Galatians 6:14-15 (NLT)– “14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross,[a] my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.”
Galatians 6:14-15 (under the lens of grace) emphasizes the centrality of the cross of Christ and the new identity believers receive, not through religious rituals or human effort, but through God’s grace:
1.We should boast only in the Cross: We must avoid any pride in personal religious achievement. Under grace, salvation is not earned by law-keeping (like circumcision) but given freely through the sacrificial death of Jesus. The cross becomes the only “boast” because it’s how believers are reconciled to God.
2.Believers are crucified to the World, i.e., the world’s system—its values, priorities, and identity—is dead to you and us. Under grace, believers no longer seek approval or identity from the world but from God.
- Religious rituals (like circumcision) were central under the Old Covenant, but under grace, they have no saving power. What matters now is being made new in Christ—a “new creation” (see also 2 Corinthians 5:17). This transformation is internal and spiritual, not external and ceremonial.
The present world we find ourselves in is journeying to its end. It is good for us to fight to meet our needs and desires of this present world, but the point remains that all things of this world are temporal and can ‘fly away’ in a matter of moments. That is why we need to fix our hearts and minds on eternal things. First, let us holdfast to this eternal life we have in Christ Jesus. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” ( 2 Corinthians 5:17).
It is this newness of life that qualifies us as citizens of the new creation God has put in place for those who love Him. “As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”(1 Corinthians 2:9).
In this new creation, we find that all the ills and challenges of this present world will be solved. For me, this is worth carrying my cross to follow Jesus. After all, either Christ comes sooner, or we die later, we will leave without going to the grave with any property.
So, Paul reminds us;
Let us pick up our cross and follow Jesus. It is not easy, but grace is available for this journey. Our God is merciful and faithful; He will surely help us through. Special one, all that matters is the new creation; make it your priority.
Under grace, our value and salvation come not from what we do, but from what Christ has done. Galatians 6:14–15 calls believers to abandon pride in works and fully embrace the transforming power of the cross, which makes us a new creation in Christ. Amen.
