English Standard Version
If I figure out a way to solve a problem on my own, I'm generally proud of what I've done, whether it is through hard work or cleverness. I can point to that and tell everyone what a great job I did.
If I am admitted into the church because of my strengths, then perhaps I could look at that achievement and say that I'm a great person. If I could figure out how to save myself, then I'd be worth following, right?
But that's not how God works. It's not about what we do, so we're not running around boasting about how great we are. Instead, it's about what God has done, and what God is doing. That way, none of us are excluded from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We're not boasting before God about what we've done, and no one is following us because we've done so spectacularly. Instead, we're boasting in God, because of God's love and mercy. We're praising God, because of how much God loves us, even when we don't deserve.
This way, we're not focused on ourselves, because we're focused on God, which then frees us up to focus on one another! We must decrease, as John tells us, so God can increase.
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