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The Christian Life: Color Outside the Lines (2 of 3)
12:3 – Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought...
Romans 12:3-8
Romans 12:2 (ESV) –
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...”
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
When we consider God’s mercy, the only fitting response is worship and building on this foundation the call of the Christian life is to avoid allowing the patterns of this sinful world to form our thinking and behavior. We need God’s Word to continually transform our thinking and living, our minds need to be renewed.
Psalm 119:11 (ESV) –
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
Romans 12:3-8 (ESV) –
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”
We need to see ourselves rightly. Pride is a deadly trap that we must guard against. The Gospel compels us to see ourselves with sober judgment. Our default condition is rebellion against our Creator but God, in His grace, offers forgiveness and eternal life. We are sinners and God loves us. All Christians are different (or unique) parts of the body; we’ve been given different gifts.
1. Considering God’s mercy and grace compels us to live for God’s glory!
The only fitting response to the grace of God is the commitment to live for the glory of God.
Revelation 4:11 (ESV) –
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Romans 6:23 (ESV) –
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Colossians 3:17 (ESV) –
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Romans 12:2 (ESV) –
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…”
Being a follower of Christ means choosing to live for the glory of God rather than conforming to the world. It means resisting the logic of – Almost everyone is doing it... Or – It’s normal these days… because much of what the world regards as normal is in rebellion against God.
We need to be Bible people. We need to ask – What does God say in His Word? This is radically different from – What does the world think? Ask – Am I measuring everything by God’s Word? Or – Am I uncritically accepting messages contrary to God’s revealed will?
Ask – Who (or what) is discipling me? What messages am I filling my mind with?
Romans 12:3 (ESV) –
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment...”
2. The metaphor of the body moves us to think correctly and with sober judgement about ourselves and fellow believers.
The different parts our physical bodies have both unity and diversity.
A dangerous disconnect between our identity in Christ and how we live our lives can occur when we think too highly of ourselves. We need to ask – What does the Gospel say about me?
Romans 12:3 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“…but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Luke 18:11 (ESV) –
“God, I thank you that I am not like other men...”
Pride is dangerous and incredibly blinding.
Proverbs 16:18 (ESV) –
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Genesis 1:27 (ESV) –
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) –
“...your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God...”
Isaiah 53:6 (ESV) –
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way...”
1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV) –
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
The only reason anyone is saved is grace and God in His grace gives believers gifts to serve others with. We’re sinners and anything good within us is a gift of God, it’s because of grace!
We’re indeed more sinful than we understand but we are also far more deeply loved than we can grasp this side of glory.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (ESV) –
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
We can’t renew our minds without active help from other believers. Self-centered, prideful thinking can lead us into assuming that we don’t need each other but we absolutely do!
3. All Christians have been gifted for the purpose of serving the body.
Think about this and repeat it – I need the body and the body needs me!
In a sense there is a limitless variety of unique spiritual gifts because there is a variety within the gifts themselves.
Romans 8:9 (ESV) –
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
Every follower of Jesus has been uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of service, each of us is a different part of the body. We must remember these gifts come from God.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV) –
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.”
Living a life that’s connected with our identity in Christ means putting our gifts, our part of the body to use serving God through serving others.
Romans 12:3 (ESV) –
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…”
The problem with gift-projection is it assumes that everyone should be like me but the metaphor of the body tells us otherwise. Unity isn’t uniformity.
Consider the danger of gift-projection. Ask – Where do I want everyone to be just like me and be very enthusiastic about the ministries (and things) I am? If we look down on others based on these assumptions and thinking, that’s a problem.
Remember you have value! God’s loves you and you’ve been gifted. Gazing on the metaphor of the body corrects wrong thinking and reminds all of us – I need the body and the body needs me.
We need to see ourselves rightly. Pride is a deadly trap that we must guard against. The Gospel compels us to see ourselves with sober judgment. Our default condition is rebellion against our Creator but God, in His grace, offers forgiveness and eternal life. We are sinners and God loves us. All Christians are different (or unique) parts of the body; we've been given different gifts.
Ask – Have I allowed myself to wrongly and in pride think too highly of myself? Am I viewing myself as better than others?
Self-righteous, prideful thinking leads toward denying the Gospel, it’s spiritually toxic. Pride says – I’ve got this. The Gospel says – I don’t.
Ask – How should the metaphor of the body transform my perspective?
Romans 12:3 (ESV) –
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment...”
See yourself rightly, ponder the level ground at the foot of the cross. Ask – Am I a believer? Am I seeing myself rightly? Am I living out my commitment to the body?