Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area of influence. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.—2 Corinthians 10:12–18

If people want to learn a skill, they need lessons. The student signs up for lessons from a teacher: piano lessons, guitar lessons, knitting lessons. At the Downtown Campus, Yia Vang even gives grilling lessons, which he calls Boy Meets Grill.

You don’t know it, but today you have all signed up for bragging lessons. Have you felt like you needed help in that area? Have you ever thought to yourself, I would like to learn how to brag really well? We can imagine what an accomplished violinist sounds like. What about an accomplished boaster? It is a striking thought because most people think of bragging in only negative terms. Pride and arrogance just seem to drip down from boastful speech. But is there such a thing as humble bragging? Worshipful bragging? Bragging that is a sign of spiritual health?

The answer is yes. Paul gives us three bragging lessons in this passage. We will learn about bad boasting (v. 12), boundaries for boasting (vv. 13–16), and boasting in the Lord (vv. 17–18).

Paul is battling for the belief of the Corinthians with bold warfare. He warns about tearing down, and he shows that his heart is to build them up. Now he tells them what he is really doing. He is not commending himself—he is boasting in the Lord. Bold warfare must include bold boasting in the Lord. 

Look how he battles. He doesn’t fight for their faith in a way that puffs himself up along the way. He also does not tear them down in a pugnacious, mean-spirited, red-faced way. How do we contend for the faith without being a contentious jerk about the faith? We will answer that question in full when we apply this passage, but we need to have the three lessons under our belt first.

1. Bad Boasting (v. 12)

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measures themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

Paul says two things here in verse 12. First, responding to the opponents does not mean he is joining them in playing their pitifully proud game. Responding to them does not mean acting like them. He refuses to stoop to their petty, fleshly, worldly comparisons.

Why would he need to make this point so plain? His statement is potentially misleading. They could say, “Paul, you are contrasting yourselves with the false apostles. Isn’t contrasting a form of comparing?” Here is Paul’s point: God draws the dividing line, not Paul. Paul is only giving God’s judgment a voice. He is not making it; he is stating it. Paul knows the Lord of the church, so he cannot and will not bow to them and let them make up the rules as if they are lords of the church. The opponents act like they are trying to do the Lord’s work, but they are doing it in the world’s way, adopting worldly standards instead of God’s standards.

Second, he boldly declares that their boasting is completely baseless. Look at the phrase he uses: they are in fact “without understanding.” "But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding (v. 12)." Paul uses some biting irony here. Do you see it? They think they are showing off how impressive they are, but in fact, they are just giving away how foolish they are—how far from God they are.

Human pride reaches the heights of folly when we become the objective standard. Measuring ourselves with reference to one another makes us the measure of all things. This is the height of pride and opposition to God because it takes God completely out of the picture. When God is taken out of the picture, someone else or something else will take his place. When people try to take the place of God, they are enthroning themselves on their own puny throne—pride is pitiful, laughable, and damnable. Paul does not pull any punches.

We need to feel the folly of pride. Let me give you a word picture. Imagine a father and a son going out for a daddy-son date. They are celebrating the fact that the son is now wearing pull-ups, not diapers. The father is driving to Cherry Berry (and all the children said “amen”). Father and son have made this trip multiple times. Suddenly the toddler says, “Dat way, daddy, dat way.” The daddy responds, “No son, Cherry Berry is this way.” That should settle the argument. But the son keeps pressing the issue. “No, dat way, no, dat that way.” Should the father turn around and trust that his toddler knows the way? Here is a good principle that I hope we can all agree on. You don’t take orders or directions from people who wear pull–ups. Call it “the pull–up principle.” It is essential for parenting. It is also essential for our faith.

Jesus calls us “little children.” It is a term of endearment. He loves us. But it puts things into perspective. We wear spiritual pull-ups—we should be quotingdirections, not making directions or giving directions. Paul is even going to say in the next chapter that these opponents are not even children of God. They are not believers; they are servants of Satan. But even children of God don’t get to make the directions. We lean on and point to God’s wisdom.

Does the foolish and shameful boasting of the opponents mean that all bragging is bad? The answer is no. Paul’s second point sketches some boundaries for proper boasting and shows how the opponents have clearly transgressed those boundaries.

2. Boundaries for Boasting (vv. 13–16)

But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence.

Let us make two observations. First, in terms of current boundaries, Paul claims that God has drawn the boundary lines for his present boasting. Boasting within the boundaries is necessary for true boasting. The opponents are guilty of sinful boasting because they are transgressing the boundary lines. Paul says that his boasting has been restricted to “the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you” (v. 13). Unlike his opponents, Paul does not cross over the lines. The phrase he uses is “overextending ourselves” (v. 14). He is boasting within his boundaries because he cannot and should not ignore the fact that he was the first to reach the Corinthians. He would in fact be false if he acted “as though we did not reach you” (v. 14). Why? He gives the answer: “For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ” (v. 14). Don’t miss this point. By definition, that fact makes him their apostle. One of the many reasons why the false teachers are false is that they are taking credit for the “labors of others” (v. 15). Paul will not do so. Instead, he writes, “We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others” (v. 15).

Let us be clear in terms of what Paul is and is not saying. Paul understood that he built a foundation and others built upon it. He welcomed this type of partnership as assigned by God. For example, in Corinth, Paul planted, and Apollos watered. What Paul rejected was someone trying to come along and undo his work. Think of Paul’s gospel work like a literary work. Paul charges the opponents with being plagiarizers (taking credit for someone else’s work) while at the same time being distorters (changing the entire message to a false gospel and another Jesus).

Second, Paul has a vision to expand the boundaries for boasting in the future. What is he building them up to be? “But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you” (vv. 15–16).

Paul wants unity between apostle and church so that they will share the same passion for the spread of the gospel. Paul’s passion was to see Christ named where he was not yet named. Paul would plant churches and then move on to plant other churches. But he would not go to new territory until the churches he planted could send him to a new region.

The opponents are trying to lead the Corinthians away from devotion to the Lordship of Christ. Why? The false teachers want to be lord over the Corinthians, to claim them and win them for themselves. This is a selfish and prideful vision that cuts against the grain of the Lordship of Christ. Their “ministry” would not lead them closer to Christ, and it would not stoke their passion to see Christ named where he is not named.

Paul is not willing to leave this church and go to new frontiers until the Corinthians are firmly planted. He could not bear to plant more churches if it meant seeing this one uprooted at this point. When he wrote to the Romans, he shared this same vision as part of his boasting.

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, 

       “Those who have never been told of him will see, 

and those who have never heard will understand.”—Romans 15:17–21 

As they compare what the opponents are saying with what Paul is saying, he needs them to see one thing above all the others. All their boasts are boasting in themselves, but all Paul’s boasting is boasting in the Lord. This is the difference between a worshipper and an idolater.

3. Boasting in the Lord (vv. 17–18)

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

It is possible to stay within the boundaries of their proper sphere of influence and still be a false boaster—a transgressor—because they could take credit for that area of influence. Therefore, the most important lesson for boasting is that all true boasting is in the Lord. But what is that? Paul cites Jeremiah 9:23 as God’s own teaching on boasting. Remember this is God speaking. He calls for a certain kind of boasting. 

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”—Jeremiah 9:23–24

One could have something and brag badly. We have to ask this question: what do we have that we did not receive? If we have received it, why would we boast as if we didn’t (1 Corinthians 4:7)? Where did the wise man get his wisdom? Where did the mighty man get his might? Where did the rich man get his riches? God. 

But this text goes even further. It says not to act like wisdom, strength, and riches are ultimate things. They are not the point; they are pointers to God. He is the attraction. He is the only thing worth boasting about.

So how does this text teach us to boast? Notice that our boast focuses on who God is and what he does: ^“but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.” (v. 24).

But how do they relate? What is the connection between who God is and what he does? What he does reveals who he is. Why? He does his delights. What he does reveals what he loves. “For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (v. 24).

This is no surprise. Our God is in the heavens, and he does whatever he pleases (Psalm 115:3). Whatever he pleases he does (Psalm 135:6). Therefore, boasting in what the Lord has done is boasting in who the Lord is. Boasting is worshipping. Boasting in the Lord is delighting in the Lord—who he is and what he has done. We say, “Look! Just look at what God has done. What he does displays his delights. He delights in it—and so do I. I love it too. Do you see it? Do you love it too? Come boast with me. Come share in the Lord’s delight together.” He and his children love the same things!

Verse 18 thus decisively clears up any misconceptions the Corinthians may have had at this point. How can Paul point to reaching the Corinthians without commending himself or boasting in himself? The answer is that he gives the credit to God. He boasts in what the Lord has done. He can’t point to his preaching and say that he was so clear and compelling that it led to their conversion. God did the work, so God gets the credit. Then Paul points to God’s work as says, “That is God’s commendation of me.” This commendation is an act of boasting because points the boast back to what God has done. Paul does not say, “Look at what I have done.” He says, “Look at what God has done!”

He is taking them back to 2 Corinthians 3:5 again. It is the answer he keeps giving them because he fears his defense of his apostleship will sound like self-commendation—like he is claiming to have done anything by himself. Self-commendation is a boast of self-sufficiency. Paul utterly rejects all such claims.

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.—2 Corinthians 3:5–6

Application

How Shall We Evaluate Our Ministry and Theology?

I want us as a church to take a long, hard look at our ministry and our theology. Are we looking through the right lens?

First, let us look at our ministry, starting with our worship services. What is this pulpit for? What is that piano for? How you answer those questions will help you understand what those pews are for.

The opponents thought of preaching as a work of man—a performance to be judged. They were impressed with themselves and unimpressed with Paul, saying that “his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (2 Corinthians 10:11). They prided themselves on their prowess in speaking and on their impressive physical appearance, which added to their overall impression of human strength.

Public speaking belonged to the category of entertainment. The standards of judgment were clearly laid out in rhetorical handbooks. People had a well-defined process for determining whether or not speaking was excellent and eloquent. Such preaching needed to be pleasing to the ear. It needed to be structured a certain way, it needed to be phrased a certain way, and the voice needed to go up or down in a certain way at certain times. Paul refused to play that game.

Preaching is not a performance that puts human ability on display like the spiritual Olympics. This outlook made preaching a worldly activity. Preaching is a spiritual activity. They have not really learned their lesson from 1 Corinthians 3. They looked at ministers in a worldly, fleshly way, which showed they were a people of the flesh, not a people of the Spirit.

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?—1 Corinthians 3:1–4

Paul is telling them, “You are putting all the stress on the person. You act as though something human makes the decisive difference. Thus, you treat them as if they are everything when in fact they can’t grow anything, which really makes them nothing.”

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.—1 Corinthians 3:5–7

Some are saying, “I like what Paul did.” Others are saying, “I like what Apollos did.” Paul says, “Get a clue—God did both. You are pitting God against God. You are asking, ‘Did you like what God did or what God did better?’” Paul still feared he would find jealousy and conceit in Corinth. 

For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.—2 Corinthians 12:20

Paul didn’t appeal to their “lofty opinions” (2 Corinthians 10:5) with “lofty speech” (1 Corinthians 2:1) when he preached the gospel to them.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.—1 Corinthians 2:1–5

Why was Paul opposed to lofty speech and eloquence? Paul’s resolve to know nothing except Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:3) represents an ambition to make Christ clear. Paul does not want to cancel this aim by being clever. What is the difference?

Clever speech thinks that the orator makes the truth real by how well he or she says it. Clear speech trusts the Spirit to make the truth real. The orator thinks that words cleverly communicated will create conviction. Paul believes that Christ must be clearly communicated and God must intervene with power to create conviction.

Human speech must make Christ clear. Only the Spirit brings conviction and makes Christ compelling so that faith grabs hold of him. That is the power of God at work giving life to a dead heart and sight to blind eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4–6).

Therefore, preaching is not a verbal performance which we stand over and look down on as the judge; it is a verbal proclamation under which we are judged.

I am currently writing a book on my favorite preacher of the last century, Martyn Lloyd-Jones (a pastor in London who died in 1981). Here is the way that he said it in his book on preaching: 

It [true preaching] addresses us in such a manner as to bring us under judgment; and it deals with us in such a way that we feel our whole life is involved, and we go out saying, “I can never go back and live just as I did before. This has done something to me, it has made a difference to me. I am a different person as the result of listening to this.”

[The opposite is when] nothing has been done to them at all, but they were just sitting in a detached manner and estimating and judging the speaker. One liked this quotation, the other liked that historical allusion. It had been an entertainment—very interesting, very attractive, very stimulating perhaps for the intellect. But it had done nothing to them, and they went out just praising this or that aspect of the preacher’s performance.—Martyn Lloyd–Jones, Preaching & Preachers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), p. 56.

It is a startling thing to own up to how easily we slip into judgment mode. Church is not an episode of American Idol. You don’t listen to the musical performance and say, “A little pitchy.” You are not the audience. There is an audience of one. We don’t detach and estimate and judge as if it is all for us. God is the audience. Your hearts are on display before him. The music, the preaching, everything is there as to prompt your heart and point it to him as the one to whom we all must answer. A worship service should have great gravity because one moment you may enter as the judge, but the next you perceive that you are being judged. When this fact dawns on you, you no longer ask, “How was the sermon?” because that is a judgment on how the preacher performed. Instead, we should ask, “How was your soul under the sermon?”

I would ask you that right now. Are you detached, sitting in your judgment seat—as if you would push your buzzer and give the service a big red X. Maybe we should change the pews and have chairs like the judges have on The Voice. If the preacher or the worship leaders say enough to please you, then you can push a button and swivel around in your chair and applaud our efforts.

Second, what about our theology? Can I make an observation? Sometimes I fear that we are impressed with ourselves because of our theology. Our theology should make us impressed with God, not with ourselves. Are you aware of this danger? Knowledge can puff up, but our knowledge of God should be pride crushing and praise igniting.

Bethlehem theology highlights the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. We are supposed to be passionate for God’s supremacy. Pride is the polar opposite of our mission because pride makes us contend with God for supremacy. We will have a humble passion for God’s supremacy, or we will have proud opposition against God’s supremacy. Our mission should not make us proud because then we are actually contending with God for supremacy. 

Don’t make the mistake of confusing knowing with articulating. Ability to articulate is not equal with real knowing that leads to experiencing and living. You can know something and have it make very little impact upon your experience. How many people can articulate God’s absolute sovereignty over all things? You can articulate God’s absolute sovereignty and still experience tremendous anxiety. Articulating it can fool you into thinking you know it—despite being a worrywart. How many people can articulate the relationship between effectual calling and unconditional election and yet be proud about it, feeling better than others who can’t say it as well or argue for it as eloquently. Knowing theology should crush our pride, not cultivate it; starve it, not feed it. Paul quoted Jeremiah 9 one other place to these Corinthians. Do you remember where?

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”—1 Corinthians 1:18–31 

Salvation is a free gift. The empty hand of faith is what receives the free gift of Christ. But even faith is a free gift. We are saved by grace through faith, and this is not of ourselves—it is the free gift of God so that no one would boast.

We return then to clearly answer the question I asked at the beginning. How shall we contend for these things without becoming a proud people? Look again at Paul’s bold warfare—he goes to war with bold boasting in the Lord. He is not polemical, but worshipful. He is not red-faced with eyes bugging out and veins bulging from his neck. He lets out a big–hearted boast, unleashing his praise in their hearing. When you boast, taste the truth before you speak the truth and while you speak the truth so that your speaking is worshipping. 

When others want to call into question the things you cherish, you speak in ways that marvel why anyone would want to take cherished truth away. You ask, “How could anyone live without that truth? How could anyone make do without that? I am already a mess—I would be a basket case without that. That is the only reason why I am alive. That is the only reason I have any hope. You don’t believe that God is sovereign in salvation? If he didn’t begin the work, then how do I have any assurance that he will finish it?” As John MacArthur said, “If we could lose our salvation, we would.” We are too weak.

Some look at God the Father punishing God the Son in our place as cosmic child abuse. What is our response? We ask, “Are you going to mock the very core of my salvation? Will you take away the hope of glory from me? Will you deny God’s love revealed in the climactic moment on the cross when he completely swallowed the wrath I deserved? Will you belittle God’s holiness and mock the depth of my sin and shame and guilt and say I didn’t deserve wrath? Will you scorn the cross as a payment that was not needed? You are taking away grace! All I have is Christ. All I know is grace. You are trying to take away my boast. I will not insert more of me into the boast.” We boast Godward and say, “My only boast is you.” Everything about us says, “Jesus is my life.” We don’t have anything firm, solid, strong, wise, eternal and true except him—taking away Jesus’ work on the cross would take away our life. If we denied Christ, we wouldn’t have a life left to lose. He is gain. He is joy. He is peace.

Don’t be the child in the pull-ups telling God the way to get to salvation. Jesus is the way. We will not argue or ask for another way. We will boast. He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Our all in all.

Come to Christ. We want more boasters. Join our boast: “All I have is Christ, and Jesus is my life.” The gospel is only good news (a delight, a boast) to those who know they don’t measure up. It is offensive if you think you already do. Will you receive Christ and make him your boast, or will you reject him and make you your boast?

Sermon Discussion Questions

Outline

1. Bad Boasting (v. 12)
2. Boundaries for Boasting (vv. 13–16)
3. Boasting in the Lord (vv. 17–18)

Main Point: Bold warfare must include bold boasting in the Lord. 

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever thought of "humble bragging" before? Why is it vital for your spiritual health?
2. How have the Corinthians transgressed the boundaries of boasting? Why has Paul’s boasting stayed within the bounds?
3. Boasting in the Lord is worshipfully exulting in the fact that we personally know the worth and the works of the Lord. All speech is an opportunity to do this very thing. How does Jeremiah 9:23–24 help us see this reality?

Application Questions

1. Assess your boasting. When, how, and how much do you boast in the Lord? When, how, and how much do you boast in yourself?
2. Compare and contrast what the world says about boasting and what the Bible says about boasting. Where do you see boasting show up around you? How can you respond to false boasting? Should you move away from it or engage it by modeling the right kind of boasting? How can you do that in a winsome way? 
3. Christians are engaged in bold warfare as we fight for our own faith and the faith of others. What does that fight for faith look like in your life? Who are the people you engage regularly in a fight for faith—both believers and unbelievers? In your small group, take a moment to talk about those relationships and pray for the people by name. 

Prayer Focus

 

Pray for a 2 Corinthians 10:17 grace to view all speech as an opportunity to worship and boast in the Lord. Pray that you will taste the truth in communion with God before speaking the truth.