Simple Rules of Love in the Church, Part 2

D. Scott Meadows

Galatians 6.3: For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

We must hasten to the next simple rule of love in the church, which I have paraphrased with some admitted cheekiness, “get over yourself!” We find it in verse three.

Get Over Yourself (3)

I have chosen an informal phrase which tells someone to stop thinking they are more important than other people, especially when they are complaining about something. It could be that this is the very problem Paul anticipated when his readers heard the previous exhortation to be patient with one another. Sinful pride is in us all, and this very thing makes us impatient with other people, and intolerant of their faults. We read our duty to bear one another’s burdens, and we might think, “but they really annoy me!” as if that were the most important thing in the world, that everyone around us should behave in a way not to get under our skin. It is embarrassing when we put it that way, but isn’t that our attitude sometimes?

So one of the simple rules of love in the church is, in effect, get over yourself, or, as verse three says, “for if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” I can imagine some reading this would misunderstand it very badly like this. “Well, those people who really are of no account are in danger of this mistake, but since I am somebody important, it’s not wrong for me to think of myself that way.” My friends, the people who think that way are the ones who need to hear this more than anyone else!

The strong implication is that we all should “think ourselves to be nothing,” for then we will not be self-deceived. And if anyone makes the mistake of “thinking himself to be something” in the sense intended here, then he is the one who deceives himself.

Now this is no denial that we are all creatures in God’s image, and that therefore we have a common share in the dignity of mankind. Nor is it meant to downplay the special and gracious love that God has for every particular Christian. The love of God for His redeemed children is incomprehensibly great, and it should be our prayer that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge (Eph 3.18, 19). Galatians 6.3 is rather warning each Christian about thinking he or she is more important than other Christians, and so to treat them as inferiors, as if they are unworthy of our long-suffering patience. Paul recommends the corresponding virtue in Philippians 2.3, 4. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (CSB). Matthew Poole wrote perceptively,

Pride, and men’s high opinions of themselves above what they ought, are the cause of their [being hypercritical] in dealing with other offenders; which [humility] would not [allow] in them, if they [understood] themselves to be as weak, and as much exposed to temptations, as others are. It is pride and [arrogant] opinions of ourselves, that make us despise or neglect others under their burdens, and so forget the law of Christ. The apostle therefore properly adds this precept for humility . . . to those former precepts (on Gal 6.3).

One of the problems with pride is that the most arrogant people hardly realize they have a problem. The proud man considers himself very commendably humble, while the truly humble know they really are wretches except for the grace of God. Therefore, one reason this verse is so precious is that it gives us a tool for self-diagnosis, to know ourselves. Do you set yourself up as everyone else’s critic? If I mention people who really get under your skin, do specific individuals readily come to mind? Do you stew secretly because so and so in the church has a certain bad habit? Are you often inclined to put a bad construction on their speech and conduct when there could possibly be an innocent explanation? Or if it is something that is truly bad, do you try to think about ways in which their faults are small compared to their virtues, or that given their special situation and background such weaknesses are more understandable for them than they would be in others? If you have to admit honestly that you have more than small traces of these deplorable symptoms, chalk it up to your sinful pride. You definitely need to get over yourself! We all do to one degree or another.