Boasting the right way and the wrong way
By Elizabeth Prata
Oxford Dictionary defines bragging or boasting as excessively proud and self-satisfied talk about one’s achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Boasting is part of growing up. ‘My dad can beat your dad’ is often heard on the playground. So is ‘I can run faster than you- let’s race.’ And the ever popular ‘I win!’
Developmental psychologists say kids boast because “After age 7, children develop a new cognitive ability to think of themselves as having enduring traits and abilities…” Excited about this new understanding of themselves, children “want to talk about them and have others notice — which is what leads to that bragging.” (Source).
Children need to be taught how to be humble.
Why? Because bragging or boasting is based on pride. People brag to be liked or admired, because they want to feed their ego, or because they have low self-esteem and try to puff themselves up in the eyes of others. When we grow to an adult, if it hasn’t been educated out of us, as much as people still possess a tendency to tend to brag, we equally hate it when others boast.
I wrote recently that Christianity is an upside down, unexpected religion. “The path to eternal life is narrow, as opposed to the broad path to destruction. The first shall be last. The last shall be first. Humble yourself and you will be exalted, but exalt yourself and you will be humbled. Love your enemy, do not hate your enemy.”
Boasting is another of those upside down lifestyle choices we are to master in our walk.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:31, “so that, just as it is written: “LET THE ONE WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice. (Psalm 34:2).
Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 10:17).
We’re allowed to boast, but not of ourselves. Not of our accomplishments. Not of our possessions. Not of our works- If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God (Romans 4:2).
In the Bible, the word for boast “to praise”; kaucháomai, “to vaunt oneself,” is used in the Bible in both in a good and a bad sense. When it is boasting of God, it is in the good sense. When it is of ourselves, it is in the bad sense, self-righteousness (Ephesians 2:9; Romans 2:17, 23).
Lord forgive me, I still boast! Why do I boast of myself when I am a worm in the dust, and the only ‘good’ in me is Christ, who is worthy to boast of? Paul because he did so many amazing things that are out of the realm of my conception, but I do feel kinship with him in this verse
For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)
Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains the 1 Corinthians 1:31 verse,
As it is written – This is evidently a quotation made from Jeremiah 9:23-24. It is not made literally; but the apostle has “condensed” the sense of the prophet into a few words, and has retained essentially his idea.
hat the design of the plan of salvation is to exalt God in view of the mind.
(2) that the design is to make us humble; and this is the design also of all his works no less than of the plan of salvation. All just views of the creation tend to produce true humility.
(3) it is an evidence of piety when we are thus disposed to exalt God, and to be humble. It shows that the heart is changed; and that we are truly disposed to honor him.
(4) we may rejoice in God. We have no strength, and no righteousness of which to boast; but we may rejoice in him. He is full of goodness and mercy. He is able to save us. He can redeem us out of the hand of all our enemies. And when we are conscious that we are poor, and feeble, and helpless; when oppressed with a sense of sin, we may rejoice in him as our God; and exult in him as our Saviour and Redeemer. True piety will delight to come and lay everything at his feet; and whatever may be our rank, or talent, or learning, we shall rejoice to come with the temper of the humblest child of poverty, and sorrow, and lack, and to say, “not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake,” Psalm 115:1.
O, that I would do better in the boasting – and boast rightly of Him. As Isaac Watts wrote in his hymn, “Immortal honours to thy sovereign name.”
Jesus is the only Person in the Universe who is proper to boast in, not ourselves, not our things, achievements, or deeds. Glories manifold to you, O King, for ever and ever!
