“See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God. Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.” (Galatians 6:11–18)

No one keeps the law all the time. Not even the most upstanding citizen. That is true whether you are talking about the laws of man or the law of God. We all slip up, make mistakes, and sometimes even willfully do what we know to be wrong.

That was true of those men Paul was rebuking as well. They insisted that everyone had to be circumcised to be a follower of Jesus, but Paul reminds us that they were lawbreakers as well.

The thing that matters is “a new creation.” He spoke about that in his second letter to the church in Corinth.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I mentioned yesterday that the cross and the resurrection have implications for us here and now in this life. Knowing what Jesus has done for us makes us want to live a new way. Call it the new life, the new man or the new creation. It is an entirely different attitude about this world and everything in it because we belong to Jesus. We know we are sinners. We know He paid for our sins. Our sins will not be held against us for Jesus’ sake. When you have that faith and confidence, you live your life a new way. You will still get tripped up, stumble and fall along the way, but your desire is to live a new way for Jesus’ sake as well.

Peace and mercy to you.