Romans, Lesson 28

Lesson 28

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omans 12:3-8, Spiritual Gifts

V 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.

Paul exhorts his audience, and us, to be humble, not to over estimate our worth and not to over elevate our status. Greek for soberly is ”sophroneo” which means of sound mind. To think soberly is to think with a sound mind.

VV 4-5, 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Christians are members of the body of Christ, the Church. Christ is the head of the body and Christians are the individual parts of the body joined together in unity.

1 Corinthians 12:12, ”There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ”. Different parts of the body had different functions but every part must work together in unison and synergy it to function properly.

1 Corinthians 12: 15-21, Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body. The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

VV 6-8, 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

God gives us different spiritual gifts according to His grace and our level of faith to serve Him in the kingdom. To some, the gift of prophecy, to others the gift of ministering, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, mercy, and cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11, ”Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another, miraculous powers, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another, the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines”.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us spiritual gifts to serve You in the kingdom according to your grace and in proportion to our faith. Help us to use these spiritual gifts wisely, carefully, and with faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen.