Sunday, November 13th, 2011
Romans 12:3-13 (see also: 1 Cor chps 12-14; Eph 4:1-13; 1 Pet 4:9-11)
“Power Walk in the Body”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. — Romans 12:4-5
Walk = {Paul’s sense of the use of the word)
“To live”, “To conduct the walk of life”, “the terms are frequently used, however, not in the spacial sense, but to express man’s religious and ethical walk. This in keeping with the basic concept of piety in the OT. Man as a creature of God always walks before God on the earth, Gn 17:1.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Vol 5, 941)
“Peripatien”, (walk) however, is found especially in Paul, who uses it for the walk of life, more particularly in the moral sense.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Vol 5, 944)
(Rom 4:12; 6:4; 8:4; 13:13; 14:15; 1 Cor 3:3; 7:17; 2 Cor 4:2; 5:7; 6:16; 10:2-3; 12:18; Gal 5:16; Eph 2:2, 10; 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15; Phil 3:17-18; Col 1:10; 2:6; 3:7; 4:5; 1 Thes 2:12; 4:1, 12; 2 Thess 3:6, 11)
Webster’s Dictionary = verb 2. “to follow a course of action or way of life”. Noun 4a. “Manner of living, conduct. behavior.” Walk the talk
Background Information:
- In 12:1-2, Paul has encapsulated the gospel imperative: honoring God at all times through a transformed life that is in keeping with his will. In 12:3-15:13, Paul unpacks some of the specific components of that will. He begins in 12:3-8 by reminding us that we live out our transformed existence in community. Central to our community life is a fair and sober estimate of ourselves in line with the Christian faith and with the gifts God has given us. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 401)
- We cannot be truly sacrificed to Him and be inactive in His work. And, on the other hand, we cannot be truly successful in His work without being genuinely devoted to Him. Service to God brings honor to Him and blessing for us only when it is the outflow of our worship in offering ourselves as living sacrifices. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 154)
- The implication of the relationship between verses 1-2 and verses 3-8 is that I cannot fully “renew my mind” without the active help of other believers. I cannot understand what Scripture teaches apart from dialog with others who are reading that same Scripture. I cannot live the life of a disciple of Christ apart from the nurturing context of a community of believers who encourage me, pray for me, and set an example for me. I cannot discern the blind spots in my obedience to Christ without other believers to point them out to me. Here is where the attitude of arrogance that Paul rebukes in verse 3 can get in the way. We think of ourselves “more highly than [we] ought” and so conclude that we do not need the help of others. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 407)
- That is God’s fundamental requirement for every believer. Only as a living sacrifice can we be what He wants us to be, do what He wants us to do, and thereby “prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (12:2). That act of spiritual worship marks the Christian’s entrance into divine usefulness. God’s order of obedience for His people has always been worship and then service. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 154)
- The ancients were much taken with the idea of the one and the many, or the sum and its parts, and Paul finds this a serviceable construct for the church. The metaphor of the body argues not for a pattern of uniformity and sameness, but for a unity of faith and diversity of gifts. The human body is not a unity despite its diversity, but a unity because of it. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 286)
- The word for gift (charisma, v. 6), in fact, is but a different form in Greek of the word for “grace” (charis). Charimsa (gifts) is rare in Greek literature outside and prior to the writings of Paul, but it is especially characteristic of Paul in the NT. Spiritual gifts are the enactments or eventualizing of grace through human agency. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 287)
- Analogia is a term drawn from the world of mathematics and logic, where it denotes the correct proportion or right relationship. Prophesying, Paul is saying, is to be in “right proportion” to faith. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 765)
- Although Paul stops short of saying that we ‘are the body of Christ’ (as he does in 1 Cor 12:27), yet his assertion that we are ‘one body in Christ’ will have had enormous implications for the multi-ethnic Christian community in Rome. As one body, each member belongs to all the others (5b). (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 326)
- For by the grace given me I say to every one of you. What a marvelous statement! Paul could have claimed the full authority of his apostleship. He was speaking with nothing less than the authority of Jesus Christ who is the Lord of the Church. But he would not have any authority except through the gift God has given him. Whatever leadership or capacity he had was because God had been gracious to him. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 198)
- A study of the spiritual gifts listed in the NT reveals that there are two basic categories. There are “word-gifts” which are exercised primarily through verbal skills, and “deed gifts” which are exercised primarily through active service. Jesus himself was mighty in word and deed (Lk 24:19), and in the same way, the church’s ministry is two-pronged. (Timothy J. Keller, Ministries of Mercy, p. 56)
The question to be answered is . . . Why does the Apostle Paul liken the Church to a Body?
Answer: Because God’s design for us is that we be so close knit, so supportive of one another, so dependent upon one another, so much a unit that we are to appear and operate as a single unit or body. Pride, arrogance, and self-assurance all serve to fracture and fragment healthy and mature body life. Poverty of spirit, humility, a hunger and thirst after righteousness, and a love and honor for others that exceeds that for ourselves, all serve to promote and encourage healthy and mature body life. And it all is possible with a proper view of God’s mercy towards us who believe.
It has been remarked that American mothers often preserve their children’s first shoes in bronze, perhaps to represent freedom and independence, whereas many Japanese mothers preserve a small part of the child’s umbilical cord, to represent dependence and loyalty. Dependence and loyalty beautifully describe the interrelationship the Lord desires for the members of His Body, the church. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 168)
The Word for the Day is . . . unity
How is the Church Like a Body?:
I. Each unique part of the body is what it is and does what it does by God’s direction and providence – just like a brain. (Rom 12:4, 6; 1 Cor 12:4-6, 11, 14-28; 15:10; Eph 4:11-16)
If Jesus’ disciples were repeatedly tempted to argue among themselves concerning who was the greatest, we cannot assume that this pattern of thinking has disappeared within the household of faith. But Paul gives sound advice for avoiding dissension in the ranks; First, don’t waste time making comparisons. Recognize that roles, abilities and gifts come from God; leave the assessing of worth to Him. Second, focus on the abilities you have been given, and enhance each gift with the appropriate spiritual grace. (Clarence L. Bence, Romans, A Commentary for Bible Students, 202)
Grace-gifts are given. We cannot seize them from someone else. We cannot demand them, or expect them, or crank them up; but they are a fact.
However, we err again if we think that this decisive action means that we are given our gifts once, unalterably, for the rest of our lives. That such is not the case seems to be indicated by the Greek construction of this whole phrase. Literally, the order is: “But having grace-gifts according to the grace which has been given to us different.” (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 97)
Most of the English translations of Rom 12:6 miss the utter simplicity of the text as it describes God’s grace-gifts. They are not worked for, cannot be created by us, and could never be bought or sold or acquired in any way by human effort. They simply are there. Given. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 93)
Paul is really saying that whatever gift a man has comes from God. He calls gifts charismata. In the NT a charisma is something given to a man by God which the man himself could not have acquired or attained. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 160)
The word for sober judgment (Gk. sōphronein, see Acts 26:25; 1 Tm 2:9, 15; 2 Tm 1:7, Ti 2:4) occurs in various contexts in the NT. The same word played an important role in Greek philosophy and ethics as one of the four cardinal virtues, promoting moderation and self-control (see Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 1117b.13). Paul may employ the word here to defend against ecstatic or charismatic tendencies, but more probably to admonish Jews and Gentiles in Rome to be understanding and to act in moderation toward one another. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 290)
The apostle knows that pride is the fundamental temptation of all believers. To himself, every Christian is naturally the most important person in the world, with all others somewhere on a sliding scale beneath him. But in the new life-style, resulting from sacrificing our bodies, the opposite is true. The chief characteristic of the new life says Paul, is humility. When a believer forgets that everything he has and is comes from God, it is easy for him to become impressed with himself or the job God has assigned to him. When that happens he tends to go beyond what God has revealed to him. Claiming special wisdom or insight, he exceeds the “measure of faith” apportioned him. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 321-22)
Judging from the analogy of the natural world it is highly likely that no two Christians have exactly the same pattern of gifts. Therefore no two have exactly the same ministry. No two faces in the world are precisely alike yet all are made up from the same basic features: two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth, two cheeks, one chin and one forehead. God gave you your face because it is exactly right for the expression of His life where you are. Likewise He gives you the precise cluster of gifts you possess because it is just what is needed for the ministry the Lord Jesus will indicate for you. (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, 56-57)
Our heavenly Father does not burden us with gifts for which He does not provide every spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotional resource we need to successfully exercise them. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 162)
II. Every spiritual gift that is part of the body is totally dependent upon and belongs to all the other parts of the body (Rom 12:3, 5; 1 Cor 12:14-26; 14:12; Eph 4:11-16)
Everybody who belongs to Jesus belongs to everybody who belongs to Jesus. — Steve Brown
Three characteristics of the Body of Christ: its unity, diversity, and mutuality. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 221)
There is no such thing as being more or less gifted than another. All persons are gifted with a fullness of grace, though that grace takes different manifestations in particular individuals. Still the grace is the same.
That we are all equal before grace has been the thrust of the entire book of Romans. Ultimately, Jews and Greeks are no different in the sight of God. Both are desperately in need of grace, and both are equally brought by grace into the family of God. But in God’s wisdom grace comes to and through individuals in differing ways. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 97)
I will never again make a major decision alone. Certainly God’s will can be more clearly perceived when many hearts are attuned to the Holy Spirit. One of my major goals in seeking to strengthen the Christian community is to bring back to other denominations this gift of mutual decision making and mutual searching for God’s will–so that we may discover the Hilarity of testing and approving it together. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 54)
Every born-again Christian is in the true church. Therefore when we meet a true believer we should be willing to fellowship with him (regardless of his denomination) because we are spiritually joined to him. Even if he is so obnoxious that we are miserable around him, and fellowship is not possible, we are still joined to him as surely as a man’s leg is joined to his body. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 324)
The reminder that all we have is ours through the grace of God is most appropriate to those who have a tendency to arrogance. Reminder that they are sons of God, gifted for His purpose that they might be to His glory, is equally appropriate to those who grovel in their own inadequacy under a cloak of false humility. (D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering the New Testament: Romans, 218)
We not only belong to Christ, we also belong to one another. John Murray says of Christians, “They have property in one another and therefore in one another’s gifts and graces.” It would be correct to add that you, as a Christian, have a right to the gifts the other members of the body have been given, and they have a right to your gift. You cheat them if you do not use it, and you are poorer if you do not depend on them. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1582)
Whenever Paul thinks of believers he conceives of them as constituting (in the Lord) one family (Eph 3:15). All have one Father (cf. Rom 8:15; Gal 4:5). This thought is entirely in line with the teaching of Jesus (Mt 12:46-50 and parallels). (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 414)
No matter how you see God, you do not see all of him. We need each other to complete the fullness of Christ. We need what we lack in order for the body of Christ to be balanced and healthy. Be the man or woman of God he has made you to be, understanding that what you offer through your personal style is needed but is not complete. (Bruce Bugbee, What You Do Best in the Body of Christ, 79)
III. The whole body suffers/delights with the suffering or delight of any part (1 Cor 12:26)
People in a church are like porcupines in a snow storm — Steve Brown
The NT lays heavy emphasis upon the need for Christians to know each other, closely and intimately enough to be able to bear one another’s burdens, confess faults one to another, rebuke, exhort, and admonish one another, minister to one another with the word and through song and prayer, and thus come to comprehend with all saints as Paul puts it, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Eph 3:18, 19). (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, 107)
IV. A proper connection with the head allows the spiritual gifts of the body of Christ to function magnificently (Jn 14:12; 15:1-17; 1 Cor 12:4-6, 12-13; 14:12, 26; 15:10; Eph 2:10; 4:11-16; Phil 2:5-11)
As will be considered in the final point of this chapter, our gifts are different according to times and circumstances and personalities and tasks. Therefore, we begin to understand grace-gifts by refusing to limit how God wants to manifest his magnificent love. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 93-94)
We mistake the fullness of God’s grace to his people, furthermore, if we limit the kinds of gifts that God would give. Because the four lists of gifts in the Scriptures have different elements in different combinations and with different inclusions and exclusions, they are evidently intended to be sample lists. The eighteen or so gifts that are listed in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4 by no means exhaust the various manifestations of God’s power at work through individuals. For this additional reason we must avoid the practice of urging a person to “find” his or her gift. We don’t even know what they all are. If we are looking to see if we qualify for one of the eighteen of somebody’s system, we might miss the very best gift that God has from pouring his grace through us to others. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 94)
Paul continues, “in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” This most important phrase has often been given the misleading interpretation that sound judgment comes in proportion to the degree of our faith–if we have strong faith we will think rightly of ourselves. However, as Cranfield has shown from his research of classical sources and the Qumran, “measure” should really be translated “standard.” The idea is that God has allotted to each believer a standard of faith by which to measure himself–and that standard is Christ. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 220)
When one sees that Christ is the standard of measurement, he will not think of himself more highly than he ought, but rather think of himself with sober judgment.
It is impossible to think more highly of ourselves than we ought if we are sound on this point. It we truly make Christ our standard, we will experience the reality of the opening beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). This could be paraphrased, “How happy are those who realize that they have nothing within themselves to commend themselves to God, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Moreover, if Christ is our standard, the tendency to exalt ourselves by comparing ourselves with others will be curbed. Those who pride themselves because they are more gifted than another believer will cease their foolishness when they make Christ the standard of measurement. A clear focus on Christ, then, is the key to thinking rightly about ourselves and should be the goal of our spiritual practice. All of this is a call to profound humility. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 221)
Spiritual gifts are tools to build with, not toys to play with or weapons to fight with. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Right, 141)
We are called to bear that image as a Body because any one of us taken individually would present an incomplete image, one partly false and always distorted, like a single glass chip hacked from a mirror. But collectively, in all our diversity, we can come together as a community of believers to restore the image of God in the world. -Paul Brand
Everyone who believes in Christ becomes a part of him. Scholars have sometimes gone far beyond the text in suggesting various philosophical and religious backgrounds for this idea. But this is unnecessary. It was the experience of Paul and the other believers, interpreted in light of the OT and God’s revelation in Christ, that convinced them that they were in intimate union with Christ. To be “in Christ” is to be joined to “his body.” (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 406)
In the present context, however, the apostle is not thinking in quantitative terms (a large or a small amount of faith). He is thinking rather of the various ways in which each distinct individual is able to be a blessing to others and to the church in general by using the particular gift with which, in association with faith, God has endowed him or her. He is admonishing each of those addressed to recognize the diversity of gifts amid the unity of faith, and to ask himself, “How can I make the best use of my gift so as to benefit each and all?” (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 408)
To think of ourselves with sound judgment leads us to recognize that, in ourselves, we are nothing at all, but that, in Christ, we can be used to the glory of God through the gift of the Spirit bestowed on us. We must realize that from ourselves, from our fleshly humanness, nothing eternal can be produced, but that in the power of the Spirit we can be used to build the kingdom and honor the King. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 158)
Believers in the early church were never classified by gifts. On the contrary, the NT makes clear that God endows His children with many combinations and degrees of giftedness. He mixes these gifts much as an artist mixes colors on his palette to create the exact shade he desires for a particular part of the painting. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 162)
Common sense tells us that shaking a box containing all the puzzle pieces and pouring it out on the table will not produce an accurate picture. You can be committed to doing so. You can be persistent. You can take courses on “How to Shake Your Box Creatively.” All your efforts and techniques will not get the results you desire. It is not only finding the pieces, but the process of putting them together that leads to a finished puzzle. (Bruce Bugbee, What You Do Best in the Body of Christ, 84)
Surely the believer who is proud of a gift that has been bestowed by the Holy Spirit is taking to himself the glory which belongs to God and is therefore guilty of robbing God. The use of the Greek word four times in the verse emphasizes the fact that it is insane to hold a higher opinion of oneself than that which is allowed by God. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 36)
The spiritual opposite must also be remembered: that it is wrong for a Christian to think less of himself than is right in the face of the gift that God has given to him. The man who underestimates his gift is likely to wrap it in a napkin and hide it. The man who did this in Christ’s parable was soundly reproved and was deprived of his reward. No false humility should be allowed to block a Christian from using whatever gift God has given to him. It is all to the glory of God, and man can take no glory in it for himself. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 36)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What practical information do we need to promote body life?:
A. The body becomes grotesque and dysfunctional when spiritual gifts develop out of proportion or attempt to be what they are not (1 Cor 12:14-20)
If you glorify one gift, especially a gift you do not have, such internal tyranny will be a part of the fruit of seeking that gift. (Paul R. Ford, Knocking Over the Leadership Ladder, p. 25)
It is not wrong for a Christian to recognize gifts in his own life and in the lives of others. What is wrong is the tendency to have a false evaluation of ourselves. Nothing causes more damage in a local church than a believer who overrates himself and tries to perform a ministry that he cannot do. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Right, 140)
It is precisely those who take their calling most seriously who are most prone to overestimating or misjudging it (Gal 2:6). “Know thyself” is a difficult imperative, but it is necessary for the health of the fellowship. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 286)
His divine plan for believers is unity in message and commitment but diversity in service. The primary purpose of these verses is to make clear that, although we must enter the place of usefulness for Christ with the same total self-sacrifice, we are equipped to fulfill that usefulness in uniquely distinct ways. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 154)
For so blindly do we all rush in the direction of self-love that everyone thinks he has a good reason for exalting himself and despising all others in comparison…There is no other remedy than to pluck up by the roots those most noxious pests, self-love and love of victory…This the doctrine of Scripture does. For it teaches us to remember that the endowments which God has bestowed upon us are not our own, but His free gifts, and that those who plume themselves upon them betray their ingratitude. -John Calvin (Henry Beveridge, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 2, 10)
B. Any part of the body detached from the whole soon dies. (John 15:1-17; Heb 10:24-25)
The traumatic terseness of Paul’s style intensely underscores his point. Whatever our gifts might be, the only response is to use them. Instead of getting jammed up in ourselves trying to figure out what to do or be or how to respond, we are free simply to do what we are gifted to do, and we don’t have to worry so much about how something will come out or why we are doing it. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 103-04)
Christ has given us His estimation of our own abilities in His famed sentence, “Without me ye can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Here is a simple, absolute judgment that brooks no questioning. In ourselves we are nothing. The man who accepts that verdict can become something for God. The man who rejects that verdict of nothingness is, of all men, the most nothing. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 35)
There is deep understanding of the apostolic outlook in the comment made to John Wesley by an unknown person of whom he asked advice: “Sir, you wish to serve God and go to heaven? Remember that you cannot serve Him alone. You must therefore find companions or make them; the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.” Consequently, the new life is immediately related to the community and our responsibilities in it. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 583)
C. Every part of Christ’s one body is nourished, strengthened, maintained and healed by the spiritual gifts of the other parts of the body. (1 Cor 12:21-26; 14:12, 26; Eph 4:11-16)
Another translation of in proportion to his faith would be “in agreement to the faith”; in other words, the message communicated must be true to the tenets of the Christian faith. The way that Paul refers to each of these gifts focuses on their importance in use. These gifts are not for having, but for using. In other words, God’s gifts fulfill their value as they are utilized for the benefit of others. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 235)
The health of the body depends as much upon the full functioning of each part as upon its proper subordination to the whole. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 585)
Pride is the chief threat to unity among Christians. And the highest form of that pride is seen when a believer thinks he can operate independently of his brethren or doesn’t need them. This occurs, for example, when a Christian refuses to walk with other members of the body because they disagree with his doctrines. He is thinking more highly of himself than he ought to think when he exalts his knowledge (though acquired through the use of his gifts) over fellowship with the Lord’s family. When he says, “I won’t walk with you because you disagree with my ideas,” he is allowing KNOWLEDGE (not faith) to puff his ego. He has reached the place where his SELF-ESTIMATE is greater than God’s! God condescends to walk with the worst of us, but there are those believers who won’t. Sometimes whole groups of believers separate, claiming they are the only true church or have the only correct way to worship God. In other cases, individuals separate themselves from all forms of organized Christianity, hoping to achieve some greater purity or oneness with the Lord. But that’s impossible for the body of Christ is ALREADY ONE. Since all true Christians are ONE in Christ, separating from denominations or merging them can’t add to the oneness. Those who refuse to use their gifts to maintain the unity of believers on earth, fail to recognize the interdependence of the various parts of the body. Claiming great wisdom, they use their gifts to feed their own egos, and end up dividing those who should be working together for Jesus. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 324-25)
D. The body can only move towards maturity and vitality as each part moves towards maturity and vitality. (1 Cor 12:12-28; 14:26; Eph 4:11-16)
A gift is an ability God has given you because he wants you to function along this line. It enables you to do this thing so naturally, smoothly, and beautifully that others will take note of it and ask you to do it and enjoy watching you do it. You will enjoy it, too. When you are using your spiritual gift you are fulfilled. It is called a “grace” because it is not a difficult, painful thing to do; it is something you delight in doing. And you can improve in it as you do it. Therefore it is one of the things that will make life interesting and fulfilling for you. (Ray C. Stedman, From Guilt to Glory, vol. 2, 113)
If I have achieved a certain degree of competence in a particular activity, then I want that to be the standard. We have a tendency to exalt our own strengths, believing them to be the important ones, the ones that really count. That is absolutely deadly to the body of Christ. We must understand that God has allotted to each person a measure of faith, and that people have different personalities, different strengths, different weaknesses and different gifts. There is a diversity within the body of Christ, and maturity as Christians demand recognition of this. In fact we are told elsewhere that we should prefer one another over ourselves, that we should stand in awe and admiration at other gifts which people have that we don’t have. Instead of being jealous of them or deprecating them, we should honor and respect them. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 199)
E. The body becomes severely handicapped and ineffective when it no longer does what the head instructs (Jn 15:1-17; 1 Cor 12:14-27; Eph 1:3-23; 4:14-16; Col 2:18-19)
Cancer is a healthy body cell that has turned selfish. It no longer works to provide for the rest of the body, but instead seeks to become an entity unto itself and robs the body of life-giving sustenance to feed itself.
As long as we look for our needs to be met by persons, we will always be disappointed. This is especially true in marriage relationships, because such an expectation imposes a terrible burden upon one’s partner. No person is perfect; no one can take the place of God in our lives. Rather, in Christian marriage and in true community we learn together that we will find our needs thoroughly met only in our relationship with God. Our alienation from him prevents us from discerning ways in which other persons can minister to our needs. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 86)
“Measure of faith,” then, should be compared in this paragraph not to the many different “gifts” that God distributes to believers, but to the one common grace from which they stem (v. 6). It is that faith which believers have in common as fellow members of the body of Christ that Paul here highlights as the standard against which each of us is to estimate himself. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 761)
One of Satan’s best ways to render ineffective the ministry of God’s people is to get them involved in too much that lies outside of their particular gifts so that they lose their Hilarity and the Holy Spirit’s power in the areas in which they are gifted to serve. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 213)
Even a superficial grasp of this one body imagery demolishes much of the individualized religion of our day. The overemphasis given to personal opinion tends to create an all-too-fragile unity, given the real nature of those being brought together. As sinners, we are naturally divisive; so it is only through the presence and work of Christ that we can remain together. Only in Christ is there basis for unity that transcends differences. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 234)
We come to know our gifts more fully as, through worship in spiritual truth, we come to know Him more fully. When our lives are on the altar of sacrifice, we will have no problem discovering or using our spiritual gifts. They cannot be recognized except as we use them. When a believer walks in holy obedience to the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit and serving God, it will become apparent to him and to others what his gift is and how it blesses the body of Christ. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 155-56)
Why are you doing what others can do, when you are leaving undone what only you can do? (Bruce Bugbee, What You Do Best in the Body of Christ, 121)
F. The body works best when each part does its job and works for the body and not itself (Rom 12:6-13; 1 Cor 12:7; 14:12; Eph 4:11-16)
Imagine what would happen if our congregations truly functioned by means of each person offering his or her gifts to the working together of the whole, if we all understood ourselves not so much as individual Christians but as members within the framework of the unity of the Body. For example, envision how much more our pastors could concentrate on the Word and prayer (see Acts 6:2-4) if we could set them free from all the “administrivia” that bogs them down. Or perhaps congregational members who have gifts for compassion and mercy could focus on some of the pastoral calling so that a professional worker could be free to use his or her gifts more effectively in other areas. Each person contributing his or her special gifts to the whole in the Christian community would create so much Hilarity. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 79)
Every man has his own charisma. It may be for writing sermons, building houses, sowing seeds, fashioning wood, manipulating figures, playing the piano, singing songs, teaching children, playing football or golf. It is a something plus given him by God. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 160)
It is strange how much (harm) the good intention does which makes persons believe that by preaching they produce ever so much more fruit, even if they are without the necessary special training, without the (necessary) call, and without the gracious gift (of teaching). When God calls (persons to preach), He calls either those who have this gift, or with the call He grants the gift. Without such (divine) grace men either beat the air (1 Cor 9:26), or the fruit of which they boast exists only in their foolish imagination. I will not mention the stupid and altogether incompetent persons who here and there are put into the pulpit by bishops and abbots. We really cannot regard them as called and sent, even if we wanted to, because here incompetent and unworthy (persons) are called under God’s wrath, which on account of our sins removes from us His Word and permits the increase of babbling, doting talkers. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 171)
Whatever we have in the way of natural abilities or spiritual gifts–all should be used with humility for building up the body of Christ. If we are proud, we cannot exercise our faith and gifts to benefit others. And if we consider ourselves worthless, we also withhold what God intended to deliver to others through us. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 233)
Gifts are not for selfish enjoyment, but for the upbuilding of the community. When he discussed this same issue with his Corinthian converts, Paul made it very clear that he had no sympathy with a spectacular exhibition of religious gifts which left the hearers puzzled and uninstructed. A man who could not speak to the profit of others had better remain silent (cf. 1 Cor 14). It is worth remembering that to “edify” the church is to build it up (cf. Eph 4:16). This is most likely to happen when each person accepts his distinctive task as a ministry and is faithful in his allotted sphere. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 585)
G. It is insane to think you are anything outside of God’s grace (Rom 12:3)
For I say through the grace that was given to me to every person among you, that you not think beyond what is necessary to think but that you think with sober thinking, as God has measured to each a measure of faith. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 758)
From the twelve Greek verbs that convey various shades of meaning in the field of thinking, reasoning, concluding, reckoning, and so on, the Holy Spirit has chosen one, phroneo, and uses it four times in this verse. The word has a shade of meaning that was used in the ancient world to describe a man who was in his right mind. Scholars have studied many ancient wills in which this word is used to describe the testator as “being sane and in my right mind.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 34-35)
Play on the two infinitives phronein, to think, and huperphronein (old verb from huperphrōn, over-proud, here only in NT) to “over-think” with par’ ho (beyond what) added. Then another play on phronein and sōphronein (old verb from sōphrōn, sober-minded), to be in one’s right mind (Mk 5:15; 2 Cor 5:13). Self-conceit is here treated as a species of insanity. (Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. IV, 403)
H. Spiritual gifts are given by God to produce spiritual fruit and maturity. They are not an end in themselves. (1 Cor ch. 13; 14:12; Gal 5:22-23; Eph 4:11-16; Phil 2:5-12; 1 Pt 4:7-11)
They were using their gifts as ends in themselves and not as a means toward the end of building up the church. They so emphasized their spiritual gifts that they lost their spiritual graces! They had the gifts of the Spirit but were lacking in the fruit of the spirit–love, joy, peace, etc. (Gal 5:22-23). (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Right, 142)
R.C. Sproul in the audio tape series Developing Christian Character, PT12; 5-6 The Indwelling Power of Love; he talks about how today we have a preference towards the gifts of the Spirit and not towards the fruit of the Spirit. WHY? Because the gifts of the Spirit are more showy, impressive, flamboyant, and glamorous but also are more easily counterfeited, and imitated.
Whereas the real defining of Christian character is in the fruit of the Spirit. It is here that one is GODLIKE and the fruit of the Spirit should be the goal of every Christian. But we chase after the gifts instead of the fruit because they are more showy. It goes to show that we are more interested in show than in substance.
The Church as well as culture tend to celebrate and highlight the “Gifts of the Spirit” rather than the “Fruit of the Spirit”. But it is the Fruit that is the product of Christian maturity and the standard by which we are judged by God. The “Gifts” are much more exciting, entertaining and we are so drawn to them that we will even excuse someone moral failure (no fruit of the Spirit) because we so admire their gifts. The church should never let this happen. But, still, the church many times exalts, promotes and applauds the gifts rather than the fruit.
Worship point: Think about how the Body of Christ has been instrumental in your spiritual growth, health, vitality and maturity. Then worship as you recognize the wisdom of God in designing, the power we have in submitting to, and the hope we have as the Body of Christ.
Spiritual Challenge: Humble yourself by looking at the grace and mercy extended to you by God. Read the texts on the Spiritual Gifts and the Body of Christ. Allow the High Priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus, just minutes before His betrayal, to break your heart into submission so you will allow the Spirit of God to mold you and make you into the body part that not only receives health, strength, purpose, meaning, and benefit FROM the body; but also contributes health, strength, purpose, meaning, and benefit TO the body.
When Churchill cabled Roosevelt and said, “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job,” he was echoing the cry of the church of Christ which so often feels inadequate for the demanding task of being Christ’s body on earth. But the church should be reading the Scriptures as if they were the cabled response from the Throne: “I gave you the tools (the gifts), now finish the job.” (D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering the New Testament: Romans, 222)
Quotes to Note:
The apostle does not tell these Christians to strive to produce unity, but to maintain what is already there. The church is never told to create unity. There is a unity that is already there by virtue of the very existence of the church. There is no need to create it, in fact, men are incapable of producing the unity that is essential to the life of the church. It can be produced only by the Spirit of God; but once produced, it is the responsibility of Christians to maintain it. (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, 24)
In Romans 12, Paul uses three different words to describe Christian service. In verse 1 he uses latreia, which is translated, “service of worship,” and emphasizes reverential awe. The second word is diakonia, which pertains to practical service. In verse 11, he uses douleuō, which refers to the service of a bond-slave, whose very reason for existence is to do his master’s will. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 191)
To be useful to our Lord, we must honestly recognize our limits as fallen men and women as well as our abilities as new creations in Christ, keeping both in proper perspective. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 158)
It is often not possible to distinguish between God-given natural talent, God-given spiritual abilities, and Holy Spirit power. When a Christian’s life is a living sacrifice to God and he is walking in the Spirit of God, he has no reason to make precise distinctions, because everything he is and has is committed to the Lord. Oversimplifying and overdefining spiritual gifts can cause great confusion, frustration, discouragement, and limitation of their usefulness. Focusing too much on the gifts themselves can hinder their faithful use in the Lord’s service. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 9-16, 162)
The fruit of the Spirit are “being” qualities; spiritual gifts are “doing” qualities. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). These are inward characteristics of the believer’s heart, revealed in their purity and holiness as that person grows and manifests grace. The fruit of the spirit indicates what we should be.
Spiritual gifts are task-oriented functions or roles that God has called and equipped each believer to perform. Spiritual gifts indicate what we do. The fruit of the Spirit are attitudes. Spiritual gifts are aptitudes. (Bruce Bugbee, What You Do Best in the Body of Christ, 64)
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