Church Series-Paul's Teaching in Romans 12 Regarding Spiritual Gifts
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday November 9, 2016
The Church Series: Paul’s Teaching in Romans 12 Regarding Spiritual Gifts
Lesson # 13
Romans 12:1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 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. 7 If service, in his serving; 8 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. (NASB95)
In Romans 12, Paul is discussing relationships that are vital to our ability to live in the world as the people of God: (1) (1) In relation to God (12:1-2) (2) (2) In relation to the church (12:3-16) (3) (3) In relation to society (12:17-21).
The most important and foundational relationship of all is a person’s relationship to God.
If that is wrong all our relationships will be wrong whether in the home, in the church, or in society.
In all of this there are really only two main relationships.
One is with God and the other is with people.
The Savior taught us that the Law (or the Word of God) can be boiled down into two great commands: (1) to love God with all your heart, and then, out of that relationship, (2) to love one’s neighbor (Matt. 22:34f; Mark 12:29-31).
Using the analogy of the human body, Paul describes the relationship all believers have as gifted members of the body of Christ, the church.
In forming the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit has created a unity in diversity just as with the human body.
Though we are one body in Christ, we are many members and each believer is a vital part of His body and has a special spiritual function to perform.
This analogy is explained in more detail in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.
Romans 12:5 stresses three important elements: (1) Unity (we are one body) (2) Diversity of functions (individually members) (3) Mutuality and dependency with each member belonging to all the others (one of another).
For the proper functioning of spiritual gifts, we must cease thinking individualistically and begin to think corporately.
We cannot look at ourselves as an island, independent of all others.
We must see ourselves as a member of the body of Christ, with a particular gift, which equips us to carry out functions necessary to the equipping and ministry of the body.
There is individuality within the body, because there are many members, all with a different role to play but there is no room for individualism, for we are inter-dependent as members of one body.
We must rely on other members of the body just as they must rely on us.
While we have been individually chosen, called, and justified, we have been joined to a body, the body of Christ, thus we must therefore think and act as members of this body.
Spiritual gifts are one of the means by which the body of Christ is sustained and through which the life of our Lord is manifested.
In Romans 12:6, “gifts” is the noun charisma, 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 (See 1 Peter 4:10).
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 (Ephesians 4:7-10).
However, the actual appointment of the believer’s spiritual gift is made by God the Holy Spirit as per 1 Corinthians 12:11.
“Prophecy” refers to the exercise of the temporary or discontinued spiritual gift of being a prophet, which is no longer existent since it existed during the pre-canon period of the church to fill the void until the New Testament canon had been completed (See 1 Corinthians 12:10; 13:2; 14:22; Ephesians 2:20; 3:5; 4:11).
“Service” refers to the permanent spiritual gift of service and is synonymous with “helps” in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and “whoever serves” in 1 Peter 4:11.
The gift of service or helps expresses itself in a variety of ways and activities that aid the church and its members.
“Teaching” refers to the permanent spiritual gift of teaching or communicating the Word of God to the congregation.
The noun didaskalos, “teachers” is used to signify this gift of teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and in Ephesians 4:11.
“Exhortation” is a permanent spiritual gift manifesting itself by encouraging members of the body of Christ to live in a manner worthy of their calling, to grow up to become like Christ.
This gift manifests itself in the person who gives advice to other members of the body of Christ that is consistent with Scripture and under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.
It manifests itself by encouraging other believers to live according to the Word of God and can involve not only encouraging but also warning other believers in a humble and loving way when they are going astray from doing the will of God.
This spiritual gift can involve comforting those members of the body of Christ who have lost love ones or are experiencing suffering whether emotionally or physically.
It can manifest itself through helping and giving support to a weaker, or immature believer when they are having problems with a certain temptation or difficult trial that they are facing.
This spiritual gift can involve helping those members of the body of Christ deal with a particular burden that is too heavy to bear alone.
It can manifest itself by simply being available to another believer when they need someone to talk to so as to encourage them when they are depressed, frustrated or grieving.
It is also manifested by helping other members of the body of Christ understand and apply that which is taught by the pastor-teacher.
Though all believers are commanded to encourage one another according to 1 Thessalonians 4:18 and 5:11, the spiritual gift of encouraging functions or manifests itself in a manner that goes beyond what is normally exercised by Christians who obey the command to encourage one another.
“Giving” is concerned with distributing one’s own money to others and is to be done with simplicity, i.e., with no thought of return or gain for self in any way.
Though all believers are commanded to give to one another (Matthew 5:42; 10:8) the spiritual gift of giving functions or manifests itself in manner that goes beyond what is normally exercised by Christians who obey the command to give to one another.
“Leadership” refers to the function of the permanent spiritual gift of leadership and is identified by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:28 as “administrations” which translates the noun kubernesis.
The men who possess the spiritual gift of leadership help the pastor-teacher lead and administrate the affairs of the church.
“Showing Mercy” is the gift of compassion rather than mercy because the latter has the connotation of withholding judgment whereas the former connotes the intense desire to act to alleviate the pain and suffering of another or remove its cause (1 John 3:16-17).
This gift has been given to both men and women in the body of Christ and is a permanent gift in that unlike the gift of prophecy it was not discontinued with the completion of the canon of Scripture.
Though all believers are commanded to be compassionate towards one another according to Ephesians 4:32 and 1 John 3:16-17, the spiritual gift of compassion functions or manifests itself in manner that goes beyond what is normally exercised by Christians who obey the command to be compassionate.