Romans 12:3-11. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, June 7, 2020.
Today, we continue talking about the purposes of Christians and the Church, specifically serving Jesus by serving one another. Two weeks ago, we saw how that service can take on very practical forms and be very humbling: the washing of one another’s feet. Let’s continue in the Romans 12 passage in order to talk further about the giftings that God gives each of us in order to serve one another.
It is true that all giftings in our life are from God and thus could be called spiritual. However, some gifts are recognized as especially spiritual. These include prophecy, speaking in tongues, healing, words of knowledge, among others.
A division within the body of Christ has occurred in which some believe that these spiritual gifts were only for the first century believers in order to start the Church, and others believe that they are active still today. This division has led to two extremes that are both dangerous. It is commendable to be careful so that you are not deceived by false teachers, but it can lead to a critical and skeptical spirit that refuses to accept any spiritual gifts as legitimate. On the other hand, it is commendable to step out in faith and trust God, but it can lead to an extreme gullibility and even lust for things such as: wealth, health, and power.
God’s Word is given to us so that we will have a balance that is informed by His Word and the Holy Spirit. We should neither fail to use the gifts, nor should we abuse them. Let’s look at our passage.
Do not be proud and arrogant
In the first two verses of Romans 12, Paul emphasized that the servants of God must not be a people who have conformed to the world, but rather, they must be a people who are transformed by the Spirit of God renewing their minds. Thus, we need to have our worldview and motivations transformed by God if we are going to serve Him. We should also recognize that conforming to the world can take on many different flavors, among them are false religion, whether Christian or not.
It is no shock that this area of giftings in the Church is a source of much spiritual good, and yet also much fleshly destruction. Paul puts his finger on the outward red flag that tells us that conformity rather than transformation is present, and that is pride. The servant of the Lord must not be proud or arrogant towards other believers, or the world.
Paul uses the phrase “thinking too highly of yourself than you ought.” He sees the problem of pride as one of crossing a boundary. There is an obligation or “oughtness” that should restrain us from becoming proud and arrogant as the servants of the Lord. We are sinners, but he has rescued and saved us. We had nothing to offer, but he put gifts of grace within our life. Our fellow brothers and sisters are also servants of the Lord with different gifts of grace in their lives. Those who have high positions in the Church may look like they have a high position (by the world’s estimation). However, they aren’t higher, but lower. Just as Christ lowered himself to the lowest place and became the scapegoat for us all, so leaders are actually servants of God’s people so that they can be equipped and helped to serve the Lord.
Don’t be deceived. Pride and arrogance are never warranted, and are easy to see in others, but the Spirit of God through the Word of God is able to lay His finger upon any pride that we have and lead us out of its bondage.
Paul then adds the metaphor of sobriety versus drunkenness. We are to think soberly as God enables us. This is important because of the parable of Christ that warns his servants not to “beat their fellow servants and drink with the drunkards.” Matthew 24:45-51. Pride and arrogance are equivalent to being drunk with the drunkards, that is the people of this world who are unaware of God’s salvation and plunging into sin. The warning is that they think the Lord is never coming back and then take advantage of their position among His things.
Paul also connects this to the “measure of faith” that God has given to each of us. It is highly unlikely that he is talking about saving faith here, although God does enable us to have faith for salvation. Rather, he is talking about the particular capacity to recognize the gifts of grace that He gives us for the general good of his Church, and then the capacity to execute that gift properly. The areas of recognition and execution are both twisted and perverted by the drunkenness of pride and arrogance. Just because God has put gifts in your life does not authorize you to misuse them for your own purposes.
In verses 4 and 5, Paul reminds them of two important principles. The first is that we are each a part of the singular body of Christ. There is only one body of Christ and we are all apart of that unified whole that is directed by him. He even takes this further in verse 5 by saying that we are members of each other. This reminder goes back to the oughtness referenced before. Harming others for your own benefit is illogical in the context of the body of Christ. To hurt others is to hurt yourself because you are connected to them and need the gifts of grace that God has put in them, just as they are towards you.
Even though we are all part of one body, we are not gifted and placed in the body of Christ to serve the same function. God’s gifts are varied by function, and they are varied by the scope of that function. These differences should never threaten the unity of the body and its ability to function as a whole. Clearly individuals and large groups of believers have failed in this area. However, never underestimate the power of the Lord to bless and use those who will humble themselves in this area and step out in faith. If we quit because others have done poorly then our excuse will not stand before Christ. Jesus told the apostle Peter after his resurrection, “If you love me then feed my sheep.” This was not only in the context of Peter’s own failures, but also in the context of the failures of the religious leaders of that day. We must quit looking at what has happened in the Church. Instead, we must repent of our own pride and embrace the body of Christ and the functions of grace that God leads you to perform.
Use the gifts that God gives for His purposes
In verses 6-8, we have a difficult part of this passage to bring into English, not because it is hard to understand, but because of the structure of the Greek language. To bring it into English properly, words have to be added due to the context of what he has said and the subject matter, which is God’s gifts of grace. Ultimately, Paul is emphasizing that if we have a particular gift of grace then it has been given to us by God to use. We must use these gifts of grace for God’s purposes and for the good of the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul tells us that, “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. This is God’s intention and this is exactly how we should use them.
The first gift described is that of prophecy. Prophecy is a word from God given to an individual for God’s people. It can be regarding past, present, or future things, and is to be carefully examined by the elders to determine if it is contrary to Scriptures, or whether it is to be retained as truly from the Lord. Even then, I we must exercise caution in this area. We should not treat modern prophecy as if it is an addition to the Bible. God gave the grace of establishing once and for all the faith that we are to believe to those first century apostles.
Prophecy is a heady gift and can easily lead to pride and arrogance in one who is not strongly connected to the Lord and His people. God can and does speak to every believer in Christ, both through the written word and by His Spirit. However, He has gifted some individuals to serve as another source of His influence. Like the prophets of old, they encourage and exhort people in light of the dangers and needs of the present.
Paul basically tells us t hat if God has given us the gift of prophecy then we should do it with the measure of faith that He has given us. So, God not only supplies the gift, but also supplies the faith to exercise it. This opens a whole area that we should recognize. Among people who have the same gifting, there will still be a difference in their sphere of influence or scope of operation. These things vary in their measure. No matter the measure of our sphere of influence, it will require bold faith to be exercised. Stepping out in faith does not come naturally. It comes by the help of the Spirit of the Lord, and yet we still have to cooperate and step out. Thus, our measure of faith may be higher than our level of exercise. Like an athlete discovering the physical limits of their ability, so in spiritual gifts, we must learn to exercise faith to increase our service for the Lord.
Paul then gives us a list of giftings. It is implied that they also are given with a varied measure of faith. However, Paul adds the emphasis that we should exercise the gift for the purpose God gave it. To the degree that He has gifted you with service, then you should give yourself to serving (also, translated as ministry). To the degree that He has gifted you with teaching, you should give yourself to teaching. You won’t find the full degree of what He has given you unless you get out there and start being faithful to the little that you do understand today. We must never see gifts as ours, but as God’s grace put within our life. I am a steward and must operate in keeping with the One who gave it to me.
The list continues with exhortation. This is the same word that is used of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. It involves a whole host of things that are a help to us by coming alongside of us: comfort, correction, encouragement, instruction, etc. (basically everything that could conceivably help us).
In verse 8, another structural change happens in which Paul emphasizes not just doing the gift, but also how we do it. Those who are gifted with giving should give with a single focus, that is, generously. Those who are gifted with leading should give themselves to leading with an eager diligence. Those who are gifted with giving mercy should give mercy with cheerfulness.
In all of this, Paul is describing some of the diversity and variety of God’s gifts within His people. Other lists and teaching are given in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Ultimately, the Apostle Peter sums it up in 1 Peter 4:10 when he says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
There is much more that can be said on this issue, but I want to end with a final emphasis. In verse 9, Paul begins a section of biblical instruction that has a rapid-fire, staccato feel, to it. However, at the root of these instructions is our need to serve one another in love. The love of God must be the root of our serving. Anything else is unacceptable to God. With that said, I find it fitting to end with Paul’s words to the Corinthians. After explaining the use of spiritual gifts for 30 verses, he then says this.
“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet, I show you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
This reminds me of the Ken Gulliksen song, Charity. “If I have not charity, if love does not flow through me, I am nothing. Jesus reduce me to love.” Ah, yes, the reduction process. The difficulties of your life and the struggles that you have with others are all a part of God’s process of trying to reduce you down to His love alone.
Over the last three months, things have been drastically different, and there appears to be more craziness on the horizon. Let us remember that the only answer to the chaos of this world is a child of God trusting Him in faith. We must be a people who are trusting in God and not the voices of this world. When our hope is only in what God supplies, we will be like a tree planted by the waters, that does not fear when the heat comes, and is not anxious in the year of drought, nor will we cease being fruitful! (See Jeremiah 17). God help us to be fruitful trees in these days.