Romans 12: Part 3

Romans 12: Part 3

Paul says the following with grace: He starts off with a warning to not think too highly of ourselves. Instead, we are to think of ourselves with sober judgment. Additionally, we are to use the faith God has given us to do so. 

Speak with Grace

Paul made a point to note that he was speaking with grace. He wrote and spoke by the grace given to him. Who gave Paul this grace? God did. God poured out grace on Paul and that grace went on to season Paul's own words. For those who need a refresher: GRACE is being given something good that we could never afford, earn, or buy. (MERCY is being pardoned and NOT given something bad, such as a punishment, that we thoroughly deserve.) One example of grace is the salvation God offers to everyone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ. We couldn't afford it, earn it, or buy it, but God gave it to us (AND wants us to share this Good News with others). 

Now grace, as much as we might want it to, does not shield us from hard truths and serious soul-searching. Grace acknowledges the depth of our depravity as it contrasts it with the goodness of God's gift. Grace isn't about avoiding accountability or the consequences of our actions. It isn't about assuring a person that they are perfect as they are and that they don't need to change, but rather grace involves God's goodness in the midst of our sinfulness. So Paul, speaking in grace, is about to deal out some stern commands.

Don't Be Vain

Next, Paul urges us to not think higher of ourselves than we ought to. Human beings are vain creatures. Arrogant even. We tend to view ourselves with leniency and compassion, even as we met out judgment and condemnation to those around us. So Paul cautions us not to think higher of ourselves than we should.

It is interesting to note that Paul did not write "DO NOT THINK OF YOURSELVES AT ALL". We do need to take care of ourselves and our needs. This is not selfish or vain, but is a method of caring for the temple of the Holy Spirit (i.e. our bodies). We can think of ourselves, but just not too highly. We shouldn't view ourselves with rose-colored glasses, unable to see our flaws, BUT we shouldn't see ourselves as hopeless and out of reach of God's grace. A balanced view can acknowledge our faults, sins, and shortcomings, while identifying the ways that the Spirit is growing, molding, and shaping us. 

Sober Judgment

Paul then urges us to think of ourselves with sober judgment. This view of ourselves acknowledges that all the good in us comes from God and is aware of our faults. It realizes that God does not owe us special or preferential treatment because of our long service to God or our amazing grasp of godly virtues. We are saved BECAUSE GOD made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. We do not deserve this grace, but He offered it to us any way. The crux of humanity is that we are flawed and broken more than we could imagine, but God is holier and more compassionate than we could imagine. Viewing ourselves with sober judgment does not mean that we should ground ourselves into the ground and practice self-flagellation because of our great sinfulness (indeed that mocks the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. He didn't suffer and die to give us salvation so that we could punish ourselves further to atone for the sins His blood covered). Looking at ourselves with sober judgment means that we are aware of our flaws, faults, sins, and weaknesses, BUT we are also aware that the Spirit is at work in us as it molds us into more Christ-like people. We should be able to see our sinful nature weakening and our Christ-like nature growing stronger. 

Faith Given to Us

Finally, this sentence ends with the thought that we should be doing this sober-judgment-thinking in line with the faith God gave us. This hints at a bit of personalization. Perhaps if we have a large amount of faith, we can look at ourselves with more sober judgment, whereas if we have a small amount of faith, we can show ourselves a bit of grace and not look as critically at ourselves. 

We should not be weighing ourselves against other people, whether in person or online. If we compare ourselves to other people, we can either end up thinking too highly or too poorly of ourselves. If we look down at others, whether because they are non-Christians, "weaker" Christians, or "living in sin", then we will end up thinking too highly of ourselves. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if we look up at the "super" Christians, "giants of the faith", and saints, then we are likely to think too poorly of ourselves and might even give up, as we think "I could never be as godly as ________". Instead of either of these fallacies, we should be following the model and example of Jesus as the Holy Spirit guides us. 

There is sometimes an ebb and flow to our faith. Somedays we might be thinking too highly of ourselves and the Spirit might remind us of the growth we still have left ahead of us. It can be humbling to see the amount of growth we are working towards. Other days, we might be thinking too poorly of ourselves and the Spirit might remind us of the growth that we have achieved in the past week, year, or over our Christian walk. It can be encouraging to see how the Spirit has been molding us into a more Christ-like person. 

A good catch phrase for this section might be "hey, I'm only human" since it works if we are thinking too highly or too poorly of ourselves. When we are too vain, "hey, I'm only human." can be interpreted as "I am not God or the Savior of the world. I am just one of 7 billion+ people on this planet and I need to stop acting like I'm better than others". Yet, when we are too self-deprecatory, "hey, I'm only human." can be interpreted as "I am a fallible human being, so while I need to repent of sin, I shouldn't hold myself to a higher standard and punishment than God uses. Yes, I messed up/sinned, but now I can repent, learn from my error, and keep on following Christ."

Questions to Wrestle With

Take time this week to consider: 

-Do you speak with grace? To yourself? To others? 

-What evidence of grace have you seen in your life this week? What undeserved gift have you received? 

-What hard truths do you need to face?  About yourself? About our society? 

-Are you prone of thinking too highly of yourself? 

-Do you think of yourself enough? Do you get the proper sleep, food, and self-care that you need to function? 

-What are your faults, sins, and shortcomings? 

-In what ways is the Spirit growing, molding, and shaping you? 

-What giftings and strengths has the Spirit given you? 

-Do you look at yourself with sober judgment? 

-In what ways has your sinful nature been weakening and your Chrsit-like nature growing stronger? 

-Do you tend to compare yourself to other people? Do you end up coming off better or worse in your comparisons? 

-Do you tend to need to be brought down a notch or lifted up from your despair? 

-How do you interpret "hey, I'm only human"? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.