Question 1

What is bragging? Why is it wrong?

Accepted Answer

1 Corinthians 4:7What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?How often each day are we tempted to give glory to ourselves when we ought to be giving glory to God? Paul was confronting his Corinthian sisters and brothers about their habit of siding with certain leaders and disdaining others. But good leadership is simply another reason to praise God, for even our leaders come from him. There’s never a reason to brag about our personal connections to one leader or another.1 Corinthians 3:21-23Don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.Bragging or boasting is often a thinly veiled attempt to claim credit for good things that have happened in our lives. We manage to deflect glory onto ourselves even when we are extolling the virtues of others. We also do this when we talk about God in a tone that suggests God is fortunate to have us in his corner. True humility continually directs glory to God without claiming any personal credit.Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”This passage, referenced twice by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:31, 2 Corinthians 10:17), conveys the humility involved in deliberately moving the spotlight off ourselves and onto God. Confidently stating that we know God implies that we are not God, which is a helpful starting point for humility. Perspicacity, power, and possessions are three common measurements of human success, and all of them are subject to loss. None of them finally equals the wonder of intimate knowledge of God.Jeremiah 46:17They will say, “Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is a loudmouth who missed his opportunity!”History records empire after empire that has risen and seemed invincible only to crumble from within or be crushed from without. When leaders of an empire at its zenith brag about their achievements, they fail to recognize the brevity of their success, which is determined by God. This is true in our lives as well: Today’s bragging is often the prelude to tomorrow’s humiliation.Psalm 75:5Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance.Bragging is obnoxious and egocentric talk about oneself. It reveals a big head and a big mouth. But in reality a big mouth usually indicates a small mind and a lack of self-confidence. This is never clearer than when mere creatures dare to brag in God’s face.Proverbs 27:1Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.There are many humble and wise ways to talk about tomorrow and the future. None of them include bragging about even the next moment, over which we have little control. Better to humbly make plans to continue serving the Lord, understanding that he alone can give or deny us a tomorrow.James 3:14If you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.Inflated claims and false impressions often mask seething envy of others and selfish longings. God insists that we pull off the covering and repent over what is hiding beneath.James 4:13-16Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.Overconfidence in our ability to control what lies ahead is a form of bragging. There are many uncertainties about the future that only God knows. It’s always better to make our plans conditional on God’s plans.Matthew 6:2-4When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.We don’t brag only with our words—bragging also includes arranging situations so that we get glory for things we do for others. It is better to serve anonymously than to seek the approval of others.

Question 2

What are the results of bragging?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 37:5-8One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. “Listen to this dream,” he said. “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.Everyone knows when you are bragging, and no one likes it. Bragging usually alienates the very people you are trying to impress. In Joseph’s case, his bragging actually caused his brothers to sin—they wanted to avoid him so badly that they went to terrible lengths to keep him away! Joseph was eventually humbled and became a great man of God, but as a cocky young man, his bragging caused a lot of misery for both himself and his brothers. Joseph wasn’t wrong about what he said, but he failed to appreciate the effect his words had on his family.Psalm 10:3, 12They brag about their evil desires; they praise the greedy and curse the Lord. . . . Arise, O Lord! Punish the wicked, O God!Bragging about your sinful thoughts and actions is an affront to God and an act of sheer defiance against his holiness. While it may amuse your friends and listeners, it only proves how foolish you really are. Remember that God is just, and your freedom to do such things will be temporary.Judges 9:29, 38[Gaal shouted,] “If I were in charge here, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, ‘Get some soldiers, and come out and fight!’” . . . Then Zebul turned on him and asked, “Now where is that big mouth of yours? Wasn’t it you that said, ‘Who is Abimelech, and why should we be his servants?’ The men you mocked are right outside the city! Go out and fight them!”Bragging is obnoxious and often makes enemies. Abimelech was an evil leader, but Gaal should never have bragged that he could easily defeat Abimelech in battle. His obnoxious claims were overheard by the enemy and led to his own defeat. A big head leads to a big mouth, which leads to big trouble.1 Kings 20:11The king of Israel sent back this answer: “A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.”After the trash-talking and the pep rallies, the game still has to be played. A leader does his best to prepare his troops for battle, but assuming the game is won and the battle victorious beforehand often leads to defeat.Luke 18:9-14Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”Bragging expresses pride; God loves humility. When you brag, you are arranging your own rewards, whereas waiting for others to honor you shows humility. Receiving a trophy you asked for or gave to yourself isn’t much of a reward. But a trophy willingly presented by your peers is a wonderful reward. Even better, a trophy presented by the Lord lasts forever.

Question 3

Why shouldn’t we brag about our role in receiving salvation and eternal life?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 4:6-7God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.Our salvation is no cause to brag, since we neither did anything nor could do anything to merit what God did for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. We are dependent on him from the first glimmer of our awareness that we need Jesus’ saving work to make us new.Romans 11:18You must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.Self-centered bragging indicates that we don’t truly understand ourselves or God. Its goal is to bring praise to ourselves, but God is the one who deserves praise for all he has done for us. All the best things in life are freely given by God’s grace to undeserving people.Ephesians 2:8-10God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.Picture grace as an amazing gift—one not only that you didn’t deserve, but also that you received in place of a terrible judgment you did deserve. Grace leaves no room for boasting, except about the one who made the gift possible despite your total lack of qualifications.Galatians 6:14As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.The habit of persistently drawing attention to what Christ has done for us and pointing others to him could be called “boasting,” but it lacks all the self-centered, ego-inflating aspects of ordinary boasting. Paul didn’t want anything to conceal his awe of what Jesus Christ had accomplished for him on the cross. Jesus’ death and resurrection had completely changed Paul’s relationship with the world; afterward he boasted only so that others may know what Jesus can do for them.Philippians 3:8-9Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.Godly bragging requires that we understand how little we contribute toward beginning a relationship with Jesus. Paul even calls his past life “garbage.” Whatever could be called “good” in our past doesn’t contribute anything to our standing with God, since any good we have done is tinged with sin and worthless to save us. Our good works aren’t in the same category as all that Christ has done for us.Romans 3:27Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.Our salvation is a gift from God that we accept by faith. We didn’t earn one bit of it, nor did we deserve one bit of it. Therefore, we have nothing to brag about.

Question 4

Can we brag about God?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 34:2I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.The world will always see godly bragging as counterintuitive: Those who seem to have the least right to brag—those who are helpless in sin and helpless in life—boast that God is their present and eternal hope. But in fact, this is the only thing worth bragging about.Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”The world assumes the right to brag about riches, power, and wealth, which turn out to be fleeting and eternally worthless in comparison with an intimate, personal knowledge of God. When we brag about our knowledge of God, we don’t claim to have arrived at that place on our own. Rather, we remain in awe that God would reveal himself to us in his love, justice, and righteousness.1 Corinthians 1:27-28, 31God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. . . . Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”You are tempted to brag in an unhealthy way when you feel ashamed of your weakness and want others to see only your strength. But when you understand that God’s power works in you despite your weakness and not because of your strength, you’ll want everyone to see your weakness so that God’s power shines through you even more brightly! God often does his greatest work through unimpressive people, and this turns all human boasting into humble praise.

Question 5

Can we brag about others?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 8:24Show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.Paul described his warm words to other churches about the Corinthian church as “boasting.” In order that the word would not be misunderstood, he pointed out that he was telling the truth about them.2 Thessalonians 1:4We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.What he called “boasting” about the Corinthian church, Paul called “proudly telling” about the Thessalonian Christians. When we truthfully bring a good report about others, we encourage both them and those who hear.Proverbs 27:2Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—a stranger, not your own lips.Blowing your own horn is a form of bragging; praising the efforts of others is a good exercise in humility.Proverbs 31:28-31Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.What looks like bragging about others can at times simply be well-deserved praise. Proverbs 31 describes a family whose members realize that their wife and mother blesses them richly through her many good qualities. At the heart of this woman’s life is the fear of the Lord, which informs and motivates the way she lives. She is a woman worth celebrating!2 Corinthians 7:14I had told [Titus] how proud I was of you—and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true!Paul realized the Corinthians had been a real encouragement to him, and he was quick to acknowledge that to others. It is good to call attention to God’s work in another person’s life. While calling attention to your own role in others’ accomplishments is bragging, simply praising others isn’t bragging.