Gifts of Grace Must be Used by Faith

Romans 12:1–8 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 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. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 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; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Lets begin this morning by going back a little bit to verse 3.

Romans 12:3 NKJV

3 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.

Two words that I want to pick up on in this verse which we see reappear in the sequent verses

Grace (unmerited, undeserved gift)

Faith (Belief, trust, strong conviction)

These are key to our salvation.

Ephesians 2:8–10 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

It is by grace which is accessed by faith. Undeserved gift of God accessed by belief and trust in Jesus Christ which is itself an undeserved gift of God. So by grace through faith which is also grace. conclusion… No one can boast in salvation. Not only that but no one can boast in good works because we are His workmanship.

So back to our text in Romans. Paul says that through the grace given to me. Paul is exercising at least three gift of the Spirit right here in these verses and he is giving us an example of how we should use spiritual gifts. We do it by and through the undeserved gift of God which we have faith that He is working in and through us.

The Gifts of the Spirit are According to the Grace of God

Romans 12:6 NKJV

6 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;

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 NKJV

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

It is the Spirit who works these things and distributes to each on individually as He wills. They are free gifts of His grace.

1 Peter 4:10–11 NKJV

10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

So if these gifts are of grace and we are to be good stewards of His grace then how do we do that? How are we to communicate these gifts to the body so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. The must be communicated in proportion to our faith.

The Gifts of the Spirit are to be Used in Proportion to our Faith

Romans 12:6 NKJV

6 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;

Just as with salvation we access the grace of God through faith so it is with the gifts of the Spirit. The proportion of the gift is directly related to the proportion of faith.

or again as Peter put it

1 Peter 4:11 NKJV

11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

If any speaks let him do it with the faith that he speaks the oracles of God and according to the proportion of faith that that person has they will communicate the true gift of the Spirit.

Romans 12:6–8 NKJV

6 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; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

But lest we think more highly of ourselves than we ought and think “I have great faith so that I’m able to use the gifts of the Spirit more powerfully. Remember what Paul said in verse 3

Romans 12:3 NKJV

3 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.

As God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Just like our salvation we are saved by grace through faith but not faith that is of ourselves but that with is a gift of God so that no one can boast. So it is with the gifts of the Spirit. God has dealt to each one a measure of faith and according to the proportion of that faith we communicate the gifts of the Spirit which themselves are gifts of grace. So in this God gets all the glory though Jesus Christ to whom belong the glory and the dominion for ever and ever.