A New Way of Thinking About Ourselves . . . and Others
Romans 12:3-5
Well it’s been a stressful couple of months, getting ready for next Saturday’s wedding. Around our house we’ve been redecorating the guest room for out of town family members who are coming, refurbishing the garden, and all the other things the family of the groom are usually involved in doing.
Still, it’s probably been more stressful for David. Just consider.
--He’s begun graduate work.
--He’s started a new job.
--He’s going to be married next Saturday.
--But those are nothing compared to this—he’s just finished trading cars. Okay, go ahead and laugh. Please laugh, that was supposed to be a joke. Still, I envy the person who doesn’t find buying a new car a stressful activity . It’s stressful and usually just a little disappointing. Almost inevitably it’s disappointing because you seldom get what you think your trade-in is worth.
After all, that car or truck has taken care of you for years, you might even have a name for it, you know it’s worth far more than the authors of that Blue Book have to say. The truth is, we just tend to overestimate the worth of whatever we’re driving—even if we privately call it a rust bucket.
The language Paul uses in this passage addresses the all-too human tendency to over estimate our value, to even think of ourselves as pretty near indispensable.
Remember, Paul began this passage by calling his readers to a thoughtful commitment, a commitment rooted in a new way of thinking. The remainder of the chapter defines some of the elements of that new way of thinking.
The new way of thinking involves a new way to thinking about ourselves.
The new way of thinking begins as we recognize ourselves as men and women in need of grace who are dependent upon each other.
A TOUGH COMMAND THEN…AND NOW
Although Paul’s words are direct he doesn’t jump straight to them. He precedes his directive by announcing that he is doing so, not by any special merit he may possess but by “the grace given me.” He might have been an apostle but even that office was his by God’s special favor, not because of any virtue of Paul’s. Had he not said what he said, his next words would not have rung true. Only by acknowledging his own need for grace could he dare to say, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” That was a tough command then; it’s a tough command now.
Before I move on I need to make an important point. Although Paul’s words certainly are a warning against pride, they are by no means grounds for seeing ourselves as worthless. Williams translates, a person must be careful “not to estimate himself above his real value.” We have ”real value” before God and our fellow humans but we must be careful to have a healthy view of it.
We are to have a “sane estimate” of our capabilities, as one writer says. That’s implied in the call to have a sober judgment about ourselves. Some our more graphic brothers and sisters in Christ might say that those with inflated views of themselves are “touched” in the head. In doing so, they would be fully consistent with Paul’s language.
Why did Paul address these words to the Romans? Was there some special problem with pride there? Any answer would be speculation.
The truth is he could have written it to Christians in any church, even our churches today. Pride is by no means a first-century sin. As Denney comments, “To himself, every man is in a sense the most important person in the world, and it always needs much grace to see what other people are, and to keep a sense of moral proportion.”
The word translated as “think” has to do with making an estimate, in this case a self estimate. Paul is warning against a sense of haughtiness, a know-all attitude that manifests itself in a superiority complex.
Such persons are not simply unteachable, they are convinced they have the only thing worth saying in the first place. Their whole demeanor threatens a church’s fellowship. The notion of mutual ministry is foreign to them because they can’t imagine ever needing to be ministered to.
The sad thing is such people may have real gifts, as we all do, but their attitude makes it impossible for them to make a positive contribution to the work of the church.
This is truly a tough command, because the attitude that prompts me to see my contribution, my talents, my ideas as indispensable makes it easy to succumb to a self-aggrandizing pride.
A TWOFOLD ANTIDOTE
What’s the antidote to the “I’m the king of the world” pride that is encouraged by so many factors in our culture?
The new “sober” way of thinking about ourselves begins with an appreciation of God’s work in our lives.
Paul says our sober-minded self-view is to be “in accordance with the measure of faith God has given.”
But what does “measure of faith” mean? While commentators seem to agree that it can’t refer to so-called “saving faith,” they frequently disagree on what it does mean. Some see it as referring to some kind of miracle-working faith, which they consider to be a charismatic gift. Others see it as faith for service. Both suggestions have problems.
Fortunately we don’t have to fully understand the phrase to appreciate the central idea Paul is conveying. Whatever might be implied by “measure of faith” it is God’s gift of grace. As such, there is no room for arrogance or boasting.
No matter how outwardly spectacular the exercise of a gift may be, it is still a gift. It is not a reflection of that person’s spiritual superiority, it is a reflection of the graciousness of God.
If we possess valuable gifts which help the church grow, if we are able to contribute to the building of the Kingdom it is because of God’s work in our lives.
Do you remember the vivid image of Isaiah’s call to be God’s prophet? He sees himself in the heavenly throne room. Overwhelmed by his sense of sinfulness he cries out, “Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips!” An angel comes and touches his lips with a coal from the altar. At that point God calls him to be his prophet. The implication is clear: Isaiah was able to speak God’s words because of God’s action.
Paul is telling his Roman readers and us that if we would think soberly about ourselves, we would remember that without God we could do nothing for the Kingdom.
The new “sober” way of thinking about ourselves involves keeping in mind our relationship to the community of faith.
In I Corinthians 12 Paul elaborates on the analogy of the church to the human body and it various parts. The same idea is found here in an abbreviated form and with a slightly different focus. The healthy congregation resembles the human body for “just as in the human body there is a union of many parts” so in the church there are many ministries (mediated through individuals) but the church remains one.
The important idea here seems to be that we have an interdependent relationship to our fellow believers. Nolie’s translation of verse five stresses this point; the verse depicts “each one of us being part of the whole and mutually dependent on one another.”
That’s the last thing that those with an inflated self-view want to hear. They don’t want to hear that they need their fellow Christians. They enjoy the illusion that they are super Christians who can get by without any of their fellow believers. They can’t. In fact, their thinking fails to appreciate the wisdom displayed by God in creating the church with such a “purposeful diversity” [Hendirksen’s term] of gifts.
Years ago, while we were still living in Texas, I heard of a young high school quarterback who was obviously gifted. He was well on his way to leading his team to a championship season. Well, it seems he one day boasted to a local newspaper writer about how he was the most important member of the team. When his teammates read about it they were understandable upset. So, when the next Friday came around and they took to the field they had a plan. Once they were safely ahead, the boys passed the word to put the plan into action. So, the next time the quarterback took the ball, his teammates did nothing—instead of blocking they just stood there. The young quarterback quickly got the point: gifted as he was, he needed his fellow team members.
Paul is saying to those tempted to hold inflated views of themselves, you need your fellow team members.
Conclusion
We’ve been looking at words Paul addressed to those who tended to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. I’d like to use this conclusion to say something to those who tend to think less of themselves than they ought to think.
1. If you’ve been reluctant to get involved in the church because you think you have nothing to contribute, think again. God designed the church to make use of every gift—the spectacular and the simple.
2. If you hesitate to make yourself available to the church because you know you’re unworthy to do God’s work, welcome to the club. Everyone who anyway at all does God’s work, does so because of God’s grace.
The new way of thinking which reflects leads to transformed living begins with a new way of thinking about ourselves but soon moves to a new way of thinking about others and about God—the wise Gift-giver.
