Last week we focused on the humbling truth that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Each and every one of us have missed the mark and fallen short of God’s standard. But the great news is that those who place their hope in Christ as Savior “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Remember, justification is that legal term meaning we are declared not guilty by God! In our passage today, Paul continues this thought with an important question, “Then what becomes of our boasting (v. 27)?” If we’re honest, we all have a tendency to boast. Pastor Alex reminded us that boasting is an outward expression of an inner problem: pride. Let’s remember, this is not a new problem. In fact, we can trace boasting (and pride) all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve convinced themselves that they knew better than God and chose to go their own way rather than following and trusting Him. The reality is boasting is incompatible with the truth of the gospel… that we are justified by God’s grace as a gift (3:24). Elsewhere Paul reminds, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). If salvation were possible through the Law or any means of our own doing, then we would be able to boast in something we could earn. But the only response to salvation as a gift of God is a posture of gratitude and thankfulness to Him. Let’s remember who authored the book of Romans. If anyone would have had a right to boast in his accomplishments, lineage, education, and religious pedigree it would have been Paul. And yet, Paul considered all these things “rubbish” (literally garbage) compared to knowing Christ Jesus (see Philippians 3:5-11)! In addition to running completely counter to the truth of the gospel that salvation is a gift of God by grace alone through faith alone, boasting affects our everyday lives in several ways. First, boasting causes division. When we think better of ourselves because of anything – our race, our social status, or our achievements – it automatically divides and separates us from others. In addition to division, boasting can also reveal itself as anxiety in our lives. When the things that we boast about are threatened – i.e. our marriage, our kids, or our livelihood – we are vulnerable to fear and anxiety. Questions to Consider: - First and foremost, is there anything in which you are tempted to boast as the grounds of your confidence or self-worth? As Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:14, “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ask God to expose anything that feeds the lie of self-sufficiency.
- Ask God to expose anything that gives you a heart of pride. Ask God to remove any sense of false security about things we might be tempted to boast about in our own strength.
- Ask God to reveal anything that gives you a sense of shame. If you haven’t done so already, confess those things to God, ask His forgiveness, and then thank God for that forgiveness He freely offers (1 John 1:9).
- If you’ve never put your trust in Christ alone as your Savior and would like to know more about what a relationship with Him looks like, we’re here to help. Send us an email at questions@carmelbaptist.org and someone from our team will reach out to you.
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