Gal. 6:2-3. - If You Think...

2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Bear One Another’s Burdens

Vs. 2 - “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”

- “Bear one another's burdens” - You are not alone. Your fellow believer should not be left to fend for himself. This is a spiritual battle we wage (Eph. 6:12). Support one another in prayer, in exhortation, in compassion and empathy. (See: Rom. 15:1; 14:1; 1 Thes. 5:14, 15.) Each one of us is responsible for our behavior. We will be judged for the way we live our Christian life. (2 Cor. 5:9, 10) You will not be judged for the way I lead my life. Your sons or daughters will not be judged for the way you live yours, and vice versa. But if we do not speak out to warn those who are floundering, we will be held accountable for failing to warn them. (See: Ezek. 3:18, 19) Help each other as you go through each day. This verse is more than a suggestion. Help other believers if it appears they are going off the rails. We are to love one another and support each other until Christ returns. (See: 1 John 3:23; Heb. 3:13, 10:24, 25.)

- “fulfill the law of Christ” - There are two main commandments, from which all other rules or regulations flow:

• Love God and Jesus
• Love each other

(See: Luk. 10:25-28; Mk. 12:28-31.) Bearing one another’s burdens is not just helping someone through tough spiritual times. It involves the church assisting the widows and orphans, the strangers and the poor. This admonition has been in the Judeo-Christian fabric from the beginning of the Old Covenant up until now (until Christ returns, actually). (See: Lev. 25:35; Isa. 58:7, 10; Zech 7:9, 10, Jam. 2:1-13.)

Vs. 3 - “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” -

- “if anyone thinks he is something” - Pride and conceit. These hinder our development of a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior.
In the context of this paragraph: We might think we are too spiritual to fall into sin (... again). “Survey says,” “Brrrrrrackkkkkk.”
We might think we can handle any situation we get into. Same response.
We might think, “I would never do that.” We deceive ourselves.
Thinking we are in control severely hampers the ability to hear (listen to) the Holy Spirit who lead us to confession and repentance. (See: 1 John 1:8,9.) This same attitude will keep you from committing your life to Christ.

- “he deceives himself.” - One of the most powerful and destructive tendencies we have is to see ourselves as much better than we really are. The protagonist in the movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley” says “Most people never think we are as bad as we are.” This is the pride of our old nature. Warnings about the dangers of pride are throughout the scripture.
Don’t think too highly of yourself. (Rom. 12:3)
Don’t brag of how good you are. (1 Sam. 2:3)
Sin is the natural outgrowth of our pride. (Pro. 24:4)
It makes us over-confident. (Psa. 75:4)

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