Romans 12:3-8 Faith and Gifts

Believers in Messiah Yeshua are to be living sacrifices, transformed by the renewing of their minds. How are they to live this out?

Romans 12:3-8 (KJV)
³ For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
⁴ For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
⁵ So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
⁷ Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
⁸ Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

The term living sacrifices from verse 1 of Romans should connote selfless living, a living for God. Yet immediately following, Paul admonished his readers to not think more highly of themselves than they ought to think (verse 3). Obviously, human nature tends to self-aggrandizement, even in the face of being a sacrifice! How well Paul knew his audience!

Instead, believers are to think soberly with sound judgment about themselves according to the measure of faith given by God. In other words, the gift of faith that God gives His born again believers is to be used in understanding themselves correctly and not in being puffed up with pride.  For just like the human body, which is made up of many parts but have differing purposes (verse 4), the body of Messiah is made up of many individuals that function together (verse 5) but have differing gifts given by God's grace (verse 6). If prophecy is the believer's gift, he should prophesy. If his (or her) gift is ministry (service), he should minister (verse 7). If his gift is teaching, he should teach. If his gift is exhortation, he should exhort (verse 8). If his gift is giving, he should give with simplicity (liberality). If his gift is ruling, he should rule with diligence. If his gift is mercy, he should be merciful with cheerfulness.

In other words, Paul realized that human nature causes even believers to think they should have the most important jobs and the most prestige. Instead, he cautioned the believers to discern their gifts soberly, and then with the faith they are given, use their gifts, whether great or small. Oddly, there are also some believers who, through a false humility, never use the greater gifts that they have been given. So Paul was not saying that God gives differing amounts of faith, but rather differing gifts that are to be carried out by the faith given. How often do believers "feel" a lack of faith, and fail to use their gifts? The problem is not that the faith isn't there, even a mustard seed's worth can move mountains, but that believers don't use or realize what they have. Let's commit today to using our faith and gifts to the best of our abilities!