Not to Brag, But..
The Bulletin, 3/31/25
The word “boast” plays a prominent part in the first few chapters of the book of Romans. In chapter 2, Paul cautions the Jews as “you who boast in the Law” and calls them out for their shortcomings.
They thought that their access to God through the Law gave them an upper hand on the Gentile world, but their inability to keep the Law meant they had no room for boasting. Paul concludes the discussion of everyone’s sin problem by pointing out that justification is by the grace of God and not our own goodness.
For this reason, there is no room for boasting (3:27). We can’t look down on anyone else or feel entitled to salvation before God because of what great people we are. Even Abraham didn’t have reason to boast in his own goodness, because his righteousness was not credited as a result of his own works (4:1-3).
This means a holier-than-thou attitude has no place in the Christian’s heart. We can’t look down on anybody or feel like we can stand at the judgment and tell God how great we’ve been. To be honest, though, I think many—maybe most—Christians have the opposite problem. Our problem is not in thinking we’re great. It’s in beating ourselves up for not being good enough.
How is that boasting, though? Well, it comes from an attitude that we could be good enough to merit God’s grace. That maybe someday we will be. And refusing to accept forgiveness that God has extended sets us up as a higher, stricter judger than He is. It’s the kind of pride that refuses to accept a handout, only applied to spiritual cleansing.
The correct approach is to humbly accept the gift He has offered us in Christ. Then our focus is off ourselves entirely, and we can boast the way we’re meant to: in Christ, and in His good gifts. The word translated “exult” or “rejoice” in 3:11 is actually the same as “boast” before. Reject self-righteousness. Reject self-flagellation. Boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ!
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