Sunday School Lesson on Romans 12:3-8

“Some Thoughts on Spiritual Gifts”

                                                By Pastor Rich Paradis
                                                        Romans 12:3-8

 

Some time back, Dr. Wayne McDill visited our staff meeting and offered some really interesting insights on spiritual gifts from Romans 12. Many of us have taken gift inventories in the past and some of us haven’t. But without question, the gifts that are listed here are worth taking a look at and seeing if in fact there are areas of application that still need to be explored in each of our lives.

 

I.                    Some Thoughts of Introduction

a.       There are 4 passages of Scripture that are typically considered when looking at spiritual gifts. They are:

                                                              i.      Romans 12:6-8

 

                                                            ii.      1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30

                                                          iii.      Ephesians 4:11

                                                          iv.      1 Peter 4:9-11

b.      It is a matter of discussion which of these is “the” list. But in these passages we are given an interesting look at the gifts of the Spirit.

c.       1 Corinthians 12:4-6 reminds us that there are at least 3 categories that must be considered in our service to the Lord and to His body:

                                                              i.      Gifts – Gifts of grace given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of His body.

                                                            ii.      Ministries – Indicative of things that are used to provide service in the Christian community, such as abilities and talents given to others in service.

                                                          iii.      Activities – The results of your giftedness that is demonstrated in everyday life.

d.      When considering your “test results” if you have taken a gift inventory, you often see a primary gifting with some other secondary gifts that you have.

                                                              i.      This is important in that you are not to say, “I’m now confused because I don’t see myself completely in any of these areas.

                                                            ii.      The gifts are for the building up of the body. They are not to be chased after, or coveted in the life of someone else.

                                                          iii.      The Holy Spirit has distributed these gifts as He has seen fit and to desire another’s gift is to be ungrateful towards the Giver.

 

II.                 The Attitude of Grace    Romans 12:3

a.       Paul begins this section of scripture by reminding the readers of the authority that he stated in Verse 1. The “urging” was not done as just some guy that has information to share with them. The thought of this “urging” is that he makes these statements from a sense of authority. He is an apostle; he is a man that has been specifically called by God to offer leadership and oversight to others that believe.

b.      The will of God, which Paul has just spoken about, is the same for everyone in respect to relationship to Christ and its importance.  It is also the same in regard to holiness of living and amount of dedication to this pursuit. But what will prove to be different in each believer (member) will be the avenue and gift in which this holiness and dedication will be displayed.

c.       The apostle Paul was given a “grace” in salvation and in service and now he appeals to the Roman believers by that grace to not think of themselves more highly than they should. While there is sometimes a case when a person thinks too lowly of himself, evidently the Roman problem and the most often recognizable problem is that of thinking too highly of ourselves.

d.      It is noteworthy that he says this to “everyone”. Whether it is Jew who thinks more highly of himself because he or she is of the correct “heritage” or it is the Gentile because of the current hardness of heart on the part of the Jews, everyone is to heed this warning and exhortation.

e.       In what ways can we think too highly of ourselves? It could be as we afford ourselves too much credit or value as it relates to the movement of Kingdom activities. But it could also be that we afford ourselves too little credit or value in these same areas. God has in mind that each of us that profess Christ as our Savior make ourselves available to Christian service (presenting… from Vs.1), neither taking too much credit for what is accomplished or not getting involved because of a perceived lack of value or skill. Both are demonstrations of pride in that they in a sense “trump” the grace and the insight of God in regard to these things.

f.       The idea of “sound judgment” is putting a moderate estimate on yourself and thinking of oneself soberly and rightly. Again, not thinking too highly or too lowly of ourselves is the picture in mind here. Since the power to do anything of Kingdom significance comes from God, there is no basis for a superior attitude or self-righteousness.

g.       The “measure of faith” that is mentioned at the end of the verse simply refers to the power given by God to fulfill the varying ministries of the church.

 

 

III.               The Members and their Gifts    Romans 12:4-8

a.       Beginning in vs. 4-5, we have an illustration of the diversity of gifts. Just as our physical body has many parts that do many things, the body of Christ has a similar diversity of both gifts and people while still remaining one.

b.      There are 7 gifts listed in vs. 6-8. Remember that your gifts are to encourage and stimulate the body towards greater faith.

c.       The gifts:

                                                              i.      Prophecy – A sensitivity and passion for righteousness. Do we need those in the body that are sensitive and passionate for the righteousness of the body? Of course! It’s a wonderful gift, but much discernment and care must be used in displaying this gift or it can be evidenced as legalism.

                                                            ii.      Serving – This person is into the practical applications of biblical insight. Do we need this person? Of course, but this person sometimes is very frustrated by all that aren’t doing it.

                                                          iii.      Teaching – This person is keyed to truth. They love to dig into the Word, sometimes even more than they like delivering what they have found. Need them? Yes! But this person can run into the danger of forgetting people while exploring ideas.

                                                          iv.      Exhortation – Encourager, Coach. Loves to challenge. Is very sensitive to growth and holiness in the body. Again, a wonderful gift but it has a danger of impatience with those that aren’t or don’t want to grow.

                                                            v.      Giving – This person has sensitivity to the resources of the church. They typically don’t like a big deal made out of them. Does the church need them? But the danger of this gift is becoming materialistic and believing that all can be solved with money.

                                                          vi.      Leading – This person has sensitivity to the will of God that is “what is God telling us?” This person loves to call people to this and even add direction to their efforts. Need them? Of course, but a danger of this gift is writing people off.

                                                        vii.      Showing Mercy – This person has sensitivity to the attitude and emotional state of the people and the church. Again, this gift is very special, but it can have a dangerous result when it evidences itself in disappointment with those that are not sensitive.

 

IV.              Some additional thoughts of application

a.       Do you see an area (or a couple of areas) that seem to be a lot like you?

b.      Can you receive the gift given to you by the Holy Spirit, or do you find yourself already looking over at another gift and wishing you had it?

c.       Do you see both the blessing and the dangers of the gift / gifts that you have?

d.      How do you see you offering your gift or gifts for God’s usage?