From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the marks that show I belong to Jesus.
Gal 6:17
We are investigating Galatians 6:17 above and I am responding to the question: What does it mean in Gal 6:17 “The Marks of Jesus”? What are the marks of Jesus?
In the previous Nugget I began with the obvious reference to “Circumcision”. I looked at the mark of circumcision and concluded Paul is not referring to the mark of Circumcision. Although that would seem to be the case because the letter to the Galatians is basically about circumcision. Surely that is what Paul was referring to. With each of these marks we will look at, I will leave you with the following questions to answer:
- Was this a Mark of Jesus?
- Was this a Mark that Paul bore on or in his body?
- Could this be what Paul is referring to?
- What’s your conclusion?
- Is this a Mark which characterises you?
But as in this Nugget I will leave the questions applying to the previous Nugget until the following one. Thereby giving you enough time to process it and come to your own conclusion.
So could Circumcision be what Paul was referring to?
- Yes it was a Mark of Jesus in the sense that Christ as a Jewish boy had been circumcised.
- Yes it was certainly a mark which Paul bore on his body. (Phil 3:5)
- Yes, it could be.
- But it is hardly likely that Paul would be promoting circumcision given the way he felt about it. Especially in the context of the work of the Judaisers.
The Mark of Holiness
This Nugget we are looking at the Mark of Holiness.
The Greek word behind the text of Gal 6:17 for “brand-marks” is the word στίγματα (stigmata). The word is an old Greek word which means a mark or distinguishing feature. The word stigma is used in English nowadays with a negative connotation. To have a stigma about your life is to have a weakness, shortcoming, deficiency or lack. Stigmata these days is used as a more technical term in Catholic areas of the world to signify supernatural marks that appear on the body (mainly hands and feet) which are taken to signify the person who receives them is a saint. There is a lot of superstition and mystical belief associated with the stigmata. Do we only become ‘saints” when we receive such marks in a supernatural, mystical kind of way?
The New Testament answer is “No”. Paul refers to all believers as Saints. The saints in Rome, the saints in Ephesus, the saints in Corinth. The saints in Corinth? You have to be kidding me! You call the people in Corinth saints, despite what was happening there? I don’t, Paul does. The New Testament principle is that God’s blood has made you holy, now be holy in all that you do.
But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.
1 Pet 1:15-16
For I am the LORD your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
Lev 11:44
Paul had to have been aware of this meaning of stigmata in his time. It was valid in his time and it is valid these days.
How much do you value and guard your holiness? Is it important to you or do you allow it to be compromised easily? Your answer to that question will give you a clue as to how the distinguishing Mark of Holiness is working in your life – If it is there at all and if it is important to you or not. Think about that. The Mark of Holiness is important for God’s people to have and to be developing. You are made holy by the precious blood of Christ. Now go and be holy as your gift to Him.
Often in the Bible God uses examples from the animal kingdom to teach us valuable lessons. Go and look at the ants He says (Prov 6:6). Well allow me to use this non-Biblical example of the ermine.
There is a creature in Northern Europe called the ermine. Like the mink it is well known for its fur. The fur of the ermine is prized because it is pure white; a good quality ermine pelt is very valuable. The quality depends on the purity of colour with no flecks or shades of other colour and an undamaged pelt. If an ermine pelt is damaged it is not worth the same money. Ermine skins are used for high fashion fur stoles or wraps.
To catch the ermine, the hunters wait until the ermine leaves its burrow. Then they smear the inside edges of the burrow with black pitch and wait with dogs especially trained to not attack and damage the fur but to corral the animal in and not let it escape. When the ermine returns it will not go down its burrow. It smells the black pitch smeared at the entrance to its home and so will not go back down the burrow to safety. The Ermine would rather sacrifice its life than blemish its pure white coat.
Rather than ‘Take a lesson from the ants” (Prov 6:6) perhaps we ought to be told to take a lesson from the ermine. We Christians could learn a valuable life lesson from the ermine. To what extent are we prepared to go to, rather than compromise our holiness or damage the Name of the One whose name we carry.
A sobering question to ask. Ask it now of yourself. What was your answer? Don’t tell me; tell God and perhaps one close friend. Develop some accountability in your life in order to protect your Mark of Holiness. If it is important to God, it ought to be important to you.
Before the next Nugget spend some time thinking about this connection to the Mark of Holiness and work your way through the above FIVE QUESTIONS for this option to Paul’s use of stigmata.
was Paul himself not a Mark of Jesus. The way he lived the way he suffered and the way he died?
Just finished reading J I Packer’s “Rediscovering Holiness”. Servant Publications, 1992. ISBN 0 – 89283 – 734 – 9. Not for the fainthearted, but a good challenge as is this nugget. I’d like to be an ermine.
Yes, J L Packer’s book on holiness is a challenging one. Like you say, not for the faint hearted. The ermine is a brilliant example from the animal kingdom of the lengths we should go to preserve our holiness and His Holy Name.