Galatians 6:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

NIV: If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

NASB: For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

CSB: For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

NLT: If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

KJV: For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

NKJV: For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Paul is explaining to Christians how to live together as people in Christ. He has just written that we must help carry each other's burdens (Galatians 6:1–2). What causes us not to practice this? Pride. We see ourselves as self-reliant, not needing anyone else's help to carry our load, even when it gets too heavy for us. Or perhaps we are simply too proud to do the work of carrying another's burden.

The problem with that failure is that it makes ourselves the focus of our own love and attention. It means believing our own lie: that we are more significant or stronger than other believers. In truth, only Christ is strong enough to meet all of our needs, and all of our strength comes from God's Spirit. We must not fall into the trap of seeing ourselves as the source of our own ability to follow Jesus. That will hurt us, as well as hurting the Christians around us.

Galatians 6:1–10 focuses on how those in Christ should treat each other, through the power of God's Spirit. We should restore those caught in sin with gentleness and humility, and we should help to carry each other's burdens. Having said that, Christians should be honest with ourselves about what God is doing through us. We need to take responsibility for what He has asked us to carry. Because eternal life comes from planting God's Spirit by faith in Christ, and not by works of the flesh, we must keep doing good. The harvest will show that we planted well.

Galatians 6 includes instructions for how people who are free in Christ and walking by God's Spirit, should treat each other. Christians should restore those who are caught by sin, and we should bear each other's burdens. Only those who plant the fruit of God's Spirit, by faith in Christ, will harvest eternal life. Believers should not get tired of doing good for each other! The harvest is coming. Paul concludes the letter, writing in large letters that circumcision means nothing. Only becoming a new creation through faith in Christ matters.

Galatians 5 wrapped up with a focus on what it means to be led by God's Spirit. Galatians 6 starts with describing how Spirit-led Christians serve each other by restoring those caught be sin and bearing each other's burdens. Only those who plant God's Spirit in this life, through faith in Christ, will harvest eternal life. Paul concludes the letter by writing in big letters that circumcision does not matter, only being made a new creation by faith in Christ matters.

Galatians is sometimes called “a short Romans” for its similar themes of justification and sanctification through faith. A group of Christians known as “Judaizers” were preaching a gospel of legalism, rather than grace. Paul’s main purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians was to reiterate the true nature of the gospel: we are justified (made righteous) and sanctified (made more Christlike) through our faith in Jesus Christ alone. This letter was probably written shortly before the church elders in Jerusalem issued their official refutation of the Judaizers, commonly called the Jerusalem Council.

Accessed 5/4/2024 8:24:17 AM