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Romans 12 .5 says that we though many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. Now being individuals, we're gonna have different giftings of the spirit, but we're still one in Christ when we understand the text.
This is when we understand the text, a daily study of God's word, that we may be filled with the knowledge of his will. Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky. We're gonna be talking about parts of the body today. We're back in Romans 12, verses three through eight. If you wanna open up your Bibles and join with me there, and at some point over the duration of this study, we'll also jump to 1 Corinthians 12, if you wanna mark that place in your Bible.
Here's Romans 12, starting in verse three. 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.
Going back to verse three here, and we'll review a little bit about what we talked about last week. For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, and this particular grace that Paul is talking about, he referenced in his greeting to the Roman Christians, the grace that had been given to him in his calling to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.
So here in verse three, he is referencing that grace to establish his authority, and that what he is saying to these Roman Christians is a command, it's a command of Christ. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but think with sober judgment.
So the instructions that follow are going to flow from that particular command. Do not think of the gift that you've received in the spirit as something that you're supposed to be high and lofty about, but rather, this is for you to humbly submit yourself to the body of Christ for their service, for their benefit.
And we looked at this in another way in Romans 15, verses one and two, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.
So think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. The faith that we have has been given to us by God. It is not something that we concentrated about and poof, we have faith, but rather, faith was given to us by God.
As we read in Ephesians 2, 8, 9, it is by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. So grace, faith, salvation, those three things that are mentioned there in Ephesians 2, 8, all of which given to us by God.
Even the very measure of faith that we have received has been assigned by God. So according to each measure of faith, according to the grace that we've been given, let us use what has been apportioned to us by God for the benefit of the body of Christ for building one another up.
Verse four, 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. So there's some uniqueness that happens in the body, but we're all united together in Christ.
As Paul says in Philippians 2, 5, let this mind be in you, which is in Christ Jesus. So we're to have one mind in Christ, but we're all individual people with respective gifts and respective calling. Some are gonna be called to a position of leadership that most members of the body of Christ are not going to be called to.
Now, each and every one of us to some degree is gonna be called to leadership. We'll talk about that as we go on, but there are those that will have greater apportions of leadership. And now to kind of give an example of how we're all called to leadership, every man is called to be a leader.
So we have a designation that's given to us in Titus 2 as to how the men are to conduct themselves in the churches and how they are to be mentors to men who are younger than them. And then likewise, if you look at every husband, every husband is supposed to be a leader.
He leads his wife. Every father is a leader. He leads his children. Likewise, every mother is a leader. She leads her children. So there are various callings of leadership, but some are going to be placed over a greater number of people than others will be called to.
And they will be fewer. They will be fewer in the body of Christ. So as in one body, we have many members, all unique in their own respective giftings. We are all united with one mind in Christ Jesus.
Verse six, having gifts that differ according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them if prophecy in proportion to our faith. Now, I would say here that as Paul is giving this in Romans 12, six, I would not consider prophecy as being something that was unique to this period of time.
Now, there were certain things that were given to apostles during an apostolic age, but prophecy is still going on. Not that new prophecies are being revealed, but that we are prophesying the word of God.
And as the word of God is being proclaimed, it is accomplishing something, and that is the sanctification of the body of Christ. So in this way, prophecy is still ongoing. Again, I want to make clear, not that new truths are being revealed that we cannot find in the scriptures, but that the scriptures are being proclaimed and the body of Christ is being built up in love.
It is accomplishing something that God has assigned for the prophesying of his word to accomplish. I'm not confusing the word prophesy and prophecy. I am using this in the right way here. So as Paul Washer, I've quoted him many times regarding this, a pastor is a prophet or he's nothing.
He is continuing to prophesy the word of God, this prophecy that is fulfilling something in the body of Christ. So there are some that will be called to prophesy and they do so in proportion to their faith.
If service in our serving, that would should be self-explanatory. Those who have been called to serve, let us serve one another faithfully. And all of us in some way are called to serve one another, but there will be specific people who have a uniqueness to that particular calling.
In fact, if I might be specific, I would see verse six and the beginning of verse seven talking specifically about elders and deacons. If prophecy in proportion to our faith, the calling of an elder to prophesy the word of God, if service in our serving, the calling of a deacon to meet the physical needs of the church.
So the elder meets the spiritual needs, the deacon helps to meet the physical needs, the one who teaches in his teaching. Now that might be somebody that's not necessarily an elder, but could be someone else in a church body who has been called like, for example, to a position of teaching a Sunday school class or teaching a small group.
The one who exhorts in his exhortation. Now, exhorting is simply speaking. Somebody who is going to proclaim something and they have a particular gift of speaking. It's like every time that they speak, people just listen to them.
Well, if that's the gift that they have been given, let them be responsible with that particular gifting. Let him be faithful in his exhortation and have the mind of Christ as he does so. The one who contributes in generosity.
Some are blessed with more than others. So to those who give, let them do so generously and with a cheerful heart. The one who leads with zeal. Zealousness means that we are seeking to accomplish something by the task that we set ourself forward to do.
So the one who is leading, he does so with the effort to want to accomplish. Not having a leadership position just to add something on his resume, but he is truly leading people to accomplish something in the body of Christ.
The one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness. Not doing these things reluctantly or under compulsion, but with a cheerful heart. All right, now let's look at these parts of the body of Christ in another way.
Go to 1 Corinthians 12. I didn't have this mark, so hang on while I turn here. It's just the next book right after Romans. 1 Corinthians 12. And here we have the description of one body with many members.
Let's go ahead and start here in verse one. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
For to one is given through the Spirit, the utterance of wisdom. And to another, the utterance of knowledge, according to the same Spirit. To another, faith by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit.
To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, the ability to distinguish between Spirits. To another, various kinds of tongues. To another, the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit who apportions to each one individually as He wills.
For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit, we were all baptized in one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member, but of many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, 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? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. And on those parts of the body that we think less honorable, we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are to be treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.
But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together.
If one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. Now we will spend more time looking at parts of this, 1 Corinthians 12 tomorrow, but here's mainly what I wanna highlight today as we look at the overview of this chapter, just reading straight through it as we just did.
In verse six, Paul says, God empowers them all in everyone. The spiritual gifts that we have received have been empowered by God. In verse 11, we read that the spirit apportions to each one individually as he wills.
And we read in verse 18, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them as he chose. So here is what we are to understand. It is God who empowers, it is God who apportions, it is God who chose.
The spiritual gift that you have is not something that you do because that's the spiritual gift that you wanted to have, but rather the gift that God has apportioned to you, that he chose for you and having chosen you in Christ from the foundation of the world.
So we are to submit to God in all things, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ, as it says in Ephesians 5, using our spiritual gifts for the betterment of the body to encourage one another and build one another up in love.
And we'll continue to look at these things as we go through this week, not only looking at 1 Corinthians 12, we'll also be looking at Ephesians 4 and all of this rooted in what we are studying now in Romans 12.
We'll come back to this again tomorrow. Our Lord God, we thank you so much for this calling that we have received by the spirit of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to be delivered from the sins and the trappings of this world into the righteousness of Christ.
And I pray that we are kept steadfast there by your power and your grace and mercy. Help us to understand these spiritual gifts that we've been given by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that we might use them for the building up of the body of Christ, helping to encourage and admonish one another, sanctifying one another so that we may be presented wholly before you on the day of visitation.
Thank you so much for these words, continue to teach us these things, help us to continue to meditate on them even as we go throughout our day. In the name of Christ we pray, amen.
Thank you for listening to When We Understand the Text. Pastor Gabe is the author of the book, 40 of the Most Popular Bible Verses and What They Really Mean. Available in paperback or for your Kindle, found at our website at www .wutt .com.
Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in the study of God's word, When We Understand the Text.