Lyrics
Nothing But The Cross
Read together: Galatians 6:11–16; Philippians 3:4–9; Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 6:6–7, 17–18; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31
What are you tempted to boast in? Most of us would never say it out loud, but we all lean on something to feel that our lives count—our work, our reputation, our family, our good behavior, even how far we have come. Scripture asks us to look honestly at what we are really trusting.
Read Galatians 6:11–16. Paul was writing to churches being pressured to add something to the gospel—to measure faithfulness by outward marks that people could see and count. He answered with one sentence that cuts through all of it: “May I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through the Cross, he said, the world had been crucified to him, and he to the world. The things that once defined him no longer held him.
Paul had plenty he could have boasted in. Read Philippians 3:4–9. By the standards of his day his record was spotless—heritage, education, zeal, careful obedience. Yet he counted all of it as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. He wanted to be found in Christ, not with a righteousness of his own from keeping the law, but with the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ.
That is the heart of the gospel. Read Ephesians 2:8–9. We are saved by grace through faith—not by our own doing, not by works—so that no one can boast. Salvation cannot be bought, because it has already been paid for. Every attempt to add our goodness to the Cross quietly says the Cross was not enough.
And the Cross does not only forgive; it frees. Read Romans 6:6–7 and 6:17–18. Paul says our old self was crucified with Christ so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. The pride we could not conquer, the chains we kept tightening on ourselves, the burdens we were never meant to carry—Jesus breaks their claim. Freedom is not something we achieve. It is something He won.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26–31. God chose what the world considers foolish and weak so that no one may boast before Him. “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” This song ends by borrowing an old hymn’s prayer—nothing in my hands I bring—and that is exactly the posture the Bible calls for. We come to Jesus empty-handed, and in Him we find everything we need.
A moment to respond: Make an honest list this week of what you lean on to feel worthy—achievements, reputation, religious habits, even your own suffering. Read Galatians 6:14 and Philippians 3:7–9, then pray through your list, laying each thing down at the Cross. If you have never trusted Christ, come to Him with empty hands today. He has already done everything needed to save you.
Let's pray: Lord Jesus, we confess how quickly we boast in lesser things—our names, our efforts, our victories, even our pain. Thank You that salvation was never ours to buy, because You paid for it in full on the Cross. Break every chain that still claims our hearts. Be our righteousness, our hope, and our only gain. Nothing in our hands we bring; simply to Your Cross we cling. Amen.
Our desire at UnrelentingJesus is that you would let go of every lesser boast and find your whole worth, hope, and freedom in the Cross of Jesus Christ.
