Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 6:14

"But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world." — Galatians 6:14 (ASV)

Over against all such improper and sinful boasting, Paul sets an entirely different boasting of his own—a boasting “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So important is this cause of boasting that, says Paul, it is inconceivable that he could boast in anything else. It is striking how much of the Gospel is involved in this statement. The cross speaks of the atonement necessitated by human sin (see comment on v.12). The full name of the Savior speaks of the significance of his person and the role he played (lit., “God who saves, the Messiah”). Finally, the pronoun “our” speaks of the personal aspects of Christ’s redemption, for it becomes “ours” through the response of faith.

The legalizers had a motive for their actions. Well, so did Paul—only his motive was not that of a fear of persecution or of a desire to boast in statistics; rather, he boasted in the cross of Christ because of what the cross had accomplished in his life. As Paul looks back on his life he realizes that before his conversion he was exactly like the legalizers. Once he, too, was ruled by externals and gloried in human attainment . But when he met Jesus, all this passed for him, so much so that he is able even to apply the bold image of crucifixion to it. The world with its selfish attitudes was crucified to him and he to the world. In its place came Christ alone—Christ, who is everything.