Remembering to Boast in Jesus

“Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?”’ (Proverbs 20:9, AMP)

“But far be it from me to boast [in anything or anyone], except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14, AMP)

Piper loves to cook in the kitchen, so we let her do things within her ability: cracking the eggs, stirring things in the pan, pouring ingredients into bowls– just anything that she can handle. Recently, I’ve tried new sourdough discard cookie recipes that are so delicious, but they require a few extra steps to make them all the more delicious, like browning the butter, sifting the flour, and chilling the dough before putting them in the oven. They come out so warm and yummy that the extra steps seem worth it.

Last week, I had some sourdough discard to use, so I decided to make them. I started the process while Piper was watching a movie. She came in at the tail end of putting the batter together, so she probably only put in the last of the dry ingredients and chocolate chips; there wasn’t too much to do before putting it in the fridge other than letting her sneak a taste. 

But after doling them out and baking them, letting them cool and arranging them to serve, Piper brings the plate in to Sam and Lily and says, “Daddy, look what I made!” 

That little rascal took all the credit! And I know in all reality, Sam knows she didn’t make them. He knows that I was the oversight and the hands that did much of the work, but in Piper’s mind, having a mild association with the process means she did the work and can claim it as hers.

In Proverbs 20, Solomon gives us a snippet of the foolishness of man that would boast in cleansing himself and making himself pure. And the verse itself sounds so silly, but it’s more prevalent amongst Christians than we’re willing to admit. Because I think if we’re reading that verse, our immediate response is, “Certainly not me! It could never be me! I’d never claim to cleanse myself from sin.”

But looking past our words and taking stock of our actions and the way we live our lives, I think we might find a little more reliance on ourselves than we even realize. And that’s what this verse is about: relying on ourselves, our accomplishments, our abilities, and our intelligence when we should be leaning on God and His supremacy. In comparison, anything we know, do, or say, even if it’s to the utmost of our ability, still falls hopelessly short of salvation from our sins and sanctification of our hearts. 

So maybe we don’t boast with our words that we’ve cleansed and purified ourselves, but it’s entirely possible that we boast in our actions and the fruit we bear. Do we put more stock in the Church we attend, the money we make, our sobriety, our family, whatever– than we do in Christ’s work on the cross? 

Because if we do, then we’re like Piper (cute as she is), bragging about accomplishing something that was really made by someone else with a greater ability than her. 

Paul says it best in Galatians 6:14: we cannot boast in anyone or anything. Nothing within ourselves, by any work, or by any association we have other than Christ can make us a new creation. Only by being drawn near to Him and transformed by the sacrifice on the cross and rising from the grave can save, cleanse, purify, and help us to see that everything offered by the world is a total loss. Only Christ can help us to reconcile our sin and shift our perspective to see that being crucified to our old lives is a deep and abounding grace.

Truly, we have no boast but Jesus Christ. And sometimes, our flesh and our pride can forget that. Sometimes, we live like our good works can save us just as well as Christ’s blood. Only Christ can boast unto Himself that He did the work. He just lets us enjoy the benefits of it. And any man that boasts he has cleansed and purified himself has completely fooled himself and is led astray.

Wisdom lies in the knowledge that only Christ can accomplish these things and offer them to us. Wisdom reminds us to live constantly in the posture of reverent fear of the Lord, because without Him and His sovereignty, we would be doomed to the bondage of our sin. Godly wisdom lives under the fact that the only boast we have is knowing Christ, being chosen and saved by Him, and being free from the old life we lived before we knew Him.

Our only boast is Jesus. Our only hope is the love He has for us. The only glory we have is that the God we serve sent His son to die on the cross to save us from our sin. All praise to Him, the One who is rich in mercy and abounding in love.