This service must first and foremost be to God, expressed through service to others. The world believes we cannot think too much of ourselves; Paul warns that thinking too much of ourselves is our natural, sinful, inclination, and that this must be put aside. Gifts are given and received in various ways. So too the vital members of the body of Christ may be the least visible. We must therefore think and act as members of this body. Different kinds of gifts but the same spirit. But now abide, faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:8-13). 3:10; 15:10; Gal. You don’t want to make your primary way of serving God something for which you are not gifted. I am strong in the area of my gift; I am weak in the areas where others have been gifted. And yet, in a sense, he was an example of the way God wants us to receive and share the gifts He has given to us. This the Christian believes by faith. You have the wiring to reflect 1/7 of God's nature! Because of our natural self-love, we will always think too highly of ourselves.49 Self-love distorts our perception of reality. (3) Be obedient to the commands of Scripture. Have you found a place of service where your gift can be put to good use? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) Grace should beget gratitude, and it is on the basis of gratitude that Paul bases his appeal to Christians. In verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12, Paul has characterized the lifestyle which God’s mercies motivate and which God’s grace enables. ( C) to each one a measure of faith. The foundation for mere human thinking is that which is seen or that which appears to be. My main motivational […] Romans 12:6-21 Spiritual Gifts. The one who has the gift of helps may not seem to be doing much in the way of evangelism, but if they are serving in a way that edifies the body of Christ, they have a part in the ministry of the body as a whole. The results of our ministry may be unseen, and faith deals with the unseen. The structure of verses 6-8 seems to be indicated by Paul. Look in your church bulletin. God gives to us not only the gift (the grace), but also the faith by which they are to be exercised. Our natural tendency is to be self-centered and self-serving. 47 When I speak of the church here, I am referring not only to the local church, but to the broader body of Christ of which the local church is but a small part. Allow me to arrange Paul’s words according to the structure I think he intends us to recognize: And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, When we belittle the gift we have been given, we quibble and question the sovereign will of God which determined the gift given to us, along with the place of ministry and measure of success (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-6). There is, however, a second meaning, one that seems more appropriate. 3. Thinking straight necessitates thinking corporately. Each of the gifts given to us, and to the rest of the body, are given in such a way as to provide all that the body of Christ needs to function properly. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. The emphasis of “giving in order to get” appears to be in contradiction to Paul’s teaching here. Sound thinking is thinking based upon the revelation of God, contained and communicated by His Word, and illuminated by His Spirit. 3 For I say, ( A) through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, ( B) not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt. There are several reasons. If so, then you have received, along with the gift of eternal life, a special enablement to serve God through His body, the church. The spiritual gifts identified in Romans 12 are prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy. Or do you, out of gratitude, wish to offer up your body to God in sacrificial service to others? We must see ourselves as a member of the body of Christ, with certain gifts or special enablements which equip us to carry out functions necessary to the equipping and ministry of the body. Verse 1 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” Spiritual gifts (Gr pneumatikos, spiritual). While some may differ as to whether all the gifts are necessary in this age, it is very difficult to understand how none of the gifts are needed. If those who speak are in danger of wandering beyond the prescribed boundaries of God’s Word, those who serve are in danger of wandering outside the context of the service they have been given. Spiritual gifts must be understood and practiced in the context of the body of Christ. If you have ever sat under the teaching of someone who doesn’t have the gift of teaching, you know what I mean. 3 lists of Gifts in Scripture. Giving, as with the exercise of all other spiritual gifts, is to be a self-sacrificing act of worship and service (see 12:1). Paul is speaking to believers about the spiritual gifts God has bestowed upon each of those who have become His children, by faith. Showing mercy is acting graciously toward those who need mercy. Having given a general exhortation to everyone whose gifts fall under one or the other of the categories he has used, Paul now gives more specific exhortation. Spiritual gifts are not given so that we may set ourselves above or apart from the rest of the body. Gifts are given and received in various ways. 6 And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. One member can’t say, “This is my Spiritual Gift & I am going to do my Thing.” But the various parts works together! Neither are they a barometer of our worth. For all the saints. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Romans 12- Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Encouragement, Giving, Leadership, and Mercy. (4) Look for needs, and seek to meet them. Spiritual gifts are unmerited and not an evidence of our spirituality. if prophecy — according to the proportion of his faith; At first I was inclined to think that the “foot” and the “ear” did not regard themselves highly enough, but this is not what Paul is saying. or he who exhorts — in his exhortation; One of my Christmas memories is of my grandmother who often made the presents she gave to her family. Among other things, we are lovers of money and lovers of pleasure, evidences that we are lovers of self (see 2 Timothy 3:2, 4). Paul urges us to stick with that which God has given us to do, to persevere, because he knows that in the flesh we would give up. In verses 7b and 8a, Paul urges those who have the speaking gifts to likewise devote themselves to doing that which they have been gifted to do. Second, our response to being given a less prominent gift may reveal an inflated estimation of ourself. he who leads — with diligence; If it was a dress she had made for one of my sisters, it was not hemmed. The one who has the gift of giving is encouraged to give “generously” or, as the marginal note in the NASB indicates, with “simplicity.” I think it is this second sense which is prominent in Paul’s words. Paul teaches that every believer has a special enablement, a spiritual gift, by which to serve God. The seven motivational gifts found in Romans 12—(a) perceiving, (b) serving, (c) teaching, (d) encouraging, (e) giving, (f) ruling, and (g) mercy—when viewed as a profile provide a base for person-job fit suitable for use with all people regardless of faith tradition. Serve God with Spiritual Gifts. Do you know what it is that God has entrusted to you? They may not be revealed until eternity. The world tells us that faith is unreasonable; Paul tells us that faith enables us to think soberly and soundly in a world where our perception of reality is distorted by sin. The NKJV, American Patriot's Bible, Hardcover: The Word of God and the Shaping of America, NKJV Word Study Bible: 1,700 Key Words that Unlock the Meaning of the Bible. The “foot” needs not more self-esteem but more humility and gratitude. Knowing our Romans 12 spiritual gifts, also called motivational gifts, clue us in. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Let us consider this matter further. Let us look further, to see how straight thinking manifests itself in the life of the Christian and in the realm of spiritual gifts. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. But there is no room for individualism, for we are inter-dependent as members of one body. The “foot” thinks he is better than the gift he has been given. Spiritual gifts are not to be hoarded and kept only for our own benefit. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:7-16). The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts Romans 12:1-5 (& Selected Texts) The church is the body of Christ and the earthly extension of his heavenly kingdom. 44 In addition to Romans 12:3-8, see 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4:7-16; 2 Timothy 1:6-7. This new mind relates differently to human government, realizing that it has been given divine authority (13:1-7). The first is in not devoting ourselves to doing that which we are gifted to do.51 The second is exercising our gifts in a way inconsistent with the grace of God which is to motivate them and be manifested by them. We can therefore outline the structure of our text: (1) A call to straight thinking about spiritual gifts — verse 3, (2) A call to corporate thinking about spiritual gifts — verses 4-5, (3) A call for practice consistent with spiritual gifts — verses 6-8. Third, have you discovered the special abilities God has given to you and the place of service where these can be employed for His glory? Who are those in need this week? Sound thinking is based upon those truths which God has revealed to us, which are unseen, but true. All too often, such people are not even grateful for the mercy they are shown. If not, why not? 12:6 We have different gifts…NIV We must be humble and recognize our partnership in the body of Christ. It is only when our Lord returns, when the church is taken up into glory and fully perfected, that the need for spiritual gifts will cease. Verses 6-8 emphasize what we are to do and how we are to do it in the context of spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are not intended to be a mystery. in 1971. We should first agree that the subject of spiritual gifts is relevant and vitally important to Christians today. Now Paul turns to those in the category of serving gifts to encourage them to exercise their gifts and ministries with spiritual attitudes and motivations which are befitting and edifying. We must act on the basis of faith, even though the results are not visible to us. Whenever our ego is involved in our thinking, our thinking becomes distorted. (2) Study the Scriptures which not only name the spiritual gifts, but also describe their function. Spiritual gifts are those endowments of power which enable us to carry out the vital functions of our body life in Christ as members of His body. If not, then the subject of spiritual gifts is but an academic exercise, a purely hypothetical question. or he who teaches — in his teaching; Paul’s words in the first half of verse 6 tie what follows with what he has just said in verses 3-5. Paul exercises his spiritual gift of apostleship (and perhaps other gifts as well) as he writes these words of instruction and exhortation. The verses which follow spell out the exercise of this renewed mind in greater detail. (1) Offer yourself to God as a living sacrifice, out of gratitude for His mercies to you. Spiritual gifts are given in order to meet the needs of others. Paul’s ministry, for example, was much broader, although he did minister to the local church. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:1-3). What lens do we see life through? First, have you received God’s gift of eternal life? He has already informed us that we must not be “conformed to this age”; we must instead “be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” Paul warns of the danger of “overthinking” (Greek) or “thinking too highly of ourselves.” Our day regards low self-esteem as the great evil, the cause of all sorts of maladies. There are three main sections in the New Testament that directly deal with spiritual gifts (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4). Spiritual gifts are to be given away, in service. This statement needs further consideration, because most of us do not really believe it. In verses 9-21, Paul describes the Christian’s relationship with others as the outworking of love. As fallen, sinful creatures, we are great lovers. 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