Galatians 6: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross”

The closing lines of Galatians

Most of Galatians is an argument against teachers who insisted that Gentile Christians be circumcised. Chapter 6 gathers practical advice, to bear one another's burdens, not to grow weary in doing good, to remember that a person reaps what he sows. Then, at verse 11, Paul notes that he is writing with his own hand, in large letters. Ancient letters were usually dictated, and the author would add a personal closing.

In that closing he accuses his opponents of wanting to boast about the number of converts they could circumcise, a matter of outward credit. Verse 14 is his contrast.

What does it mean to glory in the cross?

To glory means to boast, to take pride in something as the ground of your standing. In the Roman world crucifixion was the most degrading death the state could inflict, reserved for slaves, rebels and the lowest criminals. Respectable writers avoided even naming it. For Paul to say the cross is the only thing he will boast about was a deliberate reversal of values.

The rest of the verse explains why: through the cross, the world has been crucified to him and he to the world. The things the world uses to rank people, birth, ritual, reputation, no longer have a hold on him. The next verse sums it up: what counts is a new creation.

“God forbid” is the King James rendering of a strong Greek expression, literally “may it not be”. Paul uses it often in his letters to reject an idea outright. Here he rejects any other source of pride.

The cross in Christian homes

Our print pairs the verse with an Orthodox cross, the form with three crossbars used especially in Russian and other Slavic Orthodox churches: a short upper bar for the inscription placed over Jesus, the main bar for his arms, and a slanted footrest below. In the Orthodox calendar, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14 is one of the great feasts, and Catholic and many Anglican churches also mark that date. A print of the verse suits an icon corner, a baptism, or a chrismation.

The message of the cross

Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 1, where the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish but the power of God to those who are saved. Philippians 3 lists his own impressive credentials and counts them loss for the sake of Christ.