Some indulge in self-praise by writing their own testimonials to promote themselves because they are full of impatient pride and unable to wait for acknowledgment from others. These people establish their own conduct as the norm and find satisfaction in measuring up to the standard they have set. The apostle Paul describes intruders in the church by stating that they dare not class themselves or compare themselves with those who commend themselves, since measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves is not wise. The Corinthians commonly compared themselves with each other and made false ministers as well as themselves and their peers standards of righteousness. This pride causes people to compare themselves among themselves because it is ingrained in human nature to evaluate by human standards. A person who sets himself up as the standard of righteousness compares himself to others who appear less spiritual, makes his views the standard of righteousness, and condemns others for failing to rise to his level. Each person lives under a unique set of circumstances and works on different problems at various rates, so a true and accurate comparison is impossible by another human being. Only God can truly judge a person because only He can judge the heart and observe the entire picture. Comparing oneself among oneself does not accomplish the goal of the total renewing of the mind and deters overcoming problems by providing self-justification for the way one is, resulting in no change and no growth. In athletics a person who competes only with those of equal or lesser ability cannot improve above them, and this principle applies in spiritual matters as iron sharpens iron. Only by setting sights higher than mere humanity can godly character be attained.

Envy develops from comparing ourselves with others, a practice the apostle Paul directly warns against when he writes that we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, for those who measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves among themselves are not wise. Paul further clarifies that whoever glories should glory in the Lord, for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. This principle emerges directly from the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, in which laborers hired early in the day grew resentful upon discovering that those hired at the eleventh hour received the same wage as themselves. Their gratitude vanished into dissatisfaction, self-pity, and complaint once they began comparing their circumstances to those of their fellow workers. The landowner, representing God, corrected their wrong attitude by asking whether it was not lawful for him to do as he wished with his own possessions, and whether their eye was evil because he was good. This teaching connects to the broader lesson that only God can adequately assess faithfulness and the opportunities given to each individual, since Christ works with every person in a specific way to develop the character and skills needed for that person's particular responsibility in God's Kingdom. Human comparisons with others therefore cloud the mind from recognizing true blessings, because all good gifts belong to God and come from Him alone, the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. To question how God chooses to distribute spiritual gifts, responsibilities, and blessings is to misunderstand the nature of grace itself. This matter of self-commendation versus divine commendation ties into the larger theme of the parable, which teaches that service for Christ will be faithfully rewarded and that equal faithfulness to one's opportunity will be equally rewarded, yet such assessment belongs to God rather than to human judgment. Peter had asked what he and the other disciples would receive for having left everything to follow Jesus, treating their discipleship as a significant contribution meriting compensation. Jesus' response, culminating in the teaching that the last will be first and the first last, reveals that whatever anyone receives from God, whether reward for service or eternal life itself, flows from grace alone rather than merit. God owes no one anything, not even the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. The danger of self-commendation parallels the attitude of the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the self-righteous Pharisee who compared himself favorably to the tax collector, both examples of individuals who evaluated their own worth by measuring themselves against others rather than recognizing their standing before God as a matter of grace. Anyone who supposes that years of faithful service earn a claim upon God stands in danger of losing that reward entirely, since the truly desirable posture is to serve wholeheartedly out of genuine love for Christ rather than to seek commendation through self-comparison, ultimately declaring oneself an unprofitable servant who has simply done what duty required.