Bearing the Marks of Jesus by Dave Jenkins for Servants of Grace
Galatians 6:17–18, “From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”
Far from a dispassionate treatise on justification, Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is among his most personal letters, his deep concern for his audience evident throughout. At many points, the apostle’s dismay that the Galatians would foolishly abandon his message is clear, revealing that he saw their flirtation with legalism as an affront to him and a danger to their souls (Galatians 1:6–9
; 3:1–3). Moreover, Paul describes the Galatians’ affection for him in their willingness to look past his ailments and love him when he first came to them (Galatians 4:8–20).
In Galatians 6:17-18, we find one final confirmation of the apostle’s close relationship with the Galatians. Aside from his reference to his readers as his “brothers” in Galatians 6:18, Paul also remarks in verse 17 that no one should cause him trouble any longer. This is most likely a reference to the personal vexation that he felt as the Galatians were taking steps away from the gospel of grace to the false promises of the Judaizers, a gospel that was, in fact, no good news at all (Galatians 1:8–9).
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Dave Jenkins is happily married to Sarah Jenkins. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in sunny Southern California. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, and is the Host for the Equipping You in Grace Podcast. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his MAR and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
