Galatians 5:7–15 - The Offense of the Cross

What is it, in this season of your life, that constantly demands your focus? What draws your eyes and your thoughts, and seems to envelop your whole attention? It may be something good in your life. It may be something unhealthy. But if the overarching focal point of your life is not the person and work of Jesus Christ, then, at best, you will be hindered from the abundant life Christ provides, and at worst, you may be cut off from God for eternity.

There is a real, life-giving connection between Christ and those whom He saves, and in the first-century Galatian church, that connection had been obstructed. The new believers there had been deceptively persuaded to look away from Christ. They had begun their new life in Christ with trust in Him alone — starting out with His glorious gospel as their only hope.

But now, they had been distracted and drawn to another point of focus. It was OT ceremonial law and additional Jewish traditions begun by men. They were relying on the keeping of these laws to justify them before God and others, no longer trusting only in Jesus to justify them — and the result was self-righteous pride and fear of God’s condemnation.

What produces that pride or fear in you? What faults and failures make you fearful of God, and how do you deal with that fear? Do you distract yourself with some worldly pleasure? Or do you work hard to feel righteous and religious again?

What successes or habits make you feel righteous, so much so that you find yourself looking down on others? This fear and pride come naturally to all of us when the cross of Christ is not in sight, or when we allow things to come alongside Christ in competition for our trust.

To look anywhere other than Jesus produces all sorts of sin in our lives. Even the tendency to look elsewhere is sin. But Christ died for all of that sin. He restores us to God, and according to God’s grace, He restores His abundant life again and again. That repeated restoration to God occurs at the same place as our initial restoration: at the cross.

This is why we must return each day to where we first began: to the gospel of Christ. And as we do, the cross helps us in two distinct ways: it knocks us down, and then, it builds us up. For those with faith, the message of the cross brings us low with humility, but then it lifts us up, producing love within us – both for God and for others.

Now, notice these first few verses again. Paul sometimes compares the life of a Christian to a race course. Maybe you’ve done a 5k run or something longer, or you’ve seen one. All the runners are bunched up together at the starting line. They’re stretching a little, getting ready to start their watches. They’re fresh.

Everyone starts well. But then as time passes, the race gets more difficult. Things may begin to hinder their performance. Maybe it’s their breathing. Maybe it’s their energy level. Something may start to hurt. Stamina fades.

The Galatians began their Christian lives energized and focused on Jesus. But that was over. They hadn’t rejected Christ, but they had relegated him. Other things had replaced Him in importance. And it happened through deception. They were persuaded. They weren’t forced. See verse [9], “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Leaven is typically yeast that makes bread rise. Only a small amount is needed. The idea here is that it only takes a little bit of false guidance to make a big impact.

So they were tripped up in their race, but notice in verse 8 that Paul still refers to God as “Him who calls you.” He used this phrase back in chapter 1. He wasn’t labeling them as non-Christians. In fact, look at verse [10] “I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view.” Born-again believers can get sidetracked. This is why the truth must be clearly proclaimed, and then our response matters. A person's response can reveal a lot about their faith. They may not sober up and repent right away, but do they eventually come around? Paul was optimistic because of the Galatians’ initial response to the gospel and their growth in Christ after that time.

It appears from these verses that he didn’t know these false teachers by name. Notice he adds, “and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.” He spotted the errors. They were pressuring God’s people to look somewhere other than Christ alone.

And part of the false teachers’ approach was to say that Paul agreed with them. See verse [11], he says, “But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?” Paul had been a Jewish zealot before believing in Jesus Christ. At that time, he “preached” that OT ceremonial law must be kept. But now he was getting heat for saying circumcision was unnecessary. And see, he says, “In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.”

This connects with what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, where he talks about “the word of the cross.” In other words, the message of the cross. He says, ”The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Same message, different results. Some see foolishness in the cross. Some see forgiveness.

Paul goes on to write, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” He uses the terms “Greeks” and “Gentiles” interchangeably. Basically all non-Jews.Some Jews believed in Christ, some did not. Some Gentiles believed in Christ, some did not. Non-believing Jews tended to want to see additional miraculous works.

But Christ had done miracles during His ministry, and still many had rejected Him. Non-Jews – especially the Greeks – tended to be more focused on knowledge, systems of thought, philosophical ponderings and theories. Jews might have said “Show us something impressive,” whereas Greeks might have said, “Tell us something impressive.” We hear both demands even today, don’t we?

Again, Paul said, “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and  folly to Gentiles.” “Stumbling block” could be translated as “an offense to Jews.” These Jews thought, “How dare anyone say that our keeping of OT ceremonial law does not gain good standing with God for us?” It’s not hard to see why they were “offended.” But how was this a stumbling block?

Picture a road made of big stones, like a cobblestone road. It’s generally smooth. But imagine that one stone is dislodged and sticks up. It could make some trip and fall. It prevents moving forward. The cross was a dislodged cobblestone on the way to God.

And this was the case not only for non-believing Jews, but Gentiles also. Many couldn’t get past the cross. Each group had a way in mind to get to God, but Paul told them only one thing was required: faith in the crucified Jesus Christ. That message was a hurdle these non-believers couldn’t get over. Some cried, “Show us more!” Some cried, “Tell us more!” Impress us. But for those people, the cross was not impressive enough.

And those who saw Christ alone as not enough didn’t belong among God’s people. That’s actually at the heart of what Paul says in verse [12]. Notice that again. “I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!” This obviously refers to circumcision. Some criticize Paul for saying this. They argue that this is a sinful statement. They say it’s inappropriate.

But it’s clearly a reference to the OT book of Deuteronomy, ch. 23. There, Moses wrote that men who had been mutilated in pagan rituals (which were a common occurrence in ancient times) were not permitted in the covenant community. Moses wrote they were to be “cut off,” and you can see the connection here.

Those who were spewing this false teaching in Galatia did not belong. Paul wished for them to be put out – to just go away. And if the Galatians stood up to them and corrected them, they probably would. The simple message of the cross would run them off.

Why is the cross offensive? Because it humbles us. It humbles everyone. The cross diminishes your self-righteousness. It rejects your good works or obedience to God as grounds for justification. People are naturally offended when they are told that they cannot do nothing nor have they done anything that can bring them to God or contribute to their standing with Him. This is the offense of the cross.

Through the cross, God shames the wise and mighty of the world. Scripture says God chose the cross “so that no human being might boast in His presence.” That is a stumbling block for many. It hits hard. But that hit is a good thing. The cross takes everyone down a notch. And when you see the glory of Christ, and you trust in Him, then it’s a blessing for the cross to knock you down.

I hope the cross knocks you down today. Not that it would be a stumbling block that keeps you from God, but that it would be for you what Paul says it is in 1 Corinthians 1. He writes that the crucified Christ “became to us wisdom from God. He reveals the nature and plans of God to us. He reveals to us who we are. And Paul says he became “righteousness and sanctification and redemption.


At the cross we are justified and made holy and released from condemnation and sin.
And then Paul concludes, “so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” See, this is the place we must return each day: to the cross, to the gospel, to Jesus Christ Himself. He is the message of God.

Do you let the cross bring you low each day? Do you allow the cross to dismantle your pride? Let Jesus Christ cast out every self-righteous illusion. He’ll change your life. And He doesn’t just bring you low to leave you there. He brings us down for humility, so that He can build us back up for something better.

Look at verse [13] For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” What is the goal of God’s grace towards us? Is it a free pass to return to sin? No!

Of course, we still do return to sin in various ways. Going back to Paul’s analogy of running the race, there are many temptations and we are prone to many sins. However, we can’t lose our salvation, and we don’t have to work our way back to God. But our freedom from condemnation is not an opportunity to indulge in sins. It’s an opportunity to have God produce true love for Him and others within us.

When we were dead in sins, we were bent, above all, toward self-love. Everything, in some form or fashion, was self-serving. But the cross brought us low so that God could raise us up with Him – so that we could now offer true love from the heart, and children of God set free from sin’s control.

Through Galatians, we’ve heard about God’s law, and this love is lawful. Notice verse [14] “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This message is repeated throughout the Bible. We are freed not to sin, but to serve. Freed not to sin willingly, but to serve willingly.

This service is how we love one another in the church. But verse 15 describes the results where the cross is not allowed to produce humility and love. Paul says, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”

Sadly, doesn’t this describe many churches? Paul has some good analogies. With this one, I picture two animals; let’s say lions. They attack each other in competition, each one trying to make the other submit. In the struggle, each one cuts the other’s jugular vein, and they both bleed to death. So, there is no winner. There’s only carnage. Both are slaughtered.

That’s how Paul describes the difference between what self-righteousness produces and what Christ-righteousness produces in the church.

Self-righteousness produces strife; Christ-righteousness produces peace.

Self-righteousness leads to devouring each other; Christ-righteousness leads to blessing each other.

Self-righteousness results in tearing each other down; Christ-righteousness results in building each other up.

Christ-righteousness is found at the cross. Self-righteousness is found everywhere else.

Let me ask you again to consider what I said when I began this message: what is it, in this season of your life, that constantly demands your focus? What draws your eyes and your thoughts, and seems to envelop your whole attention? It may be something good in your life. It may be something unhealthy. But if the overarching focal point of your life is not the person and work of Jesus Christ, then, at best, you will be hindered from the abundant life Christ provides, and at worst, you may be cut off from God for eternity.

Have you come to the cross of Jesus? Have you met God there? Have you accepted what the cross says about God and about yourself? If you haven’t, then you haven’t met the one true God. That truth has offended many, but it is still true.

Trust in Jesus today, and follow Him. Let’s bow in prayer, and we will go to the Lord’s table.