May I Never Boast, Except...

May I Never Boast...

One famous verse that many have memorized, stenciled on walls, made into refrigerator magnets, and posters and more is this one: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).

The Greek construction makes the English translation, though accurate, seem weak. First, Paul makes a strong contrast between himself and his opponents in the Galatian churches who were trying to force gentile Christians to follow the law of Moses. He accuses them (Galatians 6:12-13) of being motivated by their "flesh," a realm that is in opposition to the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). He emphasizes that his motives are far from "fleshly," that is, not at all self centered. They might, but not me at all!

The "May I never..." part is also weaker in English. It would be more accurate (though more wordy) to translate it like this: "May I never ever, even a little, boast at all or in any way..." In Greek it's just two words" me genoito (μή γένοιτο), but the force of these two words is much, much stronger than "May I never." J.B. Philips puts it this way (Philips translation): "God forbid that..." Not literal, since "God" isn't in the Greek text, but it has the right force, and means basically the same thing in English that Paul was saying in Greek. My point: Paul is speaking forcefully and decisively here, and inviting us into his viewpoint.

So, what are some things Paul might have boasted about, other than the cross of Jesus? Well, he could have boasted about his faithfulness despite persecution (see Galatians 6:17). He might have boasted about his biological and theological heritage (Philippians 3:5-6). He might have boasted in the revelation he received first-hand from God through dreams and visions (2Corinthians 12:2-4). Or about a hundred other things.

Instead he says this:

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:8–11)  

What about us, what might we boast about? Maybe we have also had dreams, visions and other revelation from God. Maybe we have also been mistreated because of Jesus and are still faithful. Maybe we have an excellent Christian pedigree: children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of a Christian family - an excellent heritage! Maybe we are part of a Christian movement or denomination that has changed and/or is changing the world - that's great too! Maybe we have a great prayer-life, or have a keen understanding of the fine points of theology, or know the Bible better, and read it more than most people we meet. Maybe we tithe faithfully, or go far beyond the tithe in our giving, attend worship regularly, or go looking for mid-week worship as well. Maybe we have taken courses, or gotten degrees, or attended conferences, or had hands laid on us by anointed leaders, or write books or blogs, or poems, or songs. Maybe we've become recognized for our accomplishments by others - perhaps in our local setting, perhaps far beyond. Maybe we have children who have done great things for God. Maybe we are personal friends with someone who is known by much of the Christian world. Maybe we're a pastor, or elder, or deacon, or worship leader, or nursery attendant, or Sunday School teacher, or Bible Study leader, or small group leader, or volunteer at the food bank, or for Love INC, or Habitat for Humanity, or... Maybe...

The list goes on and on, doesn't it? I see myself uncomfortably reflected in some of those potential boasts in the paragraph above. I have a big desire to be both known and admired. I suppose that's not all bad, since Paul says just a few verses earlier: "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else" (Galatians 6:4). It's not totally wrong to find within oneself the "gold" God is producing, and be pleased to find it there. But how did it get there, if not as a result of what Christ accomplished for us on the cross?

...Except in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ

If we're gonna brag, we're gonna have to brag on Jesus!

He did what I couldn't; what we couldn't. When we were dead in sin, He saved us (Ephesians 2:4-5). He became a curse for us who were under the curse (Galatians 3:13). And in doing that He totally rearranged the religious landscape by putting the old covenant on the cross and creating a new one in His blood (Colossians 2:14; Luke 22:20). In fact, He created a whole new reality in which Jew and gentile are no longer significant distinctions (Galatians 3:28), or for that matter neither is social status (slave nor free), or even one's sex (male nor female). What He did was to reconcile everything to God (Colossians 1:20), and erase the boundaries of Israelite exclusivity (Ephesians 2:15). This has the qualities of a whole new creation (2Corinthians 5:17), where the Kingdom of God is breaking into our lives changing both us and our world.  We ourselves are recreated in Christ to do and be all God wants (Ephesians 2:10), and continue to be transformed by the continuing glory of His presence in our lives (2Corinthians 3:18). And that's just a beginning! Look at what He did!

What have I done, or what have you done that's worthwhile that doesn't depend on what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross? If we're gonna brag, we're gonna have to brag on Jesus!

Because of the cross, the resurrection was possible. Because of the cross and resurrection, the ascension was possible. Because Jesus is crucified, resurrected and ascended, He now reigns at the right hand of the Father. Because He is crucified, resurrected and ascended, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost, and continues to be poured out over His people. Because of the cross, all this is possible. If we're gonna brag...

If we were left to fend for ourselves in our relationship with God, even if we had the whole rule-book (as Israel did), we wouldn't be able to do it either. We'd all be ruined. Left to ourselves we humans have an innate ability to mess things up, and to keep finding more grand and wonderful ways of doing so. I live in a culture that is so manic in it's busyness and noise, that one can only conclude that it is an a state of panicked avoidance of something. As I understand it, we are avoiding coming to grips with the depth of our own emptiness. We have it all, and yet the black hole of inner need keeps demanding more, pulling in even the light around it. This is what life without God is like.

We can't even live "the Christian life" apart from God. We try though, don't we? We try to live for Him, more than we try to live with Him. What are we thinking!? We couldn't do it without Him before we got saved, why do we think we can do it without Him now? Why would we even want to try?! Yet we sometimes do anyway. We like to be independent, even independent of God, and on some level we think we're supposed to be. But we're not created for that. We're not created for independence from God or from each other. We need each other, even as maturing believers. We need God, even as maturing believers. In fact, the more mature we are, the more we recognize that "doing it myself" is a desire of my immature self.

My confidence - my boasting - is not in what I can do, or believe I'm supposed to do, or in my tenacity to keep trying, despite my failures. My confidence - my boasting - is in what Jesus accomplished for me, and is continuing to accomplish in me through the cross and all that the cross made possible. My confidence is in Him--the one at work in me through His Spirit, making me a son of my True Father in heaven. The most I can do is co-operate with what He is doing in me, through me, and around me.

If we're gonna brag, we're gonna have to brag on Jesus!