2 Corinthians 11:16-33
18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.
The difference between a sinful boast and a godly boast is the object of your boasting. If you are boasting in yourself to make much of yourself, then it is sinful boasting and pride. If you are boasting in what God has done—even if its what God has done through you—and you’re doing so for the edification of God’s people, that’s not sinful. That’s ministry. That is the great commission. That is what God has called all of us to do.
And that’s exactly what Paul is doing in 2 Corinthians 11. Paul is going to boast in a way that draws attention to his own weakness and to God’s grace, and he’s doing so for the purpose of rescuing God’s people from the clutches of false teachers. That’s not bad boasting. That’s good boasting.
