God designed the Gospel, His plan of salvation, His plan to actually save His chosen people, in such a way as to preclude huMan boasting. Paul does not say that boasting is “minimized” but that it is “totally excluded.” He does not mean that no one ever made a wrongful boast or couldn’t do that. He means, it seems clear, that all grounds for legitimately making a boast about our salvation are nonexistent!
And we reflect:
We as Christians should never be seen as a boastful people. The world may revel in boasting and label it “self-confidence” and uphold it as a prime virture. But we who are in Christ know that all boasting is illegitimate. What do we have that we have not received? And if we received it as a gift from God, we cannot and should not boast as if we had done what God actually did.
And we pray:
Make us humble people, O Lord. Amen.