Galatians 6:14

Context

Galatians is a letter that Paul sent to several churches in the region of Galatia. It was written to oppose those who required Gentile believers to be circumcised (the covenant sign performed on the male body under the Jewish law) and to observe the law. In 6:11 Paul begins to close the letter, noting that he writes "with mine own hand," and verse 14 stands at the center of this closing section.

In the immediately preceding verses, 12–13, Paul criticizes his opponents. He charges that they compel circumcision so as not to suffer persecution for the cross, and that they want to glory in having circumcised the flesh of the Galatian believers. In contrast, verse 14 states that the only thing in which Paul will glory is "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ": "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (KJV). Verse 15 then sums up the point: what matters is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, "but a new creature." Interpreters generally hold that "the world" here refers not so much to the created order itself as to an order of values and status estranged from God.

Interpretation

• Reformation readings: The Reformation tradition, including Martin Luther, reads this verse in connection with justification (God's declaring the sinner righteous). On this reading, the ground of salvation is not human works or religious markers but the cross of Christ alone. Lutheran and Presbyterian interpreters understand "glorying" as the self-righteousness one presents before God, and they explain that the cross demolishes such boasting.
• Readings emphasizing sanctification: In the Wesleyan tradition, including Methodist and Holiness churches, being "crucified unto the world" is often emphasized as a life of turning away from the world's desires and values and devoting oneself wholly to God. This tradition understands it as an expression of sanctification (the process by which the believer gradually grows in holiness) and holiness.
• Community-focused readings: Since the late twentieth century, scholars associated with the so-called "New Perspective on Paul" have argued that the boasting Paul opposed concerned identity markers that separated Jews from Gentiles. They focus on the cross as breaking down that boundary and establishing a new community. Critics, particularly in Reformed circles, contend that this view weakens the traditional understanding of justification.

Questions of Application

One translation question arises in the verse. The relative pronoun in the original, which the Korean Revised Version renders "through Christ," may refer either to "Christ" or to "the cross." English translations accordingly differ: the KJV has "by whom," while the ESV has "by which."

With respect to application, it is debated whether being "crucified unto the world" means keeping one's distance from society. The prevailing view reads it as meaning that one does not take the world's values as the standard for life, and therefore holds that it does not conflict with social engagement.

In the Korean Church

A hymn that the English hymn writer Isaac Watts based on this verse, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," is reportedly included in the Korean hymnal under the title "Ju dallyeo jugeun sipjaga" ("The Cross on Which the Lord Hung and Died"). The hymn is widely sung during Holy Week and at other times. In preaching, the verse is frequently cited together with Galatians 2:20 when speaking of cross-centered faith.

Related Passages

• Galatians 2:20
• Galatians 6:15
• 1 Corinthians 2:2
• Philippians 3:7-10
• Romans 6:3-6