For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
To think oneself to be something important or superior when one is nothing is to deceive oneself, for man in himself is nothing. The warning belongs to restoring one overtaken in fault in the spirit of meekness while watching oneself and remembering personal weakness and liability to temptation, bearing one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, proving one's own work without comparing with another, and bearing one's own burden. Recognizing that one is nothing is the first step toward grace. Pride and too high an opinion of one's own ability hinder bearing one another's burdens, and the remedy is lowliness of mind that esteems others better than self, looks on the things of others, and lives in love and harmony without strife or vainglory. The verse rebukes the independent and self-confident who consider their judgment superior to fellow believers and despise their counsel, which is dangerous delusion because the heart is deceitful, and it rebukes thinking oneself wise and strong while looking down on a needy struggling brother, forgetting one's own weakness and constant danger of temptation.
Meaning and Context
To think oneself important or superior when one is nothing is to deceive oneself, for in himself man is nothing. Such self-importance is self-deception that lifts up self, extols self, and holds too high an opinion of one's own ability, wisdom, and capacity for great things, when in truth one is not acquainted with oneself and does not know half of what is claimed. It shows itself in despising the counsel and admonition of fellow believers while trusting one's own judgment and experience above theirs, which is dangerous delusion because the heart is deceitful. Recognizing that we are nothing is the first step toward grace. Those who think themselves important when they are not have lives and characters altogether lighter than vanity.
In his present standing before Christ, the self-deceived person is nothing and an offense to Him, so the warning is against trusting an inflated view of self and for honest self-examination. The verse belongs to restoring one overtaken in fault in the spirit of meekness while watching oneself and remembering personal weakness, danger, and liability to temptation. It belongs together with bearing one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, proving one's own work, finding rejoicing in one's own work alone without comparing with another, and bearing one's own burden. The surrounding call to bear burdens and restore gently belongs with humility and loving regard rather than prejudice or division among believers.
Character is known by fruit and must be tested by the Bible standard, which sheds unerring light on the pathway of life for those who honestly seek wisdom. Each person must answer to God for his own course and real character in His sight, not to human opinion, party judgment, or the judgment of any man. A wrong conception of perfection is exposed by the verse, for perfection is the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. It is crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, living and walking in the Spirit, refusing vain glory, provoking and envying one another, restoring the erring in meekness, bearing burdens, not growing weary in well-doing, and doing good to all especially to believers.
The church may warn, counsel, and admonish, but it cannot compel a right course. Whoever persists in disregarding God's word must bear his own burden, answer to God for himself, and suffer the consequences of his own course, for every man must at last stand or fall for himself. Each person is responsible for bearing his own burden, while still offering fellow workers encouragement and practical help with their particular burdens and not weakening or discouraging them.
Humility Toward Others
Pride and an inflated estimate of personal ability make it impossible to carry the loads of others and so to keep the law of Christ. Such self-lifting expresses itself in extolling self while censuring and condemning brethren instead of dealing tenderly with the erring, in feeling competent to dictate, and in looking upon self as wise, capable of great things, and full of confidence in personal ways and wisdom. In truth those who do this do not know themselves, do not know half what they should know or what they claim to know, are not free from blunders and mistakes, and fall under temptation while confidently supposing they stand secure. That elevating of self, exalting of requirements, and self-sufficiency misleads others, misleads the person's own soul, and brings the greatest loss upon himself. The remedy is lowliness of mind that counts others better than self, that looks also to the interests of others, that lives in love and harmony without strife or vainglory, and that shows to one another the same mercy and compassion desired from Christ.
The warning falls especially on the independent and self-confident who count their own judgment and experience superior to that of fellow believers, who despise counsel and admonition, and who regard themselves as superior or as appointed to oversee others, for such self-importance is self-deception. The heart is deceitful, so character and life must be tested by the Bible standard, which sheds unerring light on the pathway of life, and those who honestly seek God for wisdom will be guided aright. Each person remains responsible to carry his own burden, while still giving fellow workers encouragement and practical help with their particular burdens and never weakening or discouraging them.
To think oneself wise and strong while looking down on, bearing down upon, or rejecting a needy, struggling, oppressed brother who longs for help ignores personal weakness and constant danger of temptation. Such contempt and self-exaltation have no place when dealing with one who has fallen; humility is required instead. The one who repulses his brother may himself be brought over the very same ground of trial and sorrow his brother has traveled, and learn by painful and bitter experience that he is as helpless and needy as the sufferer he rejected. To set oneself up as full of wisdom and strength in this way manifests the Pharisaic spirit, wrapping self in robes of self-constituted dignity, inwardly giving thanks for not being as other men are, supposing the course praiseworthy and supposing self too strong to be tempted. That failure to recognize spiritual danger leaves the person in constant danger himself and may lead the weak astray.
Success in stirring a congregation's feelings or in winning a religious debate does not prove a preacher most useful or powerful, for in himself he is nothing and is only an instrument in God's hands, and whatever good is accomplished depends on God and not on personal ability. Pride after apparent success leaves him relying on his own weakness, ending in darkness and failure that he wrongly blames on others. To be puffed up by the enemy into believing he is doing a great work, while his actions push souls away, is the same self-deception. Self-importance is self-deception because man in himself is nothing, so pride and self-exaltation are forbidden, especially in restoring one overtaken in fault, who must be restored in meekness while remembering personal weakness and liability to temptation. Humility must also reckon with how greatly others may differ in disposition, habits, education, understanding, trials, and duties. It proves its own work and finds rejoicing in its own work alone without comparing with another, bears one another's burdens, and guards the reputation of God's people by never marring God's cause nor bearing witness against Christ with sharp, harsh words or unjust, unkind actions.
To think oneself to be something important or superior when one is nothing is to deceive oneself, for man in himself is nothing. The warning belongs to restoring one overtaken in fault in the spirit of meekness while watching oneself and remembering personal weakness and liability to temptation, bearing one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, proving one's own work without comparing with another, and bearing one's own burden. Recognizing that one is nothing is the first step toward grace. Pride and too high an opinion of one's own ability hinder bearing one another's burdens, and the remedy is lowliness of mind that esteems others better than self, looks on the things of others, and lives in love and harmony without strife or vainglory. The verse rebukes the independent and self-confident who consider their judgment superior to fellow believers and despise their counsel, which is dangerous delusion because the heart is deceitful, and it rebukes thinking oneself wise and strong while looking down on a needy struggling brother, forgetting one's own weakness and constant danger of temptation.
Meaning and Context
To think oneself important or superior when one is nothing is to deceive oneself, for in himself man is nothing. Such self-importance is self-deception that lifts up self, extols self, and holds too high an opinion of one's own ability, wisdom, and capacity for great things, when in truth one is not acquainted with oneself and does not know half of what is claimed. It shows itself in despising the counsel and admonition of fellow believers while trusting one's own judgment and experience above theirs, which is dangerous delusion because the heart is deceitful. Recognizing that we are nothing is the first step toward grace. Those who think themselves important when they are not have lives and characters altogether lighter than vanity.
In his present standing before Christ, the self-deceived person is nothing and an offense to Him, so the warning is against trusting an inflated view of self and for honest self-examination. The verse belongs to restoring one overtaken in fault in the spirit of meekness while watching oneself and remembering personal weakness, danger, and liability to temptation. It belongs together with bearing one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, proving one's own work, finding rejoicing in one's own work alone without comparing with another, and bearing one's own burden. The surrounding call to bear burdens and restore gently belongs with humility and loving regard rather than prejudice or division among believers.
Character is known by fruit and must be tested by the Bible standard, which sheds unerring light on the pathway of life for those who honestly seek wisdom. Each person must answer to God for his own course and real character in His sight, not to human opinion, party judgment, or the judgment of any man. A wrong conception of perfection is exposed by the verse, for perfection is the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. It is crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, living and walking in the Spirit, refusing vain glory, provoking and envying one another, restoring the erring in meekness, bearing burdens, not growing weary in well-doing, and doing good to all especially to believers.
The church may warn, counsel, and admonish, but it cannot compel a right course. Whoever persists in disregarding God's word must bear his own burden, answer to God for himself, and suffer the consequences of his own course, for every man must at last stand or fall for himself. Each person is responsible for bearing his own burden, while still offering fellow workers encouragement and practical help with their particular burdens and not weakening or discouraging them.
Humility Toward Others
Pride and an inflated estimate of personal ability make it impossible to carry the loads of others and so to keep the law of Christ. Such self-lifting expresses itself in extolling self while censuring and condemning brethren instead of dealing tenderly with the erring, in feeling competent to dictate, and in looking upon self as wise, capable of great things, and full of confidence in personal ways and wisdom. In truth those who do this do not know themselves, do not know half what they should know or what they claim to know, are not free from blunders and mistakes, and fall under temptation while confidently supposing they stand secure. That elevating of self, exalting of requirements, and self-sufficiency misleads others, misleads the person's own soul, and brings the greatest loss upon himself. The remedy is lowliness of mind that counts others better than self, that looks also to the interests of others, that lives in love and harmony without strife or vainglory, and that shows to one another the same mercy and compassion desired from Christ.
The warning falls especially on the independent and self-confident who count their own judgment and experience superior to that of fellow believers, who despise counsel and admonition, and who regard themselves as superior or as appointed to oversee others, for such self-importance is self-deception. The heart is deceitful, so character and life must be tested by the Bible standard, which sheds unerring light on the pathway of life, and those who honestly seek God for wisdom will be guided aright. Each person remains responsible to carry his own burden, while still giving fellow workers encouragement and practical help with their particular burdens and never weakening or discouraging them.
To think oneself wise and strong while looking down on, bearing down upon, or rejecting a needy, struggling, oppressed brother who longs for help ignores personal weakness and constant danger of temptation. Such contempt and self-exaltation have no place when dealing with one who has fallen; humility is required instead. The one who repulses his brother may himself be brought over the very same ground of trial and sorrow his brother has traveled, and learn by painful and bitter experience that he is as helpless and needy as the sufferer he rejected. To set oneself up as full of wisdom and strength in this way manifests the Pharisaic spirit, wrapping self in robes of self-constituted dignity, inwardly giving thanks for not being as other men are, supposing the course praiseworthy and supposing self too strong to be tempted. That failure to recognize spiritual danger leaves the person in constant danger himself and may lead the weak astray.
Success in stirring a congregation's feelings or in winning a religious debate does not prove a preacher most useful or powerful, for in himself he is nothing and is only an instrument in God's hands, and whatever good is accomplished depends on God and not on personal ability. Pride after apparent success leaves him relying on his own weakness, ending in darkness and failure that he wrongly blames on others. To be puffed up by the enemy into believing he is doing a great work, while his actions push souls away, is the same self-deception. Self-importance is self-deception because man in himself is nothing, so pride and self-exaltation are forbidden, especially in restoring one overtaken in fault, who must be restored in meekness while remembering personal weakness and liability to temptation. Humility must also reckon with how greatly others may differ in disposition, habits, education, understanding, trials, and duties. It proves its own work and finds rejoicing in its own work alone without comparing with another, bears one another's burdens, and guards the reputation of God's people by never marring God's cause nor bearing witness against Christ with sharp, harsh words or unjust, unkind actions.