Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule — to the Israel of God. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

—Galatians 6:16 (verse 15 follows)

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Paul ends his breathtaking letter about God’s grace to Galatians with this incredible reminder: both Jews and Gentiles who are justified by faith in Jesus Christ are God’s people, his Israel. Like Abraham, who left on a long journey trusting in God’s Promise, all who are “the Israel of God” follow God’s lead and cling to God’s Promise through faith in Jesus Christ. Like those delivered through the Exodus from Egypt by the power of God and with the sprinkled blood of the Passover lamb, God’s people today have been blood-bought and delivered from their bondage to sin and death. In Christ, both Jews and non-Jews are included in God’s Promise by grace through their faith in Christ Jesus. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female; we are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:26-29). As God’s people, they are the recipients of mercy and peace — mercy and peace that God’s people should now practice with each other.

My Prayer…

El Shaddai, LORD God of the Covenant, thank you for our great Patriarchs of faith who kept the faith and trusted in your Promise. Thank you for fulfilling your Promise to us, and all people, in Jesus. Thank you for blessing me and including me as one of your children through my faith in Jesus. Now, may we, your people, bring you praise, in the name of Jesus our LORD. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.