From the Pulpit...

Paul provides five principles for presenting the truth: we must tell it convincingly, carefully, clearly, confidently, and conclusively. The large letter may have been due to failing eyesight, but more likely they were used to emphasize Paul's concern and love for the Galatians. Some scholars believe that up to this point, Paul was dictating the letter but here took the pen himself to write his final personal greetings. Legalists boat about what they have done for God instead of what Christ has done for them. The Judaizers chose to obey the commandments about circumcision as proof of their holiness but did not keep other Jewish laws. To boast means "to glory in, trust in" - to live for. In Greek literature, characters "glory in" what gives them the most delight. Paul's joy in the cross was so great that it excluded all other kinds of boasting. A personal experience with God is what makes one a true Israelite. Gentile converts had no need to be Jews in the flesh, they were already "Israelites" in the truest sense of that term because they were in Christ. In contract to the Judaizers, Paul believed and preached the gospel amid great suffering. If the physical scars he wore (the marks of the Lord Jesus) were not enough to recommend him, nothing ever could. The word brethren is found in no other benediction by Paul. It is a final reminder to the Galatians of Paul's deep love for them.