Romans 12:3 - A Sober View of God’s Gifts
Dan Koppen, Dan Connolly, Bryan Stork, David Andrews, and Ryan Jensen. These are not household names. But they have an important connection to one household name: Tom Brady. Most people are familiar with the seven-time Super Bowl championship quarterback, but not so familiar with the men who hiked Brady the ball and blocked pass rushers so Brady could make such a name for himself.
If you saw a championship team posing for a photograph after their final game, your eyes might naturally drift to the star. You may not notice the backup or the trainer or the equipment manager. We tend to look at groups of people that way, noticing certain abilities and assign importance to certain roles and arranging people in our minds according to perceived significance. Then, of course, we locate ourselves somewhere in that arrangement. We think “Am I more important than he is? Am I as gifted as she is? Do people recognize what I contribute? Does my role really matter?”
We don’t naturally think in a Christlike way. We rank ourselves and others according to visible abilities and roles. “Am I more important than he is? Am I as gifted as she is? Do people recognize what I contribute? Does my role really matter?” But Christ renews our thinking. He renews the minds of His people. As we behold Him, surrender ourselves to Him, worship and know Him more through Word, sacrament, and prayer, He increasingly gives us the mind of Christ. The Lord will correct our thinking!
And we should expect that kind of change within as we practice the Christian life according to the pattern set down in the Scriptures. Beginning in Romans 12:3, Paul shows us that as Christ renews the mind, rather than foolishly holding a high opinion of self compared to others, the renewed mind wisely holds a high opinion of everyone in Christ.
Just before verse 3, in verses 1 and 2 of Romans 12, Paul describes a transformation that takes place in every believer. It’s not immediate. It’s a process. And it can be hindered. But here’s the gist of what Paul says: because of all God has done for us in and through Christ, we can and should resist conformity to the ungodly world, and instead seek to be shaped in our thinking by Christ and His Word. Put differently, instead of being formed inwardly into a worldly likeness, we should aim to be inwardly transformed into the likeness of our Savior.
Paul says that as we increasingly have this “mind of Christ,” we will be able to understand and accept God's will. It stands to reason that we will recognize our own sin and want to put it away. And then, in the next verses, Paul gives an example of the renewed mind on display. It has a tremendous effect on our relationships in the church, because it affects how we view the gifts God gives to His people.
Notice verse [3]. He says, “For by the grace given to me.” Paul is about to issue some major correction. As one called as an apostle of Christ, Paul has authority to say these things. In Ephesians 4, Paul notes that Christ “gave the apostles” and other offices to His church “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Paul’s calling as an apostle was an undeserved blessing to him. And so, because of Christ’s renewing work and his own call to proclaim it, he tells the churches, humbly, “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment.” To everyone. To all of them. This is a blanket warning to each church member not to have an exaggerated opinion of their own importance.
If you’re ever in a group photograph, are you the first person you look for? Before you notice how anyone else looks, do you find your own face? That instinct runs deep. It’s remarkably natural to be the star of the movie playing in your own mind. We give greater weight to our own opinions, convictions, and contributions. But Paul says the Christ-renewed mind will see things differently.
What kind of mind did Christ display during His earthly ministry? He lowered and humbled Himself by taking on a human nature. Though He was God in the flesh, it pleased Him to be a servant – not to serve Himself but those He came to save. It was with this in mind that Paul wrote in Philippians 2, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
Such a mind – such a perspective and way of life – is ours in Christ. Friends, we must embrace it and welcome it. Confession of sin is a grace. In being shown and turning from our foolishly high opinion of ourselves there is life. There is the wholeness and joy and peace of Christ that awaits us.
Where does this come out in your own life? Again, Paul says “everyone among you.” We all naturally think we know better. No one likes to be told. We want to think and feel and do what we want. But there is no life in thinking, feeling, or doing contrary to Christ.
Paul commands God’s people – you see there – “to think with sober judgment.” “Sober judgment” translates a single Greek word here. The meaning is “think sensibly.” Think wisely. Align yourself with the truth. Align yourself with Christ – who is not only the pattern for you to follow, but, more importantly, the person for you to trust. Think soberly – be clear-minded, with realistic self-awareness of your sin. “Everyone among you” – take your delusional self-centeredness seriously!
The sober mind that is being renewed by Christ recognizes that abilities and gifts do not establish worth or importance among the people of God.
Now, Paul immediately expresses the standard for sober thinking: “each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” There is some confusion over what Paul means here. This is not referring to variations in the amount of faith each of us possesses. It’s not a reference to each individual believer’s strength of belief. Rather, Paul is saying that all believers should evaluate themselves and each other according to the faith that all believers have in common. In other words, according to the objective truth about all Christians that God has revealed.
“Everyone among you” should “not…think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” Why? Because our differing gifts and abilities don’t create differing degrees of significance. We are one body in Christ. Every one of us equally belongs to Him. Every one of us is equally necessary to His body, the church, even though He has assigned us different gifts and functions to each of us.
In Ephesians 4, as Paul urged the believers in Ephesus to walk in humility toward each other, he wrote, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
In Ephesians 4, Paul is referencing the diversity of our gifts in the one body of Christ. Here in Romans 12, he’s referencing our unity in the one faith that is in Christ. Here in verse 3, the “faith” in view is the essential, life-defining doctrine that all of God’s people stand equally in need of Christ, and we stand equally in union with Christ. Therefore, differences in gifts and abilities are absolutely no basis for thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.
NT scholar William Hendriksen is helpful here. He points out that in the early church – as well as today – “those who had received special endowments might overestimate their importance, give themselves the credit for them, and fail to use them for the benefit of the entire church.” Meanwhile, “those who had not been so richly endowed might lose courage, thinking they were of no benefit to the church.” We saw this same idea in the book of James not long ago: “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation.”
Picture a family with many children. One may be the better student, another may be the better athlete, another one may be the most musically gifted. One may be more naturally personable than another. One may be more gifted with tasks and details than another. Each one probably has a different temperament and personality. But – a good parent doesn't love them in proportion to their traits and abilities. Their abilities may differ, but their standing in the family does not. In the household of God, which is the church, gifts differ, standing in Christ does not.
The sober mind that is being renewed by Christ holds a high opinion of every man, woman, and child in the church because of who we are in Christ. (v.3b) Because of what the Christian faith proclaims about each of us.
Therefore, we must be careful, because even if our theology is right, and our church practices are sound, and our lives are generally stable and good-looking to outsiders, this ranking of everyone that inevitably results in looking down on someone is not of Christ – it is of the world. It’s the wisdom of the world. Where does the church draw her wisdom?
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul writes, “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
The worldly, conformed mind applies proud, worldly wisdom. The transformed mind applies the sober wisdom of Christ. The conformed mind views things such as personal talents, intelligence, or position as reasons to boast or as tools for self-promotion or as a way to compensate for deeply held insecurities. The transformed mind recognizes that all abilities and gifts are God-given, and all are equally important in the body of Christ.
As we go to the Lord’s table now, we return to another holy ordinance instituted by Christ, where, through outward means, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to us. With our senses, as we see, hear, hold, taste, and ingest, Christ in us and us in Him is represented and confirmed to us. And by His Spirit, through faith, Christ strengthens and nourishes us in Himself, and He renews our minds.
Will you trust Him today?
Let’s bow in prayer.
If you saw a championship team posing for a photograph after their final game, your eyes might naturally drift to the star. You may not notice the backup or the trainer or the equipment manager. We tend to look at groups of people that way, noticing certain abilities and assign importance to certain roles and arranging people in our minds according to perceived significance. Then, of course, we locate ourselves somewhere in that arrangement. We think “Am I more important than he is? Am I as gifted as she is? Do people recognize what I contribute? Does my role really matter?”
We don’t naturally think in a Christlike way. We rank ourselves and others according to visible abilities and roles. “Am I more important than he is? Am I as gifted as she is? Do people recognize what I contribute? Does my role really matter?” But Christ renews our thinking. He renews the minds of His people. As we behold Him, surrender ourselves to Him, worship and know Him more through Word, sacrament, and prayer, He increasingly gives us the mind of Christ. The Lord will correct our thinking!
And we should expect that kind of change within as we practice the Christian life according to the pattern set down in the Scriptures. Beginning in Romans 12:3, Paul shows us that as Christ renews the mind, rather than foolishly holding a high opinion of self compared to others, the renewed mind wisely holds a high opinion of everyone in Christ.
Just before verse 3, in verses 1 and 2 of Romans 12, Paul describes a transformation that takes place in every believer. It’s not immediate. It’s a process. And it can be hindered. But here’s the gist of what Paul says: because of all God has done for us in and through Christ, we can and should resist conformity to the ungodly world, and instead seek to be shaped in our thinking by Christ and His Word. Put differently, instead of being formed inwardly into a worldly likeness, we should aim to be inwardly transformed into the likeness of our Savior.
Paul says that as we increasingly have this “mind of Christ,” we will be able to understand and accept God's will. It stands to reason that we will recognize our own sin and want to put it away. And then, in the next verses, Paul gives an example of the renewed mind on display. It has a tremendous effect on our relationships in the church, because it affects how we view the gifts God gives to His people.
Notice verse [3]. He says, “For by the grace given to me.” Paul is about to issue some major correction. As one called as an apostle of Christ, Paul has authority to say these things. In Ephesians 4, Paul notes that Christ “gave the apostles” and other offices to His church “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Paul’s calling as an apostle was an undeserved blessing to him. And so, because of Christ’s renewing work and his own call to proclaim it, he tells the churches, humbly, “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment.” To everyone. To all of them. This is a blanket warning to each church member not to have an exaggerated opinion of their own importance.
If you’re ever in a group photograph, are you the first person you look for? Before you notice how anyone else looks, do you find your own face? That instinct runs deep. It’s remarkably natural to be the star of the movie playing in your own mind. We give greater weight to our own opinions, convictions, and contributions. But Paul says the Christ-renewed mind will see things differently.
What kind of mind did Christ display during His earthly ministry? He lowered and humbled Himself by taking on a human nature. Though He was God in the flesh, it pleased Him to be a servant – not to serve Himself but those He came to save. It was with this in mind that Paul wrote in Philippians 2, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
Such a mind – such a perspective and way of life – is ours in Christ. Friends, we must embrace it and welcome it. Confession of sin is a grace. In being shown and turning from our foolishly high opinion of ourselves there is life. There is the wholeness and joy and peace of Christ that awaits us.
Where does this come out in your own life? Again, Paul says “everyone among you.” We all naturally think we know better. No one likes to be told. We want to think and feel and do what we want. But there is no life in thinking, feeling, or doing contrary to Christ.
Paul commands God’s people – you see there – “to think with sober judgment.” “Sober judgment” translates a single Greek word here. The meaning is “think sensibly.” Think wisely. Align yourself with the truth. Align yourself with Christ – who is not only the pattern for you to follow, but, more importantly, the person for you to trust. Think soberly – be clear-minded, with realistic self-awareness of your sin. “Everyone among you” – take your delusional self-centeredness seriously!
The sober mind that is being renewed by Christ recognizes that abilities and gifts do not establish worth or importance among the people of God.
Now, Paul immediately expresses the standard for sober thinking: “each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” There is some confusion over what Paul means here. This is not referring to variations in the amount of faith each of us possesses. It’s not a reference to each individual believer’s strength of belief. Rather, Paul is saying that all believers should evaluate themselves and each other according to the faith that all believers have in common. In other words, according to the objective truth about all Christians that God has revealed.
“Everyone among you” should “not…think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” Why? Because our differing gifts and abilities don’t create differing degrees of significance. We are one body in Christ. Every one of us equally belongs to Him. Every one of us is equally necessary to His body, the church, even though He has assigned us different gifts and functions to each of us.
In Ephesians 4, as Paul urged the believers in Ephesus to walk in humility toward each other, he wrote, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
In Ephesians 4, Paul is referencing the diversity of our gifts in the one body of Christ. Here in Romans 12, he’s referencing our unity in the one faith that is in Christ. Here in verse 3, the “faith” in view is the essential, life-defining doctrine that all of God’s people stand equally in need of Christ, and we stand equally in union with Christ. Therefore, differences in gifts and abilities are absolutely no basis for thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.
NT scholar William Hendriksen is helpful here. He points out that in the early church – as well as today – “those who had received special endowments might overestimate their importance, give themselves the credit for them, and fail to use them for the benefit of the entire church.” Meanwhile, “those who had not been so richly endowed might lose courage, thinking they were of no benefit to the church.” We saw this same idea in the book of James not long ago: “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation.”
Picture a family with many children. One may be the better student, another may be the better athlete, another one may be the most musically gifted. One may be more naturally personable than another. One may be more gifted with tasks and details than another. Each one probably has a different temperament and personality. But – a good parent doesn't love them in proportion to their traits and abilities. Their abilities may differ, but their standing in the family does not. In the household of God, which is the church, gifts differ, standing in Christ does not.
The sober mind that is being renewed by Christ holds a high opinion of every man, woman, and child in the church because of who we are in Christ. (v.3b) Because of what the Christian faith proclaims about each of us.
Therefore, we must be careful, because even if our theology is right, and our church practices are sound, and our lives are generally stable and good-looking to outsiders, this ranking of everyone that inevitably results in looking down on someone is not of Christ – it is of the world. It’s the wisdom of the world. Where does the church draw her wisdom?
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul writes, “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
The worldly, conformed mind applies proud, worldly wisdom. The transformed mind applies the sober wisdom of Christ. The conformed mind views things such as personal talents, intelligence, or position as reasons to boast or as tools for self-promotion or as a way to compensate for deeply held insecurities. The transformed mind recognizes that all abilities and gifts are God-given, and all are equally important in the body of Christ.
As we go to the Lord’s table now, we return to another holy ordinance instituted by Christ, where, through outward means, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to us. With our senses, as we see, hear, hold, taste, and ingest, Christ in us and us in Him is represented and confirmed to us. And by His Spirit, through faith, Christ strengthens and nourishes us in Himself, and He renews our minds.
Will you trust Him today?
Let’s bow in prayer.
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