For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.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.For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but so to think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith.
6 sermons cite this verse
… verse 3, 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 is one body, listen to this language, 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. Then he goes on to list these different gifts. So the picture we need to see is, particularly as it relates to giving God a blank check, is that as followers of Christ, we are members of a family where everybody counts. Where everybody counts. I know that today's one of those days where I'm guessing some people in this room maybe are starting to tune out, or maybe you've already tuned out a while ago, thinking I just don't think my life is going to make that much of a difference when it comes to mission among unreached people. …
Or the other extreme is I'm so wonderful. How can the world get along without me? neither is an accurate view of yourself in Romans 12 verse 3 Paul encourages us to look at ourselves accurately he says for through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think but to think so as to have sound judgment as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. And interestingly, Paul uses that verse as a launching pad to talk about the subject of spiritual gifts. That is, God has given every Christian a unique gift to fulfill his purpose. So there's no reason for us to feel like lowly worms. We're not if we're in Christ Jesus. We have been given a unique spiritual gift by God to achieve his purpose. So don't think too lowly of yourself. All of us have one gift, but on the other hand, none of us has all of the gifts. And that's why we shouldn't think too highly of ourselves. We do need other people in the body of Christ. If you're truly going to be humble, it means, first of all, having an accurate assessment of yourself. Secondly, humility involves an authentic appreciation of other people. An authentic appreciation of other people. …
… puts the pen like right here. That's cool. Anyway, Romans 12, starting in verse three. We're going to read it right here together. For by grace given me, I say to every one of you, do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment in accordance with the faith God has distributed for each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, So in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. Your gift is prophesying, then prophesy accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement. If it's giving, then give generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently. And if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. …
… pleasing, and perfect will. Most people stop there, but verse three is important. He says, for by the grace given me, I say to every one of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in according with the faith God has distributed to each of you. So it's amazing that the beginning of this collection, we talked about, Louis talked about, we're created by God and we're created for God. And he was quoting Paul in the book of Colossians there, but here's Paul in the book of Romans saying the same thing at the end of this great song, at the end of this amazing theological work, he breaks out into song. And the closing verse of the song is, for from him and through him and for him are all things. Meaning the grid, the anchor, the foundation for life was, I was created by God and I was created for God. And many people in our world today, they're not living by that grid. …
… But I want you to listen to a key verse that deals with perfectionism. Romans chapter 12, verses 3 and 4. Now, Paul is talking about grace. And remember, Paul said, I am what I am by the grace of God. I am what I am by the grace of God. Paul had accepted himself. But now listen to what he says to us. Romans 12, verses 3 and 4. For I say through the grace given unto me. Now, catch the word grace. 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. That is, don't think with such lofty thoughts that you can never attain to them. But on the other hand, understand that by the grace of God you are what you are. The grace of God exalts a man without inflating him, and it humbles a man without debasing him. The person who has excellence says, I am what I am by the grace of God. …
For I say through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith, or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Please be seated. Let us pray. Again, our Father, as we undertake the task of interpreting this text that You have given to us through Your Apostle by the supervision of the Holy Ghost, we ask for Your aid to illumine the meaning of it to our minds and to open our hearts to embrace it in its fullness. …