Romans 12.6a-There Is A Diversity Of Spiritual Gifts In The Body Of Christ According To God's Grace
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday October 13, 2009
Romans: Romans 12:6a-There Is A Diversity Of Spiritual Gifts In The Body Of Christ According To God’s Grace
Lesson # 406
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 12:1.
This evening we will study Romans 12:6, which teaches that there is a diversity of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ according to God’s grace.
Romans 12:1-8, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone 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. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith. If service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
In Romans 12:6, not translated is the “sequential” use of the conjunction de (deV) (deh), which introduces a statement that follows logically the previous statement.
In Romans 12:6, Paul continues to advance upon his statements from the previous comparative clause in Romans 12:4-5.
He teaches that because all Christians are one body in union with Christ and thus logically members individually belonging to one another thus logically speaking they possess a diversity of spiritual gifts according to God’s grace policy.
It is logical because just as the human body has different members with different functions that contribute to the proper function of the body as a whole so the Christian community has different members with different functions or spiritual gifts that contribute to the proper function of the Christian community as a whole.
Therefore, Romans 12:6a is a continuation of the body metaphor in Romans 12:4-5 rather than a new sentence and a transition of thought as many commentators interpret this verse and many English translations do as well.
Then, in Romans 12:6b-8, Paul goes a step further in the progression and identifies the various spiritual gifts and their function.
By having Romans 12:6 beginning a new sentence demands that the second halves of the subsequent phrases be filled out with imperatival force.
The phrase “each of us is to exercise them accordingly” is the result of such an interpretation in that it is supplied by the translators.
However, this phrase is not needed since Romans 12:6 reads more naturally as a continuation of the body metaphor in Romans 12:4-5 in that the spiritual gifts listed in Romans 12:6b-8 describes the Christian community functioning as one body or corporate unit in union with Jesus Christ.
“We have” is the first person plural nominative masculine plural present active participle form of the verb echo (e&xw) (ekh-o), which means, “to experience one what one possesses” and functions as a “result” participle, which is used to indicate the actual outcome or result of the action of the main verb.
The main verb appears in Romans 12:5 and is the first person plural present active indicative form of the verb eimi (ei)miv) (i-mee), which was deliberately omitted by Paul due to his use of the figure of ellipsis.
This indicates that Paul and his fellow Christians in Rome are a corporate unit, analogous to the members of the human body individually belonging to one another “with the result” that they all possess spiritual gifts.
Romans 12:6a, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.”
“Gifts” is the accusative neuter plural form of the noun charisma (xavrisma) (khar-is-mah), which refers to the various spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributed to each believer the moment they were declared justified through faith alone in Christ alone.
Every believer has been given a spiritual gift for the purpose of serving other members of the body of Christ.
The distribution of spiritual gifts was authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His strategic victory over Satan at the cross during the dispensation of the hypostatic union, however, the actual appointment of the believer’s spiritual gift is made by God the Holy Spirit as per 1 Corinthians 12:11.
Spiritual gifts are assignments of position within the body of Christ.
Identification of one’s spiritual gift and production from this gift is a direct result of spiritual growth which can only be achieved through the consistent and persistent learning and applying of the Word of God which in turn enables the Holy Spirit to identify for you, your spiritual gift.
In Ephesians 4:7-10, the apostle Paul teaches the Ephesians that spiritual gifts are the direct result of Christ’s ascension.
Ephesians 4:7-8, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, ‘WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.’”
“Grace” refers to the fact that at the moment of salvation the Lord Jesus Christ authorized the Holy Spirit to assign each individual believer a position and function in His body by distributing to each believer one spiritual gift.
“He gave gifts to men” refers to the fact that as a result of being seated at the right hand of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ authorized the Holy Spirit to distribute to each believer, a spiritual gift, which is designed to glorify Him.
Just as a car operates on gas so the believer’s spiritual gift operates on God’s love.
The believer discovers for himself and manifests to others his spiritual gift by loving God and his fellow believer.
1 Corinthians 12:1-7, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus is accursed’; and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
“Manifestation” refers to the fact that every believer receives one spiritual gift since the word is in the singular, which is what Peter teaches in 1 Peter 4:10.
1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
1 Corinthians 12:8-30, “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?”
Romans 12:6a, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.”
“According to grace” is composed of the preposition kata (katav), “according to” and the articular accusative feminine singular form of the noun charis (xavri$) (khar-ece), “grace.”
The noun charis refers to God’s grace policy or unmerited blessings that the Father bestowed upon the justified sinner the moment they were declared justified through faith in Christ and among these blessings is a spiritual gift.
The preposition kata denotes conformity to a particular standard or policy indicating that the Christian community possesses and experiences a diversity of spiritual gifts in accordance with God’s grace policy.