A Balanced View of Self…

Romans 12:3 (NIV)

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 accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Our Verse of the Day has been referenced in a few previous commentaries; and to see it again implies to me that we need to take another look at it. The exercise of humility is so central to the Christian life that this reminder should not be dismissed…. And I think to understand Verse 3, we need to bring in Verses 1-2 for context:

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ²Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

In view of God’s mercy, we are urged to offer ourselves as living sacrifices – not only to God but to one another by extension. Paul indicates that pattern for living constitutes a true and proper worship of God because to conduct yourself in this manner indicates both a humble and loving inner spirit. It is the grace and mercy that God has shown toward each of us in Christ Jesus that cultivates and motivates a mindset of meekness and gentleness – that subdues our former haughty or arrogant attitudes. And Verse 2 indicates that this approach to life is the result of renewing your mind (through faith which comes by hearing the Word of God) so that you do not conform to the pattern of this world. That pattern is a pride-filled spirit rooted in self-centeredness and self-reliance … and does not submit to, depend upon, or seek to please God. To me, understanding this context allows us to see the imperatives of Verse 3 in relation to the “power” of faith to transform our conduct from inward pride to outward compassion….

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:

When Paul speaks of “the grace given him,” he is emphatic that his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus was the greatest act of mercy and grace ever extended to anyone. Because of his Pharisaical zeal, Paul was vehemently persecuting the earliest followers of Christ; flogging them; throwing them into prisons; even consenting to their executions. The amount of innocent blood on his hands was so large that when confronted by the Lord Jesus, the flood of guilt was an ocean by comparison. In his letter to Timothy, Paul referred to himself as the “worst of sinners” (Cf. 1 Timothy 1:15) but then he concluded, “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.” (Cf. 1 Timothy 1:16) So what Paul is saying here is that in light of the grace and mercy ALL of us have been granted by God – including those who are the worst of sinners – we ought to feel a great sense of humility!

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,

In light of God’s mercy and grace, we should have a proper understanding of our position before Him. Salvation is a gift! Too often we tend to compare our own sins with those of others – determining in our own judgment that our personal sins are somehow less offensive to God than those committed by some other evil, vile, or wicked person. Paul cautions us to not deceive ourselves in this regard:

Romans 14:10-13 (NIV)

¹⁰But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” ¹²So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. ¹³Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

There are many hindrances to growing in grace and faith when we judge ourselves to be better or superior to others. God created us all, and He is the judge of us all. None of us have or will ever meet the standard of holiness God requires. There is no one who does good. No, not one. (Cf. Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:12) Even Jesus affirmed this human condition when He asked: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Cf. Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19) Thus, Paul admonishes us (and we should embrace his insight here) to think rightly about ourselves. We need to rid ourselves of any religious piety or spiritual arrogance … for of such character were the Pharisees and Jesus called them out about it! Still, I find the next part of this verse as key to its interpretation and message:

In accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

This is an interesting caveat to the exhortation being given to us. When we assess ourselves, it should be without pride and it should be the result of a “renewed mind” as referenced in Verse 12:2. Paul is essentially explaining the way the renewed Christian mind should think. And consider, of all things Paul could have said about human thinking and the way the mind works, he chose to address the issue of pride and what the mind does in thinking about itself in relation to other people. He says something negative and something positive, just the way he did in Verse 2. There he said, “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed in the renewal of your mind.” Here he says, “Don’t think more highly of yourself than you should, but think with sober judgment.” In other words, Paul is getting more specific and describing the way that the renewed Christian mind does not conform to the world but is transformed. And notice that the first thing he addresses is pride.

The issue of pride appears to be a great burden with Paul. Three times in Romans 11, he warned us against pride and conceit. Romans 11:18, “Do not be arrogant toward the [broken off Jewish] branches.” Romans 11:20, “You stand fast through faith. So do not become proud.” Romans 11:25, “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery.” Then Paul takes it up again in Romans 12:16, “Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.” Then again in Romans 14:4 as I shared above. This issue of pride and the view of self in relation to God and others is the deepest human problem in the universe. If our minds are ever to be renewed, the issue of pride is where we must start.

It’s not just a problem with the church in Rome. In Romans 8:7, Paul describes the fundamental problem that we have—all of us— “The mind that is set on the flesh (that is, the natural mind apart from God’s transforming Spirit) is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” That is the fundamental problem of your mind and my mind. We are insubordinate toward God. We will not submit to the truth that God Himself has ordained all that is true and good and right and beautiful and valuable and satisfying. Instead, the human mind thinks of itself as the judge and measure; thus, thinking too highly of itself.

My friends, I realize this study has become lengthy, but I just felt compelled to put some time into it and impress upon our hearts that pride in all of its shapes and forms is both deceptive and destructive. Indeed, it is my prayer that we will be conformed to the image of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who humbled Himself and took on the nature of a servant to all.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 2:1-5

Freedom to Serve…

Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Our Verse of the Day continues to focus on our relationships with one another; and I want us to spend time on the command to love one another. Jesus said to love our neighbor is second only to the command to love God. (Cf. Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31) As we have seen in New Testament scriptures, to love one another fulfills the command to love God. I think the Apostle John captured this thought best when he affirmed: “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (Cf. 1 John 4:20-21)

Galatians 5:13-25 (NIV)

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature of our flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Citing Leviticus 19:18) If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

What Paul teaches here is that we cannot just do whatever we want based on the freedom we have received in Christ Jesus. We are called to be led by the Spirit and to live in accordance with His indwelling presence. Jesus, through the sacrificial atonement of His blood, saved us from the penalty of our sin; but we cannot continue to indulge the passions or desires of our flesh, or expect that such behavior or conduct will lead others to salvation. We must die to the power of sin in order to experience the freedom gain through Christ. Indeed, Paul had very pointed instruction in this regard:

Romans 6:1-14 (NIV)

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

My friends, we have been called to serve one another humbly in love. What does this entail? Perhaps, we should go back and look at the biblical definition of love the Apostle Paul provided in1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It is my prayer that we will strive to keep these attributes of love at the forefront of our thoughts so that our actions will follow the excellence of love. We fail to love God in truth if we cannot serve one another humbly in love. So, let the freedom we have been given become the source we draw upon to love one another as Jesus loved us. Indeed, I pray we will keep these things in mind as we encounter and engage with those who are lost….

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. ~ 1 Corinthians: 9:19-23

What Is Required?

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Keeping with the theme of our response to God and His offer of salvation to the world, this Verse of the Day from the Old Testament addresses the same theological concept. God has made known to us His Being. He has revealed His Way, His Truth, and His Life through His Son, Jesus. The salvation offered by God requires a response to this revelation … a response to Jesus! And God has made it clear that He expects His creation to respect and revere His Son.

Micah declares: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” And the Prophet Isaiah admonishes: “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Cf. Isaiah 1:16-17) Both prophets have expressed the heart of God and His will for our conduct … our response to Him. The Apostle James reasoned:

James 2:14-24 (NLT)

¹⁴What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? ¹⁷So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. ¹⁸Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” ¹⁹You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? ²¹Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. ²³And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Cf. Genesis 15:6) He was even called the friend of God. (Cf. Isaiah 41:8) ²⁴So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

And we should just simply look at what Jesus taught in this regard:

Luke 6:43-49 (NLT)

⁴³“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ⁴⁴A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. ⁴⁵A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say (and do) flows from what is in your heart. ⁴⁶“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t DO what I say? ⁴⁷I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. ⁴⁸It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. ⁴⁹But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Here is the message that I see in our Verse of the Day: Put Faith into Action! Make it genuine! We can talk about ministry for others, but doing ministry is what matters. It is our faith-informed response to our salvation! Indeed, in view of God’s mercy, we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices – holy and pleasing to God. (Cf. Romans 12:1) As Paul explained to believers in Ephesus: “We are God’s workmanship. He has created us in Christ Jesus to do the good works which He planned and prepared for us long ago.” (Cf. Ephesians 2:10) Yes, faith is about “doing” the works of God … not for merit or His favor to receive salvation; rather, to demonstrate our “response” to His mercy and redemption. So, I pray that we will truthfully be about the Father’s business in 2023 … preparing ourselves daily in prayer and bible study to be “vessels for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:21) Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says! ~ James 1:21-22