Knowing Yourself

Galatians 5:26–6:5

In the book of Galatians, Paul shows us that to be true Christians, we need to keep lining up our lives with the teachings of the gospel. This brings up a curious idea about how we see ourselves – a balance between being humble and confident. This idea is what we’re going to talk about today.

1. We’re nothing

Christianity teaches us to be humble, to realize we’re not all that important on our own. Paul himself said he was the least of all the apostles and sinners. This might seem strange, but saying “we are nothing” isn’t a sign of weakness. Instead, it’s the end of trying to prove ourselves through religion. It moves our focus from trying to be worthy on our own to relying on God. Real humility is knowing that we need God and that our worth comes from Him, not from what we’ve done.

2. We should have pride

Paul says some things that seem paradoxical – we’re nothing, yet we’re great. This is rooted in the gospel, which is different from religion’s chase after self-worth and self-esteem. Being a true Christian means knowing we’re not important on our own, but also recognizing that we’re great because of Christ. Our self-image should be shaped by God’s love and judgment, not by what society thinks. Today’s sermon is an invitation to fully accept the gospel, to take pride in being “nothing” without God, and to reject the idea that we’re just an accident, which makes us feel utterly insignificant.