Pride is always lurking close by.
Yet, the Scriptures remind us that those who keep in step with the Spirit will not be conceited (Galatians 5:26). A conceited person is one who is desperate for recognition and affirmation—one who is desperate to prove themselves.
We know there are three ugly truths about conceit and pride:
First, a conceited person exploits people and uses them instead of serving them. We’ve all experienced people like this. Sometimes it can be subtle, but bad fruit will always expose a bad tree.
Second, the root of pride is self-absorption. Like a black hole that captures everything within its reach, pride is never satiated.
Third, a conceited attitude will ruin relationships.
Once in Waco, TX, as I was entering a Belk department store and I saw a young girl trying to corral a skunk! To my surprise, she was trying to usher the skunk into the store. It was obvious she didn’t know what she was dealing with, and I knew I had to intervene. If the animal had gotten inside and sprayed, the smell would permeate the entire building. All the clothes would be ruined and the store would have to close its doors for a season and spend tons of money and time to get the smell out.
The sin of conceit is like that. It permeates your relationships and ruins them.
Consider Your Boast
In the closing part of Galatians, Paul urges his readers to consider the placement of their boasts. In this passage, he contrasts the Christian boast to that of the Judaizers.
In verses 12-13, we see that the Judaizers were motivated by two things.
First, they were motivated by the fear of man (6:12).
Galatians 6:12.
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Second, they were motivated by the praise of man (6:13)
Galatians 6:13.
For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
Their focus and attention was on themselves and not God. It was a misplaced glory.
Our involvement in the church can become a false identity. You can easily become driven by the opinions of yourself and others, not God.
Maybe you feel successful and accomplished. God is using you, and you begin to think you are special.
Perhaps you are increasingly sensitive to criticism. You allow a few people with negative comments to shake you from a heavenward confidence.
Or, you might struggle with comparison. You look around you and see someone better than you or less gifted than you.
Paul was motivated by one thing: the cross of Christ (6:14-18).
1. Paul boasted in the cross of Christ (v. 14a).
Galatians 6:14a.
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, …
In verse 14, Paul is saying that everybody has to boast about something. Yet, he clarifies twice to the Corinthians, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17)
Paul was once ruled by externals. He gloried in human attainment (Philippians 3:3–6). But Jesus changed the self-righteous sinner!
There is no boasting in ourselves when we stand at the foot of the cross. Think about it, we cannot boast in the cross and ourselves simultaneously.
Human boasting is removed when human merit is eclipsed.
2. Paul was concerned about the inward and not the outward (vv. 15-16).
Galatians 6:15.
For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
In Christ, we are made new by the Spirit. This is called regeneration.
John Stott says, “The new creation is a birth of the Spirit, an inward and invisible miracle performed by God.”
It is a newness that is progressive (i.e., sanctification). We are daily being conformed to the image of Christ, bearing the fruit of the Spirit!
We have a new nature with new desires and affections, and we are given his divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
And, as a result, we have a new value system and a new world view which is bent toward waiting for the hope of final restoration.
3. Paul did not avoid persecution because he preached the cross of Christ and suffered for it.
Galatians 6:17.
From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Paul was no stranger to persecution. His body experienced the evil of the world and he had the scars to prove it. But Paul did not operate with a martyr complex.
No, in Paul’s sufferings, he identified with Christ—he bore the reproach of the cross (2 Cor. 6:4-6; 11:23-27).
In the Greco-Roman world, marks were put on slaves as tattoos to signify ownership.
Marks were also applied to pagan temple servants who were dedicated to a certain god and supposedly sat under its protection.
Finally, soldiers often bore a mark signifying the name of their commanding officer—similar to a modern-day dog tag.
Paul was a marked man because he boasted in Christ and Him crucified!
Boast in the Lord
The Judaizers boasted in themselves. They were riddled with fear of man and fueled by the praise of man. Paul offers Christians another way.
In Galatians 6:18, he says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”
Instead of fearing man, grace compels us to fear the Lord. Our trust in Christ means accountability unto Christ. He governs our very lives. We rest in him with daily reverence and awe.
Instead of seeking man's praise, we aim to help others praise the Lord—to love and adore Him. Christ was the supreme example of self-sacrificing devotion. As his disciples, we lay down our lives, our rights, and our pride. We sacrifice for the sake of others.
Our boast is in the Lord.