Galatians 6:15-18 :

For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. As many as walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on God’s Israel. From now on, let no one cause me any trouble, for I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus branded on my body. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Paul doesn’t end this book on a positive note. He clearly declares that anything else but true Christianity isn’t anything at all, and then warns those who would oppose him.

We live in a day that’s quite similar Paul’s. When I talk about this, I have noticed that I appear to lose some of my audience. It is very clear that Christianity not only claims to be the only way to God, it claims that everything else is nothing. Paul’s life was affected because he said things like this.

As I mentioned a few posts back, Paul was physically beaten many times. He had been given 39 ashes three times and had been stoned and left for dead yet survived. This man actually wore scars because of his faith. I am told that, in those days, when a servant was marked or branded, it was to show who he belonged to. It is possible that Paul was talking about his scars and that he wore these scars as reminders of who he belonged to. If you have suffered for Jesus, you wear scars of belonging too. The marks of your suffering can provide you comfort because your faith was proven to be genuine by making it through persecution.

This concludes the letter to the Galatians. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”