Romans 12 - Living Life - Part 05

Romans 12: Living Life Study 05: Be Warned

Romans 12:3 "Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us."

 

Now these Roman Christians, have a warning from the great Apostle Paul…. A warning which is also for us as the church today, if we are listening. This verse, in some manuscripts also starts “Because of the grace…” When Paul had his conversion, God had poured His grace out upon the Apostle. So it could be said that Paul’s privilege and authority had come from God’s grace upon him.
Perhaps when Paul says “Don’t think you are better than you really are”, Paul is looking back at how he used to be! He was then a man called Saul, a proud and zealous man for God, a Jew of Jews! A man eager to please God by persecuting these Christians! No more though! Now called Paul, he was an apostle and emissary sent by God to preach the Gospel throughout the world! Just as he was told at his conversion just a few short years ago when he was on the road to Damascus to pursue and persecute the early church. It is not only privilege and authority from where Paul speaks from, but also grace – grace from God… It is grace alone that Paul was changed from the path of being the persecutor to being one of the persecuted.
We must not think too highly of our selves, our skills, our abilities over-estimating or exaggerating either our strengths or our weaknesses. We are to think of ourselves with honesty and with self-accountability! That is why it is also good to be accountable to others. That could be a good friend, or your home bible study group.
As Christians, we are to think of ourselves rightly – not be so high and mighty that we can fall off our own perch. We are to think of ourselves appropriately and not with lustful pride! Faith here means a special gift which God has given everybody who is following His Son, Jesus Christ. But we start to talk about gifts in our next study!

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