"But the work of himself let each be proving by testing, and then into each only the boasting he will have and not unto the other."
-Paul just told us we are nothing. But now he talks about a reason to boast about ourselves. Elsewhere Scripture makes it abundantly clear that we should only boast in the Lord (Psalm 20.7, 34.2; Jeremiah 9.23-24; 1Corinthians 1.29-31; Galatians 6.14). What gives?
-Boasting has both a direct object and an indirect object. Not in a grammatical sense, but rather in the sense of who is the object of the boasting. Usually when I boast or brag, I have some object or individual in mind. I am calling out and proclaiming the excellencies of said object (or effort). They are not only good, but they are better, and they are the best! It might be my favorite team, my favorite place, my favorite person - it might be me. Or perhaps something they (or I) did. It could very well be (and should be) the Lord. But then often in proclaiming these excellencies, we do so at the expense of another. There is another individual or object which we are more or less indirectly painting in an unfavorable light in comparison to the direct object. This other team or person, they are less excellent. And since those who follow Christ would normally not engage in that kind of negativity or one-upmanship, what Paul is doing here is setting up the one exception to the general rule of thumb. He says we can boast about ourselves ONLY in comparison to ourselves. Look at your own work, he says. Look at your own stuff - evaluate it, test it out, and if you have done well, then by all means feel good about that and talk about that. Paul himself does the same thing (2Timothy 4.7, Acts 20.26, cf 2Corinthians 12.1, 12.5-6).
-Ours is not to judge or otherwise look down upon the work, the failings or shortcomings or even just the differences of someone else, certainly not one who is a fellow member of our heavenly family (Romans 14.4), certainly not when we’re talking about degrees or simple differences of opinion or conviction. I am not even any better, I am not less needy or vulnerable to temptation than the person next to me. I need to keep my eyes on my own paper, nose to the grindstone, focus on what the Lord has asked me to do, and make it my goal not to feel good about myself in comparison to those around me or to look good in their eyes, but rather to look (do) good in the eyes of the One Who has called me and saved me and sent me to serve Him and to fulfill the law of Christ. Part of that can (and will) involve looking around me to help my fellow pilgrims bear their heavy loads whenever necessary, but in this race I am not trying to beat anyone else. Like Paul before me, winning involves finishing my own course and finishing well. I am not looking around me, I am not even so much looking behind me, at where I’ve been - other than to gain perspective on how far the Lord has brought me and to learn from my past - but no, I am looking forward, and I am fixing my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12.1-2). By all means, let's boast about Him. And boast about the race we are running in Him and towards Him. And how about we give an assist to the (would-be?) runner(s) next to us while we're at it?
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