“Where, then, is boasting?” It is excluded. (Romans 3:27)
What are you most proud of? What smart decisions have you made that gives you a boost of confidence today? In the gospel, we come to the conclusion that we’re helpless apart from Jesus. We find out that we’re unable to be “good enough” before God. And it’s not because God has unrealistic expectations. But it’s because we’ve drifted so far from his ways that we’ve become morally and spiritually disabled. The Bible would even say that we’re “dead in our sins” (Eph. 2:1). So this means you’re never gonna be good enough, because you’re not able, you’re spiritually dead. And so what do we do? Many say “Look within” but God says “Look outside yourselves.” The Scriptures point our eyes to what has been accomplished by Jesus (Rom. 3:21-26).
Years ago, there was a video that went viral about a father who loved to compete in triathlons and decided to have his son (who had cerebral palsy) join him. So as he swam, he pulled his son in a special boat. As he cycled, he carried his son in a special seat in the front of his bicycle. And as he ran, he pushed his son in a wheelchair. It’s a heartwarming moment seeing them celebrating as they crossed the finish line together.
Now without his father’s help, this son with cerebral palsy would’ve never been able to experience any part of that triathlon, let alone finish it. This gives us a glimpse of what Jesus has done for spiritually disabled people like us. Jesus is the one with big broad shoulders, who carried us, who sweated for us, who bled for us, who was punished for us, who died for us, and who said, “It is finished!” for us (Jn. 19:30). Jesus has done all the work for our salvation. He’s the workhorse! And all we did was cling to him and enjoy the ride.
So you can’t take any credit and say, “Yeah, I think I’ve lived a good enough life to go to heaven someday.” The gospel strips us of our pride and leaves no grounds for boasting in ourselves, “for you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). The only one we should be bragging about is Jesus.