draws a sharp contrast between his identity as a servant of the cross and the motives of the Judaizers, who were referred to as “false brothers” in Galatians 2. Paul vehemently criticizes the Judaizers, who “compel” Gentile believers to follow the Jewish rite of circumcision to attain salvation. The Greek word anagkazo (that is, “compel”) conveys a forceful and manipulative attempt to impose Jewish legalism on the Galatians, undermining the freedom offered in Christ Jesus (Galatians 2:4). Paul exposes the true motives of these false brothers who sought to “make a good showing in the flesh” (v. 12). The term “flesh” here carries a negative connotation, as Paul uses it to contrast human effort and pride with the transformative work of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-25). By emphasizing circumcision, an outward physical act, thereby Judaizers aimed to gain approval from Jewish communities and avoid persecution for proclaiming the radical implications of the cross. For them, boasting in outward religious marks reflected a superficial, human-centered faith. For them, outward expressions such as circumcision and other Jewish rites are important rather than the cross of Christ.
In verse 14, Paul contrasts his ministry with the Judaizers’ approach, by declaring: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” This bold statement reveals the foundation of Paul’s identity as a Christian minister rooted in the radical implications of the cross. In the Roman world, the cross was a tool of humiliation and death, reserved for the worst criminals. In the Jewish context, according to the Deuteronomic law, anyone who is hung to death on a tree is cursed (Gal. 3:13). For Paul, the cross is not merely an object or a historical event; for him, the cross represents God’s redemptive plan for the world. It encompasses the incarnation, the life and ministry of Jesus, His atoning death on the cross, His resurrection, and His ascension.
But Paul boldly boasts in it. The cross becomes his sole source of pride and identity. For Paul, it is not his achievements, ethnic heritage, or adherence to the law that matters; it is solely the redemptive work of Christ. The cross dismantles systems of privilege and exposes humanity’s inability to attain righteousness through works. It is the transformative event that ends the old order of things, enabling Paul to say, “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Here, the “world” refers to the entire system of values, priorities, and achievements that stand opposed to God’s purposes. For Paul, this included his former identity as a zealous Pharisee, his ethnic pride, and his reliance on the law as we see in Philippians 3:4-9. The cross reoriented his entire life, leading him to count all his personal accomplishments and privileges as loss in light of Christ’s work. Paul’s declaration underscores the cross as the foundation of his ministerial identity. In contrast to the Judaizers, who boasted in external appearances, Paul rejected worldly metrics of success and anchored his identity solely on the cross of Christ.
This profound truth challenges all Christian ministers; What drives our ministry? Is it a desire to “make a good showing” or a deep love for the gospel of grace? The cross compels us to die to ‘self’ and live solely for the glory of Christ, anchoring our ministerial identity in the redemptive power of His sacrifice on the cross. Just as Paul rejected the Judaizers’ emphasis on outward rituals, we must resist the temptation to find our identity on numerical growth, recognition, or human approval. Ministry rooted in the cross prioritizes faithfulness over appearances, focusing on Christ’s transformative power rather than man’s fleeting approval. A Christian minister who is anchored on the transformative power of the cross and takes the cross as the source of ministerial identity will be able to embrace the vision of the new creation for a unified humanity.
New Creation: The vision for a unified Creation (15-16)
In Galatians 6:15, Paul declares, “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a new creation is everything.” With this powerful statement, Paul dismantles the binary oppositions that once defined religious and ethnic identities, making clear that these distinctions are irrelevant in the light of the cross. The “new creation” is a transformative reality inaugurated through the cross. The cross not only leads to personal salvation but also visions the renewal of all creation. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul says, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new.” The cross is both the way and the reality of this new creation. It reconciles us to God and renews everything through its transforming grace. As Paul writes in Romans 8, the whole creation is “waiting with eager longing” for its restoration. This vision of the new creation encompasses more than individual renewal; it points to the unification of humanity and the restoration of all creation. The cross is not just about uniting humanity; it carries the promise of restoring all creation.
Paul’s vision of unity is reinforced in Galatians 3:28: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” The new creation transcends individual renewal and encompasses the reconciliation of all believers into one unified body. It signifies a new humanity rooted in unity, where barriers of ethnicity, social status, and gender are dissolved. This transformative unity can be seen in Ephesians 2:15-16, where Paul describes Christ’s work as abolishing the law with its ordinances to create “one new humanity in place of the two” and reconciling all to God through the cross, thereby bringing peace to all creation.
In this concept of the new creation, the distinctions that once defined worth and belonging have no place. Instead, it fosters a community where love, peace, and mercy prevail. Paul underscores this unity in Galatians 6:16: “As for those who will follow this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” This blessing is directed at those who are reoriented by the cross of Jesus and align themselves with the vision of the new creation. To “follow this rule” is to live in step with the Spirit, as described in Galatians 5:25. It means boasting only on the cross and living in light of the transformative reality of the new creation. By using the phrase “the Israel of God,” Paul refers to the entire covenant community, including both Jews and Gentiles, who are united in Christ. The true people of God are no longer defined by ethnicity, rituals, traditions, or outward markers but by faith in Christ and participation in the new creation.
This vision of the new creation is not just a future hope but a present calling. In a world divided by caste, religion, language, gender, and ethnicity, we are called to be agents of unity and renewal. As agents of the new creation, we are tasked with fostering unity as a central vision of our ministry. This calling challenges us to move beyond surface-level unity and embrace deeper reconciliation rooted in the cross. The new creation calls us to embody a transformative unity that reflects the grace and peace of Christ, striving to make this vision a reality in our fractured world.
Dear Friends in Christ,
The cross is not just a symbol of our faith but the foundation of our lives and ministry. It calls us to die to self, dismantle systems of pride, and anchor our identity in the redemptive work of Christ. The cross eliminates human pride, demolishes systems of superiority and centres our identity on the sacrificial love of Christ. This radical message challenges us to resist boasting in outward religiosity, wealth, or our achievements. Are we driven by human approval, recognition, or success? Or are we anchored in the transformative power of the cross? Christian ministry should be grounded in the cross, prioritizing faithfulness to Christ over human approval or making a good impression outwardly.
In a world marked by hatred, exclusion, and violence, the cross challenges us to reject division and pursue reconciliation and unity. It invites us to be agents of transformation by building communities where love, dignity, and belonging transcend all barriers. This is the vision of the “new creation” that Paul speaks of a unified humanity where traditional distinctions lose their power and God’s peace and mercy reign. The cross compels us to go beyond personal transformation. It calls us to be instruments of God’s justice and unity in a broken world. We are called to stand against all forms of discrimination, whether based on caste, gender, ethnicity, or anything else. We must work to bring people together by fostering unity in divided communities. Through these, we can share the love of Christ with the world.
Let us echo the words of Isaac Watts in the hymn, which we sang at the beginning of today’s devotion;
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,”
“My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.”
May this be our prayer and our mission: to boast in nothing but the cross and to live as agents of the new creation, united in Christ, transforming the Church and the world for His glory. Let us join this calling with humility, courage, and love, trusting in the power of the cross to bring healing and hope to our lives and to all of humanity.
-Blesson Samuel Thomas, 3rd Yr BD Student, Dharma Jyoti Vidya Peeth, Haryana. This Sermon was delivered at the morning devotion of the 8th TRACI Theological Students Internship, 2025.