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God. He also prays for mercy “upon the Israel of God.” Paul uses the expression, “the Israel of God” to distinguish the real Israel from the merely outward Israel, those who simply bore the outward sign of circumcision, but who did not have the inward fact of a circumcised or clean hear-t (cf. Rom. 2:28, 29; Phil. 3:3). Paul was unwilling to be troubled any further by those who wished to argue over merely outward marks and signs. He toot had “marks” of his belonging to Christ, but these marks that Paul bore were some thing more than mere baptism and circum cision. The word translated “marks” means literally, “brands,” and the brands that Paul bore were the scars that were upon his body from the scourgings and other tortures which he had suffered for Christ’s name’s sake (cf. 2 Cor. 11:23-27; Col. 1:24). These marks which Paul bore were far more significant marks than the insig nificant self-mutilation of circumcision. In closing Paul prays that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with their Spirit. In case it was, then the flesh would be over come (ch. 5:17) and they would not merely have the sign of circumcision, but the fact of a new creation (cf. 1 Thess. 5 :23; 2 Tim. 4:22; Phile. 25). Tuesday, June 4 . Eph. 1 : 1 . We begin today the study of what is in some respects the most profound and wonderful of Paul’s letters. A rich treat is in store for us as we study it. Some scholars have tried to show that the letter was not written to the saints at Ephesus, but either that it was written to the Laodi- ceans, or that it was an epistle for general circulation among the churches of that vicinity. But the arguments against its being written to the saints at Ephesus do not stand careful scrutiny, and the proofs that it was written to them are overwhelm ingly conclusive. Quite likely it was also intended for general circulation, which would account for the omission of the words, “a,t Ephesus” in some of the man uscripts. If these words were not in some of the early copies of the letter there
(Gal. 3:27). Glorying in outward things in religion (glorying “in the flesh," to use Paul’s strong phrase) is not confined by any means to these ancient Judaizers. There was but one thing that Paul would glory in, and that was not in anything he himself had done, but in what our Lord Jesus Christ had done in His Cross, by which Paul’s sin had been forever settled (cf. ch. 3:13). Paul says in effect, “The cross, which is the great stumbling block to the Jews and Judaizers (ch. 5:11; 1. Cor. 1:23) is'the one thing in which I glory. Far be it from me to glory in anything else.” Through that cross the world had been crucified, i. e.,’ had become a dead, ineffective, and cursed thing, to Paul. The world had put Christ on thè cross to declare Him accursed of God, and by that aqt the world itself becomes an accursed thing to the one who believes in Christ. Shall I . regard with respect this world and its philosophy and its methods ? No ! It crucified my Lord. But not only was the world crucified unto Paul by the cross of his Lord, but Paul also was crucified unto the world. He died (and you and I also died) with Christ on that cross. By the power of that cross the world had no more power over him than over a dead man. Are you crucified unto the world, dead to its ambitions, its praise and blame, its gain and loss? You are in so far as you keep in mind the meaning of the dross of Christ and live in the power of it. Monday, June 3 . Gal. 6 : 15 - 18 . So far is Circumcision (or any other purely external ordinance) from being a just ground for glorying, it is “nothing” (not anything). Neither is uncircumcision anything. That which really is something is that which circumcision symbolizes (and that which baptism also symbolizes, cf. Rom. 6:4), viz., “a new creation." To as many as-walk by this rule Paul wished for peace and mercy. The word translated “rule” indicates a straight rule to detect crookedness, and Paul’s wish for peace and mercy is for those who are walking abso lutely straight as tested by the Word pf
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