Romans 12:6a - According to the Grace Given to Us

Imagine a young child who creates a handmade gift for a parent. Years ago, a common school project was the clay ashtray. Many kids probably gave ashtrays to parents who didn’t even smoke!

Some other good gifts were the plaster handprint, the macaroni necklace, or the popsicle-stick picture frame. Or how about the painted rock, aka “paperweight?” Maybe you can think of some others.

With each one, to understand and appreciate the gift, the parent would need to recognize the heart behind the gift. Of course, that’s really the case with any gift – even the very best ones. There’s another level of appreciation when a gift is given out of genuine love, out of real concern, with awareness of what the recipient needs.

This section of Romans 12 is about the spiritual gifts God gives to His church. And to appreciate the gifts, we must recognize the heart behind them. To appreciate God’s gifts, we must recognize His heart of grace.

Biblically speaking, grace is undeserved favor. It is unmerited blessing. Grace is an unearned benefit bestowed on an unworthy recipient. Grace is recognized as “amazing” especially for a new believer. The old hymn says, “How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.”

But our appreciation of grace naturally wanes. We lose sight of it.  When this occurs in your life, there are signs. God feels distant. Your relationship with Him becomes transactional. You drift into self-righteousness. You harbor bitterness. You feel as though God is never quite pleased with you, always looking critically at you.

What in your life right now reveals that you’ve lost sight of grace?

What in your thoughts or feelings reveals that for you, life has become more about what you must do or achieve, and less about what Christ has done and achieve for you through His righteous work? Are you enjoying grace? Does it humble you? Does it give you relief? And are you able to extend it to others?

Listen to me: God’s amazing grace toward those in Christ never ceases. Christ keeps it secure – moment by moment, day by day. What if you could treasure God's grace more today – the grace that comforts and transforms, the grace that brings peace and freedom?

Well, you can. And as you do, your heart will be prepared to appreciate the differing gifts He has given to His people – gifts provided for the unity and the building up of His church.

We won’t get to Paul’s list of gifts today. Not just yet. Before the gifts are identified, God’s grace must be magnified. And this first part of verse 6 magnifies a few aspects of God’s grace. God’s grace is generous, it’s wise, and it’s personal.

Now, notice again that first phrase: “Having gifts.” These gifts are what were called “charismata,” a Greek word closely related to the Greek word “charis,” which we translate “grace.” The spiritual gifts bestowed by God on His church are gracious gifts. They’re freely given for our benefit, given out of God’s abundance.

Picture a table at Thanksgiving, covered with food. There’s the  turkey, the dressing, the vegetables, the bread, the desserts. There’s more than everyone gathered can possibly eat. No one looks at a table like that and thinks, “There’s barely enough.” It’s obviously more than enough. There’s an abundance, which tells you something about the generosity of those who prepared it. Each dish is evidence that there was a desire to abundantly provide.

That is what Paul wants us to see when we look at the Lord’s church. With every gift He has given and every ability He has redeemed, we have more evidence of the generosity of His grace. Look around the table – see the generosity of the host. Look around the church – see the generosity of God.

Earlier in Romans, in chapter 8, Paul writes, “[God], who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” God desires the best for His church. If it’s within the power of a good father to give his child what is needed, will the father not give it freely and with joy? God’s grace is generous.

Now look again at verse 6. “Having gifts that differ.” As we’ll see in the rest of this section, the spiritual gifts of our church are numerous and varied. They cover the full scope of what we need as a church. We’re going to study the list in depth, because each category is essential. And each category should be championed and highlighted.

Many years ago before my career in church ministry began, I worked for some time in a corporate business environment – at the North American headquarters of a large manufacturing company. On site we had both the corporate offices and the manufacturing facility. So there were many departments under one roof, each with a key role in the business. There was executive management, sales and marketing, finance and accounting, human resources, purchasing and procurement, engineering, production and manufacturing, quality control, maintenance, warehouse and inventory, shipping and receiving, customer service, IT, and safety and compliance. So many!

Each department was different. Each required different skills and performed different functions. Why? Because they were responsible for different things. The company needed every one of them. In fact, the differences were intentional. The founders and leaders of the business wisely understood what was needed.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul states, “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?” Picture a father who gives his son the boy’s first toolbox. Inside are the tools the father knows his son will need. In this world, things will break. Tasks will need to be done. And the father has generously and wisely put useful tools into his son’s hands. Such is the grace of God. It’s not only generous. It’s also wise.

Now finally, look at this first part of verse 6 as a whole: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” God gives generously, He gives wisely, and He gives to us. Every believer can say, “God has graciously given a spiritual gift to me.”

There are no spectators or unnecessary members in the body of Christ. You may think, “I don’t have much to offer.” Or you may look at the gifts of others and think theirs are more important than yours. But if you are born again, Christ has given you a gift according to His grace, and He intends for that gift to contribute for the good of His whole body.

This personal nature of His grace is especially important. To treasure God’s grace, we aren’t called to simply meditate on a faceless principle. We’re called to communicate with a real and living Person. Before the gifts are identified, God’s grace must be magnified – and God’s grace is most magnified in the person of Jesus Christ.

In fact, God’s greatest, most gracious gift is the life and salvation that is in Christ. Where is the generosity of God’s grace more clear than the incarnation of Jesus? Where is the wisdom of God’s grace more apparent than the redemptive work of Christ? Where is the personal nature of God’s grace more evident than in the human life of Jesus Christ?

As we go to His table now, consider how generous is the grace of God, how wise is the grace of God, how personal is that grace. Jesus said, “This is my body broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Have you personally received that generous and wise gift? Have you received God’s grace?

Let’s bow together in prayer.