Galatians 6:17 "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."
"I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Paul was
stating a fact that imprinted a precious truth in his heart and mind. This was
a statement on the same line as the man who was born blind. His one testimony
that would stand the test of time was that he once was blind, but now he could
see. Paul knew that his life once was in direct contrast to what the Lord had
done for him. "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." He
could state that over and over with a conviction of the Lord's grace in his
life.
There was a sense in which Paul literally bore the marks of the Lord Jesus.
Let's refresh our minds on that. in stripes above measure, in prisons more
frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes
save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep..." (2
Corinthians 11:23-25) That was not all the suffering that the Apostle
Paul endured, but it shows us that surely there were literal marks (scars) on
his body that were inflicted for the cause of Christ.
Yes, there were literal marks but also, there are spiritual marks that Paul
bore; and, I believe we are to bear these same identifying marks that show our
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He listed those identifying marks back
in Galatians 5:22-23, "... love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance..." The very first identifying
mark is that which Jesus spoke on the night of his betrayal: "By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another." (John 13:35) Yes, the greatest identifying mark that we
can bear is when we show love, patience, gentleness, goodness, and
self-control. When we show those identifying factors toward others, we can
experience the inner markings within our hearts which are, peace, joy, and
faith in the work of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that I will be more
diligent in allowing those marks of Christ to be seen in me.