ガラテヤの信徒への手紙6:15-18 Galatians 6:15-18,

割礼の有無は問題ではなく、大切なのは、新しく創造されることです。　　　　　　　　　　　（ガラテヤ6:15）

「大切なのは、新しく創造されることです」とは、どのようなことでしょうか？この手紙の2章20節でパウロは、「生きているのは、もはやわたしではありません。キリストがわたしの内に生きておられるのです」と記しています。「キリストがわたしの内に生きておられる」とは、「キリストの霊である聖霊が私の内にあって、私に生きる力を与えている」という意味です。かつてのパウロにとっては、旧約聖書の律法を実行することが生きる力でした。しかし、キリストを信じるようになってからは、キリストへの信仰が生きる力となりました。キリストへの信仰が生きる力となると、生き方も変えられます。つまり、この手紙の5章13節で「愛によって互いに仕えなさい」5章16節で「霊の導きに従って歩みなさい」と教えているように、パウロは聖霊に導かれて愛によって互いに仕える生き方へと変えられました。新しく創造されたのです。そして、ガラテヤ地方の諸教会の信徒たちにもそのように「新しく創造されて」生きるようにと勧めているのです。

そして、「新しく創造されて」生きるようにというのは、現代に生きる私たちに対する勧めでもあります。この手紙の4章3節にある「世を支配する諸霊」とは何かという解き明かしの中で、「世を支配する諸霊」とは「世の基本的な諸原則」だというお話をしました。そして、ユダヤ人にとっては、旧約聖書の律法が「世の基本的な諸原則」であり、ギリシア人やローマ人などにとっては、「ギリシア人はこのように生きるべき」「ローマ人はこのように生きるべき」「自由な身分の者はこのように生きるべき」「奴隷はこのように生きるべき」「男はこのように生きるべき」「女はこのように生きるべき」というようなこの世の固定観念が「世の基本的な諸原則」であったということをお話しました。これを現代の日本に当てはめて考えてみますと、「日本人らしさ」や「男らしさ」や「女らしさ」などのさまざまな固定観念があることに気づきます。つまり、日本人であれば神社にお参りするのは当然であるとか、男は強く逞しくあらねばならないとか、女は従順で優しくあらねばならないとかいうような固定観念です。そのような固定観念から解放されて、キリストを証しする自由な生き方をすることが「新しく創造されて」生きることなのです。　　　　　　　（10月27日の説教より）

There is a Japanese phrase “hibi-ni arata-ni,” which means “to be renewed day by day.” This phrase is said to be based on the story of King Tang of the Yin Dynasty in ancient China, who used a bronze basin that was engraved with the phrase “makoto-ni hi-ni arata-ni, hibi arata-ni-shite, mata hi-ni arata-nari,” which means “truly renewed by day, renewed day by day, and renewed again by day” to remind himself to improve himself day by day. It would be good if we could improve ourselves day by day, but this is not an easy thing to do.

For example, there was a person who tried to be more thoughtful by changing himself. For he had been failed because he acted without thinking things through. However, when he tried to change himself in this way, he became unable to be as proactive as he had been before. So he gave up trying to change himself. Also, there was a person who had always been overcautious about everything. This person reflected on the fact that “I haven’t acted when I should have,” and tried to make decisions more quickly and live more actively. However, when he tried to change himself in this way, he realised that the caution he had up until then would be lost. So he ended up going back to his old, cautious way of life. In this way, because human beings are made up of a combination of strengths and weaknesses, if one tries to change one’s weaknesses oneself, one will end up changing one’s strengths too. I have to say that changing oneself is a very difficult thing to do.

There is a phrase in the Bible also “to be renewed day by day,” but that doesn’t mean changing oneself. It is written in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” The “inner self” is the new personality that is being formed in our souls through the life of Christ. In other words, it means that not ourselves but God changes and renews us.

The basis of the Christian way of life is to offer oneself to God and allow God to change oneself. In Romans 12:1-2, the basic principle of the Christian way of life is taught as follows.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Some people may find the phrase “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice” to be a little scary. This phrase is based on the Old Testament practice of the Israelites, who offered up livestock such as sheep and cattle as sacrifices when they worshipped God. If we put it in a way that is easier for today’s people to understand, it means “Don’t try to make your life go the way you want it to. Think of yourself as belonging to God, and entrust your life to him.” When we entrust our lives to God, it is a mysterious thing, but God will change the “self” that we could not change ourselves. And we will be changed so that we live not by doing what we want to do or what we think is good, but by doing what God thinks is good and what God is pleased with.

Today’s Bible passage is the final part of the Epistle to the Galatians. In verse 15, Paul says, “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” These words sum up the entire letter to the Galatians in a nutshell. The phrase “neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision” reflects the circumstances that led to the writing of the letter. As I have explained many times before, Paul, who first preached the gospel of Christ in the Galatian region, taught that “one is saved by believing in Jesus Christ.” However, after Paul left the churches in Galatia, Jewish evangelists came and taught that “one cannot be fully saved without not only believing in Christ but also undergoing the ritual of circumcision as prescribed by the Old Testament law.” The believers in the churches in Galatia were confused by the teachings of the Jewish evangelists. In order to correct this confusion, Paul has been arguing in this letter that it is wrong for non-Jewish Christians to undergo the ritual of circumcision.

Even if we are told that “neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision,” many people in today’s Japan may think that it is an issue that does not concern them. This is because there is almost no conflict in today’s Japan between Jewish Christians and non-Jewish Christians. However, in 3:28 of this letter, Paul writes that for those who have become Christians by believing in Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In other words, Christians must not discriminate against people based on their ethnicity, social status or gender. This has great implications for contemporary issues. In today’s Japanese society, where various forms of discrimination are deeply rooted, Christians are united by their faith in Christ, and have a responsibility to form a community that does not discriminate against people based on worldly standards and values. And the fact that such a community exists within society is a testimony to Christ for that society.

So, what does it mean to say “but a new creation”? In 2:20 of this letter, Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” When Paul says “Christ who lives in me,” he means “the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ, is within me and gives me the power to live.” For Paul in the past, the power to live was to carry out the laws of the Old Testament. However, after he came to believe in Christ, his faith in Christ became the power to live. When faith in Christ became the power to live, it also changed the way he lived. In other words, Paul was changed to a way of life in which he served one another through love led by the Holy Spirit, as taught in 5:13, “through love serve one another,” and 5:16, “walk by the Spirit.” Paul was created as “a new creation.” Therefore, he also encouraged the Galatian believers to live in this way as “a new creation.”

And the encouragement to live in this way as “a new creation” is also for us who live today. In the exposition of 4:33 of this letter, I explained about what are “the elementary principles of the world” which Paul mentions. For the Jews, the laws of the Old Testament were “the elementary principles of the world,” and for the Greeks and Romans, “the elementary principles of the world” were the stereotypes of the world, such as “Greeks should live like this,” “Romans should live like this,” “free people should live like this,” and “slaves should live like this,” “men should live like this” and “women should live like this.” If we apply this to today’s Japan, we realise that there are various stereotypes, such as “Japanese-ness,” “masculinity” and “femininity.” In other words, these are stereotypes such as the idea that it is natural for Japanese people to worship shrines, that men must be strong and robust, and that women must be submissive and kind. To be freed from such stereotypes and live a free life of witnessing to Christ is to live as “a new creation.”

Of course, to live as “a new creation” is not something that can be achieved by our own strength. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,” and in the following verse 18, he says, “All this is from God.” That is, it is God who makes it possible for people who were dead in their sins to live a new life. Anyone who truly believes in Christ can experience the death of the old self and the new birth in their daily lives. This may be a change that is almost invisible to the outside world. However, everyone can experience a crushing of the self when what one thought was right or what one was proud of, was denied by God. And if we accept the work of God, who has crushed us, and hope to be renewed, God will renew our personality day by day through the Holy Spirit. And God will transform our lives into a way of life that testifies to Christ.

Returning to today’s Bible passage, in verse 16 we read Paul’s blessing, “And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” By “this rule” Paul means the rule of living as “a new creation,” which I have been explaining so far. So, “all who walk by this rule” are those who, as Paul teaches, believe in Christ and are renewed, and live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls such people “the Israel of God.” This seems like an unexpected way of putting it. As I quoted earlier, in 3:28 of this letter, Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek.” So why is he using the word “Israel” here, which seems to have the same meaning as “Jew”?

The reason for this is probably to show that it is not the Jews who have undergone the ritual of circumcision who inherit God’s blessing as true “Israel,” but rather that it is those who have been renewed through faith in Christ and live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In 3:29 of this letter, Paul says, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” This means that those who believe in Christ are those who belong to Christ, are descendants of Abraham, the father of faith, and are those who will inherit the heavenly inheritance of “being justified and receiving eternal life.” In other words, “the Israel of God” is not a national community based on bloodline or circumcision, but a community of faith based on belief in Christ.

In verse 17 that follows, we find the enigmatic words, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” The Greek word which is translated as “mark” is stigma (στίγμα). In ancient times, masters would mark their slaves’ bodies to show that they belonged to the masters. That was “stigma.” In 1:10 of this letter, Paul refers to himself as “a servant of Christ,” so he may be saying that he has “marks” on his body that shows he is a “servant of Christ.” Then, what exactly was “the marks of Jesus”? In 2 Corinthians 11:24-25, Paul describes the persecution and suffering he has endured because of his faith in Christ as follows.

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea.

When we read this, we can imagine that Paul’s body must have been covered in scars from being whipped . And some of these scars must have already been on Paul’s body when he wrote this letter to the Galatian believers. In that case, “the marks of Jesus” would be the scars on his body from being whipped because he was a servant of Christ.

And the scars were also evidence that the gospel of Christ that Paul was preaching was the truth. Having experienced Christ’s salvation, Paul could not help but preach the gospel of Christ, that “one is saved by believing in Christ,” no matter how much he was persecuted. This attitude was in contrast to the Jewish evangelists, who tried to get non-Jewish Christians to undergo the ritual of circumcision in order to avoid persecution from the Jews, who did not believe in Christ. By saying “From now on let no one cause me trouble,” Paul is hoping that “since I have proof that I am a true servant of Christ, please don’t bother me any more with the problems of Jewish evangelists.” He may also be implicitly warning them that if they bother him any more, they will be judged by Christ.

The final verse, verse 18, contains the greeting, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.” It is common for Paul’s letters to end with a blessing, praying for the grace of Christ for the recipient. However, this greeting includes the word “brothers,” which is not found in the greetings of other letters. This word “brothers” of course refers to ‘brothers’ in the faith of Christ.

In this letter, Paul has written some harsh words to make the truth clear to the Galatian believers, who are confused about Christian teachings. The first part of the letter began with the harsh words of verse 6, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” In concluding this letter, Paul probably wanted to express his feelings that, “Although I have written some harsh things, I consider you to be brothers in the faith.” And this feeling is expressed in the words of greeting “brothers,” which are not found in other letters. The Epistle to the Galatians deals with the issue of circumcision, which at first glance seems to have nothing to do with us today. However, as we have seen, this letter provides answers to important questions such as “What is the true teaching of Christ?” and “What is true freedom?”