Much is said in the Bible about glorying or boasting. Promoting oneself, glorying in human accomplishments, or exalting oneself over others is despised both by men and God. The Bible condemns it soundly. Fellow humans recoil in its presence. But why are humans so prone to glory in themselves? Why is such an issue in Scripture?

James asked this question, "Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?" (James 4:5.) The spirit "envies intensely." (NIV) There is no direct quotation from the other Scriptures that says that. It may be referring to Genesis 6:5. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Jesus would not commit himself to some in Jerusalem "because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man. For he knew what was in man." (John 2:24-25.)

Sinful man is often boastful, being filled with pride. While rejecting God, he exalts himself. Paul named some sins of the Gentile world to the Romans. Among those he listed these: "haters of God, despiteful, proud and boasters." (Rom. 1:30.) Even the Corinthian church was rebuked by Paul for allowing sin to exist in their midst. In some way, they were glorying and boasting about a sinful man among them. Paul wrote, "Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Cor. 5:6.)

The apostle John added, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15-16.)

"The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9.)

According to these passages and many others, there is something amiss in man that prompts him to the sin of the pride of life and self-promotion. Modern man sees himself as enlightened by his own wisdom, having cast off all shackles of the body and mind, rejecting the bondage of religion, and allowing no one or no god to stand above him. He sees himself as the pinnacle of success. Through the modern scientific method, he deceives himself into thinking that he can solve all his problems in due course, given enough time and resources. He fools himself into believing that he will someday conquer even his own mortality!

The only answer to this problem is humility. Therefore, James immediately adds, "But he gives more grace. Wherefore he said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." And, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:6, 10.)

If we do not humble ourselves before God, James gives at least two ways in which this exaltation will reveal itself. 1) Man will speak evil of others (4:11-12), and 2) he will boast about the continuance of his life (4:13-16).

"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who art thou that judges another?" (James 4:11-12.)

"Go to now, you that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain. Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is you life? It is even as a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. For that you ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. But now you rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil." (James 4:13-16.)

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth, a stranger, and not thine own lips." (Prov. 27:1-2.)

It should be humbling to us to think that our lives are very temporary. Life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. We are all so needy and dependent that we have no right to sit in judgment on others. One prominent way that we try to exalt ourselves is by condemning others. It is an old effort to try to lift ourselves up. James said that the way to be exalted is through humility. If we humble ourselves, God will lift us up. God gives us grace to live humbly. That is to say, there is no dishonor in living that way. God will teach us how. There is no need for boasting and glorying about ourselves or our lives. But there is a tendency to do just that because of the nature of the spirit that dwells in man.

Man boasts not only concerning his own life and deeds, but the greatest mistake of all is that man boasts about his salvation. All of the other boasting and glorying that man is prone to do pales in importance to this subject. We must not make the fatal mistake of trusting in ourselves concerning eternal salvation.

"And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others." (Luke 18:9.)

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10.) This quotation is from Psalm 14 and 53 that begins with this bold statement: "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God."

"Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteous-ness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not sub-mitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes." (Rom. 10:1-4.) Note also Romans 10:5-10, Leviticus 18:5, Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isa. 64:6.)

"For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:8-10.)

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4-7.)

"Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom. 3:27-28.)

"But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Gal. 6:14-15.)

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world. . . that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are you in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:27-31.)

The last passage is a quotation from Jeremiah. This is what he said.

"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth. For in these things, I delight, saith the Lord." (Jer. 9:23-24.)

"For who makes thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7.)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16.) "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor. 8:9.) "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." (2 Cor. 9:15.)

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth dwells not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he gives to all life and breath and all things." (Acts 17:24-25.)

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Cor. 15:10.)

"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20.)