"[Y]ou who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar [nothing] and say, Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?" (Amos 6:13, NIV).
"... [A]ll we have accomplished is really from you" (Isa. 26:12, NIV).
"But, the one who brags, should brag in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17, CEB).
"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Cor. 4:7, NIV).
"My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name." --Edward Mote
We must come to the eventual realization that we have nothing to boast of in God's eyes--our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us (cf Isaiah 45:24)! If we choose to boast, Jeremiah makes the point: Let it be done in the Lord, that we know Him. Israel had a problem with pride in their conquering of lands in Amos 6:13; however, God said it was nothing they had done at all. Paul stresses that he would boast of nothing but of what Christ had done through him as a vessel of honor (cf. Rom. 15:18): "I will not venture to speak of anything but of what Christ has accomplished through me..." (NIV).
It would've been a temptation for Paul to boast since he had nearly single-handedly converted the Roman empire through his missionary journeys, and he didn't even brag of his visit to the third heaven (cf. 2 Cor. 12:2). But Paul was forced to be braggadocio (cf. 2 Cor. 12:1) because he was defending the integrity of his credentials and ministry. But the difference with his boast is that he knew it was all grace from beginning to end, grace was not only sufficient but necessary! Just as Jesus said in John 15:5 that we can do nothing apart from Him. Paul seized the day (carpe diem in Latin) and foretold of his weaknesses, not his strengths or accomplishments--for God is not interested in our achievements as much as our faithfulness and obedience!
What we have accomplished must be done for the sake of the Name and in the power of the Holy Spirit or anointed by God to be worthy of reward. Paul wasn't against good works at all, even his own, just those done in the energy of the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:7-8). No matter how great, they are not good enough to boast of. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6). Paul was ready to embrace the grace that was his and that God always met his needs and when he had God, Paul had the confidence that he had all he needed. God reminded Paul after he had prayed to have the thorn in his flesh removed that God's grace is sufficient for him--God knows our limits and strengths too (this evidently kept him from getting a big head!).
Why boast of our weaknesses, as Paul suggested? Because God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and not many mighty are called by God for this reason--God's power can use anyone and empower him to His glory. God likes to use ordinary men like the twelve were. The lesson goes that the weaker we are, the greater the grace that is manifest and thus the greater glory for God. We are never to play one-upmanship and try to compare ourselves with each other by some common, invented scale.
The more we learn to lean on Jesus the more we credit Him for our deeds and realize that it is by the grace of God that we are what we are, as Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:10. George Whitefield was asked about a criminal going to the gallows and remarked: "There but for the grace of God go I!" This is the right attitude: that we are no more worthy than anyone else and cannot merit our salvation or even being used by God as a vessel of honor.
It is so important that we become grace-oriented and realize that we don't deserve our relationship with God (we have no claim on His friendship), we cannot earn salvation, and will never be able to pay it back. Christ is the one who paid the penalty He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay. When we realize that the price is of infinite value we will awaken to the value of the grace of God on our behalf: IT IS FINISHED! or PAID IN FULL! It is done! Praising God and worship are a form of boasting in the Lord and giving Him the glory He deserves, although we share in it and will be glorified in eternity (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11; Rom. 8:30) just as Christ is in us for the hope of glory (cf. Col. 1:27).
Worship, though, belongs to Him alone, for He is worthy and has paid the price by His blood, obedience, submission, and humiliation for our salvation. God will get all the credit for our salvation (to God alone be the glory, Soli Deo Gloria!), from beginning to end, start to finish, as the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2), because it's a work of God in us, not of cooperation, or a joint adventure, but of the grace of regeneration to convert us from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26).
Note that even our faith is the gift of God, it's not merit-based work, for we have "believed through grace," according to Acts 18:27. At judgment hopefully, we will gleefully sing the hymn, "Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling." Soli Deo Gloria!
"... [A]ll we have accomplished is really from you" (Isa. 26:12, NIV).
"But, the one who brags, should brag in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17, CEB).
"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Cor. 4:7, NIV).
"My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name." --Edward Mote
We must come to the eventual realization that we have nothing to boast of in God's eyes--our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us (cf Isaiah 45:24)! If we choose to boast, Jeremiah makes the point: Let it be done in the Lord, that we know Him. Israel had a problem with pride in their conquering of lands in Amos 6:13; however, God said it was nothing they had done at all. Paul stresses that he would boast of nothing but of what Christ had done through him as a vessel of honor (cf. Rom. 15:18): "I will not venture to speak of anything but of what Christ has accomplished through me..." (NIV).
It would've been a temptation for Paul to boast since he had nearly single-handedly converted the Roman empire through his missionary journeys, and he didn't even brag of his visit to the third heaven (cf. 2 Cor. 12:2). But Paul was forced to be braggadocio (cf. 2 Cor. 12:1) because he was defending the integrity of his credentials and ministry. But the difference with his boast is that he knew it was all grace from beginning to end, grace was not only sufficient but necessary! Just as Jesus said in John 15:5 that we can do nothing apart from Him. Paul seized the day (carpe diem in Latin) and foretold of his weaknesses, not his strengths or accomplishments--for God is not interested in our achievements as much as our faithfulness and obedience!
What we have accomplished must be done for the sake of the Name and in the power of the Holy Spirit or anointed by God to be worthy of reward. Paul wasn't against good works at all, even his own, just those done in the energy of the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:7-8). No matter how great, they are not good enough to boast of. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6). Paul was ready to embrace the grace that was his and that God always met his needs and when he had God, Paul had the confidence that he had all he needed. God reminded Paul after he had prayed to have the thorn in his flesh removed that God's grace is sufficient for him--God knows our limits and strengths too (this evidently kept him from getting a big head!).
Why boast of our weaknesses, as Paul suggested? Because God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and not many mighty are called by God for this reason--God's power can use anyone and empower him to His glory. God likes to use ordinary men like the twelve were. The lesson goes that the weaker we are, the greater the grace that is manifest and thus the greater glory for God. We are never to play one-upmanship and try to compare ourselves with each other by some common, invented scale.
The more we learn to lean on Jesus the more we credit Him for our deeds and realize that it is by the grace of God that we are what we are, as Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:10. George Whitefield was asked about a criminal going to the gallows and remarked: "There but for the grace of God go I!" This is the right attitude: that we are no more worthy than anyone else and cannot merit our salvation or even being used by God as a vessel of honor.
It is so important that we become grace-oriented and realize that we don't deserve our relationship with God (we have no claim on His friendship), we cannot earn salvation, and will never be able to pay it back. Christ is the one who paid the penalty He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay. When we realize that the price is of infinite value we will awaken to the value of the grace of God on our behalf: IT IS FINISHED! or PAID IN FULL! It is done! Praising God and worship are a form of boasting in the Lord and giving Him the glory He deserves, although we share in it and will be glorified in eternity (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11; Rom. 8:30) just as Christ is in us for the hope of glory (cf. Col. 1:27).
Worship, though, belongs to Him alone, for He is worthy and has paid the price by His blood, obedience, submission, and humiliation for our salvation. God will get all the credit for our salvation (to God alone be the glory, Soli Deo Gloria!), from beginning to end, start to finish, as the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2), because it's a work of God in us, not of cooperation, or a joint adventure, but of the grace of regeneration to convert us from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26).
Note that even our faith is the gift of God, it's not merit-based work, for we have "believed through grace," according to Acts 18:27. At judgment hopefully, we will gleefully sing the hymn, "Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling." Soli Deo Gloria!