Our Only Boast is in Christ
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Romans 3:27,28
Paul now re-opens his ‘diatribe’ (c.f. 3:1-8), his discussion with an imaginary listener. What he has written up to this point has some ‘loose ends’ that need to be tidied up. In 3:1-8 the issue was the charge that all humanity was under God’s judgement and that Jews were in no way shielded. Here the issue is justification by faith alone.
‘Where, then, is boasting? ’ Jews were proud of what they saw as their righteous standing with God. They assumed a national, cultural and religious superiority. They were immensely proud of their privileged status as the chosen people of God. They saw themselves as heaven’s protected favourites, which is why Paul characterised them as ‘relying’ on their possession of the law and ‘bragging’ about their relationship with God (2:17,23).
Jewish people were also proud of their personal righteousness. Paul himself, looking back on his pre-conversion life in Judaism, saw his zeal in persecuting the church and his faultless ‘legalistic righteousness’ as together constituting the ‘flesh’ he put his confidence in before as a Christian he began to ‘glory in Christ’ (Philippians 3:3-6).
Boasting was not limited to the Jews. The Gentile world also was ‘insolent, arrogant and boastful’ (1:30). All human beings fall into the trap of some kind of boasting. Boasting is the language of our fallen self-centredness.
But for those who have been justified by faith, boasting is ‘excluded.’ This is not on the principle ‘of observing the law’ which might give someone grounds to boast, ‘but on that of faith’ which attributes salvation exclusively to Christ. The Christian believes that a sinner ‘is justified by faith apart from observing the law.’ Whether Paul has in mind ceremonial aspects of the law (following dietary and Sabbath rules) or moral (obeying God’s moral precepts), he is adamant that ‘observing the law’ cannot gain merit or favour or forgiveness from God. Salvation is ‘not by works so that no one can boast’ (Ephesians 2:9). Salvation only comes by faith in Christ which is why our boast can only ever be in Him.
There is something fundamentally contradictory in a Christian boasting in himself. Likewise there is something fundamentally right about a Christian boasting in Christ. So ‘let him who boasts boast in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:31) and ‘May I never boast except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 6:14).
Are you a worshipper? Do you find songs that reflect personal praise and worship of the Father, the Lord Jesus and even the Holy Spirit welling up from your heart every day? If not, make this a discipline. Have good worship music playing whenever you can. Get hold of the words to the songs you play. Sing along. Make their words your words. Praising and worshipping is the characteristic behaviour of Christians, not just now but throughout eternity (Revelation 7:9,10).