Room to Boast
Car show boasting is sneaky and subliminal. Here’s how it usually goes:
“Why would they spend $20k on a used BMW? That’s V2 money.” This implies “I know how to spend money the right way.”
“Eh, GTRs aren’t for me. Not enough driver involvement.” This implies “I don’t need driver aids because I’m a good driver.
“She’s never tracked her Evora.” This implies “I use my car to its fullest abilities.”
“Less than 200 horsepower? I guess that’s alright, for just a daily driver.” This implies “I deserve my powerful car.”
“Geez, has this guy ever heard of a clay bar?” This implies “I take good care of my car.”
“Built, not bought.” This implies “I work hard and deserve what I have.”
These innocent-sounding statements nevertheless warrant a little self-examination for latent boasting. Boasting is one of the nastiest, slipperiest things, harmful both to the boaster and anyone who hears it. Throughout Scripture, boasting is consistently the behavior of choice for the antichrist. Seriously, the antichrist! If you don’t mull over antichrist prophecies on a regular basis, that’s okay (actually, that’s probably good) because here’s what you need to know about why boasting is essential to their schemes – and deadly for us.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, Paul describes the second coming of Jesus and the entity who aims to subvert it: “The man of lawlessness.” “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” (v. 4) In Daniel 7:8, he has “a mouth that spoke boastfully.” In Daniel 11:36-37 he “will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods… he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above all.”
In boasting, we replace God’s truth with a lie that makes us feel good about ourselves. This is the blatant goal of the antichrist, to position himself above God, and it is an unintended effect of our boasting. Yes, even when we boast about cars. When we make cars provide that good feeling about ourselves, these gifts from God separate us from God. As Christian author Douglas Kaine McKelvey says of material possessions, sometimes “our right longings for affirmation and love are leveraged against us, skewing our desires.” We get this from automakers’ boastful ads and messaging, which “fail to account for the existence of the soul or for the deepest needs of creatures created to inhabit eternity.”
Boasting hurts the boaster, and the ones who hear it. Eventually, they may start to believe it. Your buddy’s boast that makes fun of a group of people may influence you to think less of them. The bully’s boast that puts you down may make you start telling yourself that you aren’t good enough. All of these things push God’s truth – that you and all people are hand-crafted by God and loved by God – farther down. The lower God’s truth and lawfulness becomes, the higher praise is received by the boaster. Including the antichrist, who craves the attention and praise. In return, “he will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.” (Daniel 11:39) Yet honor and land aren’t “the deepest needs” of people. They are temporary.
If you feel the need to boast, glorify God. “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:24) Build up your brothers and sisters, and give them props for their cars too. There are a lot of good things to say about your neighbor’s Hellcat, and your other neighbor’s Fiat 500. When your mind is set on boasting of God’s goodness, it’s easy to not boast about yourself.
