10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.
12 I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
Vs. 10: - “I have confidence in you...” - Paul has chewed them out. (“You foolish Galatians!”) (Gal. 3:1) He has shown them the right path. “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Gal. 5:1) Now he is exhorting them to make the right decision.
- “You will adopt no other view” - And the right decision is:
By faith:
- Confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
- Proclaim Him crucified for us to pay the penalty for sin.
- Rejoice in Him resurrected to eternal life, that we might live forever with God!
- “Will bear his judgement” - The person who leads someone to reject Jesus Christ and salvation will suffer serious judgement. Paul may have been thinking of the following verse, “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (Eccl. 12:14) Perhaps He was remembering Jesus’ words, “He said to His disciples, ‘It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.’” (Luke 17:1-2) This statement is often used with regards to leading children astray. (See also: Matt. 18:6; Mark 9:42) It also applies to new believers, even adults.
What greater stumbling block could there be than teaching false doctrine?! What could be worse than leading someone away from eternal life?! Jesus is emphatic! See Matt. 18:7, "Woe to the world because of [its] stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” ( See also: Luke 17:1)
We see in Rev. 18:10, 14; Matt. 13:42 how serious this warning is, which includes:
- Lake of Burning Fire
- unquenchable fire
- gnashing of teeth (symbolizing great pain and suffering).
Vs. 11: - “Why am I still persecuted?” - Paul did not preach that circumcision provided any saving grace. These opponents did while they attacked Paul and his ministry. The accusation was Paul had been a devout Jew, and therefore he had to be in favor of circumcision.
- “If I am what you say, then why are you persecuting me” Paul asks? If he and these detractors have the same basic message, where’s the problem? However, we know Paul’s message is salvation through faith in Christ without our works.
- “Stumbling block of the cross” - If obeying the Law saves you, Christ’s death is unnecessary, not needed. Why would Christ’s cross be a stumbling block? The quick answer is we humans believe we can always do something to merit salvation. The cross is a definite NO to that understanding. Too many cannot get over that hurdle. They want to be able to say, “Look! I did this.”
The long answer to Paul’s question, “Why are you persecuting me?” starts in the OT. Jesus and His sacrifice is the cornerstone of the foundation of God’s plan of salvation - it was a costly plan, and the cornerstone is well-placed. (Rom. 9:32, 322; Isa. 28:16; Eph. 2:20) Jesus is precious to God! (1 Pet. 2:4, 6) Jesus is the point of attack on Satan’s rebellion and man’s sin. (Isa. 8:14) That cornerstone is Jesus crucified to pay for our sins.
There are two possible responses: Accept or Reject. Rejection causes a stumble because of disobedience to the word. (1 Pet. 2:8)
Paul’s ministry was primarily to the Gentiles. The Jews were were appalled at the crucifixion. It was a scandal to them. (For you and me, think of a mass murderer in our time. Could you follow a Charles Manson? Or Geoffrey Daumier? Ted Bundy? These people are repugnant to us - that’s the way some Jews felt about someone crucified by the Romans.) The Gentiles could think this was all silly! God speaking to people? Jesus dying in our place? Raised back to life? Foolishness! (See: 1 Cor. 1:18, 23)
A ‘stumbling block’ is not a little rock on which you stub your toe while walking on a trail in the woods, causing you to stagger for a moment. No, this is much more serious - more like an ‘El Capitan’ on which you fling yourself in futility.
I spent a day at the Civil War battle site Gettysburg. I stopped on Little Round Top, one the hills the Union soldiers were holding against the Confederate Army. In the valley below Little Round Top is an area called ‘The Devil’s Den’ where the Confederates gathered to attack the Union Army. If you stand in the Den, you see boulders the size of minivans between you and the top. These boulders hindered the Rebel charges. Over and over they threw themselves against the Union on Little Round Top. As the Union soldiers were running out of ammunition, the commander, Chamberlain, decided it was necessary to charge down the hill. The charge routed the Confedrates, preserving the position of the Union company defending that flank of the Union Army. When you stand at either location, Little Round Top or Devil’s Den, the thought comes, “Why would they do that? Why would they attack such a position?”
The cross is the impregnable position on which people lose their eternal life because they will not accept Christ’s great sacrifice. That is a serious stumbling block.
Vs. 12: - “Mutilate themselves” - Paul is upset with those who lead others astray. He previously hurled epithets at those who preach a contrary gospel. (See: Gal. 1:8,9) Paul does not want the false teachers to circumcise themselves, probably because they were already Jews! No, Paul wants them to be so disfigured that people will be turned off. Paul had some sort of physical disability, yet the people in Galatia welcomed Paul, because he preached a message of hope. Paul wants the false teachers to be so repugnant, both spiritually and physically, that people will turn away in disgust.
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