Skip to main content

Romans 12:6: Having Gifts That Differ According To The Grace Given To Us


Romans 12:6
[6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; (ESV)

Imagine a Christmas morning. The kids have probably started the effort to wake up their parents at around 3 AM. It's now 7 AM. You cannot hold off the kids demands any longer. You gather around the tree and start handing out the gifts. Your ten children are a little bewildered. Every box is the same size. When they open their gifts they discover that they are all exactly the same gift as well.

Sounds like a boring Christmas, doesn't it? God is a great gift-giver. He gives different gifts to his children. Paul tells us here that each one in the body has different gifts according to the grace given to us. These are spiritual gifts that Paul is talking about. These are not gifts that are to be put on a shelf when received. Rather, he says, "let us use them."

The first of the gifts that Paul is mentioning is the gift of prophecy. At first glance, we are inclined to only think of this word in terms of some sort of future prediction. This is not completely unwarranted. The Old Testament is full of words of prophets predicting the Messiah's coming as well as many other important events. These prophecies help to prove the truth of Scripture.

The greek word for prophecy here primarily means "forth-telling," not "fore-telling." Those who are gifted to speak the truth are to do so in proportion to their faith. This gift primarily falls into the category of preaching. However, it is not just done by pastors. There are many who speak the words of God. If this is your gift, God surely has a place for you to use it. Do so faithfully.

Do you know what spiritual gift God has given you? Be thankful that he gives different gifts to each of us. Ask him to help you to understand how to use your gift for him. If your gift is not being used at your church, talk with your pastor about how that can change.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 3, 2020 at 12:32 PM

    There is so much truth in this. Thanks for the reminder.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,
2 comments
Read more

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co
Post a Comment
Read more

James 2:18: I Will Show You My Faith By My Works

James 2:18 [18] But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (ESV) There are certain things in life that go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Double stuff Oreo cookies and milk. Faith and works. James raises the point that someone might argue that faith and works can be separated. "One will say, "You have faith and I have works." Is it ok for works to be separated from faith? James is making the argument that faith and works are not to be separated. James is saying to the one who has faith only, with no works, that he wants them to see his faith by his works. In other words, if you are going to claim to have faith, but have no works, you have no evidence of faith. If I am to believe that a person has genuine faith I can only see that by their works. Faith brings action. There are so many people to claim to have some kind of faith, yet when it comes down to it, their
Post a Comment
Read more