By Ezekiel Kimosop
Romans 12:3-8, NKJV says “3 For
I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of
faith. 4 For as we have many members in one
body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many,
are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let
us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in
proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let
us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in
teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he
who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows
mercy, with cheerfulness.”
PASSAGE ANALYSIS
This passage of Scripture reveals a number of truths
concerning spiritual gifts:
i)
Diversity – There are a number of diverse spiritual
gifts that God has assigned to believers in the church (v.4). There is spiritual unity in the diversity of gifts.
ii)
Interconnectedness – The spiritual gifts are interconnected and intertwined in the service of God in the body of Christ. Each gift has its place and purpose in God’s house (v.5). Each gift augments and supplements the rest. This is the essence of unity of purpose in diversity.
iii)
Equality – No spiritual gift is superior or inferior
to another (v.3). Each gift has its spiritual significance in God's eyes and none should be despised or overlooked. This calls for humility in the application of these gifts. They should never be applied for self aggrandisement but for the glory of God.
iv)
Proportionality – These gifts are
exercised in proportion to the grace and faith that God vests in the believer (vv.6-7). We should therefore serve God by applying our gifts, talents, and abilities in conformity with the grace and faith that God has divinely bestowed upon us.
Q. Is the exercised of a
spiritual gift influenced by the believer’s maturity or growth in faith?
The Bible reveals that
believers grow in spiritual stature as they mature in their knowledge of Christ through the instruction of Scripture (Ephesians 4:11-16). This effectively implies that believers should consistently grow in spiritual
discernment as well. Notice that when God called Samuel at the tabernacle of Shiloh, the young priest could not immediately discern the voice of God. He initially mistook God’s
voice for Eli’s. On the three occasions that God called him, Samuel rushed to his master Eli saying "Here I am!" It took the wisdom and discernment of Eli the Priest for Samuel
to learn that God was speaking to him (1 Samuel 3). God’s wisdom is required in
exercising our gifts and talents because we are stewards of God's grace in whatever platform or space we serve in the church.
Q. How do we measure a
believer’s growth in faith?
There is no spiritual
barometer for measuring a believer’s growth in faith. However, Scripture provides
suitable illustrations that adequately address this question. During the Corinthian church
conflict, Paul adjudged the Corinthian believers as overly immature in the
faith. He described them as spiritual babes. He says, “And I, brethren,
could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as
to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk
and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive
it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for
you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions
among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? (1
Corinthians 3:1-3, NKJV).
The Corinthian church consisted
of a young Christian community that was still lacking in spiritual discernment
and wisdom. The envy, strife, and divisions that were prevalent among them were evidence of their poor
discernment and spiritual immaturity. The Greek word νήπιος [nepios] for "babes" in v.1 above refers to an infant or child. Paul metaphorically applies this term to illustrate that the Corinthians were not sufficiently skilled or tutored in the things of God.
In Acts 18:24-28, Apollos,
an Alexandrian Jew, was taken in and instructed by a faithful Christian couple
known as Priscilla and Aquilla in Ephesus after they observed that his
preaching at the Ephesus synagogue was inconsistent with the “way of Christ”. Apollos later went on to minister in Corinth and served along with
Paul. We believe that he was sufficiently schooled and built up in the apostle’s
doctrine (Acts 2:42).
The point is that Christian maturity is consistent with the ability to exercise spiritual gifts in a faithful, balanced, and accountable manner. This maturity process takes considerable time to manifest itself in our lives as we walk with God and serve Him. The Parable of the Talents reveals that the two stewards who wisely applied the talents assigned to them were rewarded by their master for their diligence. Notice that God gave each steward a distinct measure of talents based on His divine discretion. The results were tied to the diligence or dereliction of the steward in applying the talents. Each steward was individually called to account.
Matthew 25:23 says, “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
The moral diligence of the two faithful stewards was evidenced by the results of their effort in the application of their talents. The slothful steward's excuse was inadmissible before the master.
Believers should neither sit on their gifts and talents nor apply them the Samson way. Samson openly misapplied the gifts that God bestowed upon him and the results were disastrous (Judges 13-16). He needlessly perished in the hands of his enemies!
Believers should therefore
discern the mind of God as they serve Him. They should also raise and mentor others to serve God in their ministries of context so that they can leave a lasting legacy of impact in their generations (2 Timothy 2:2). Those who exercise spiritual gifts in the church should be people of good report whose
reputation within and outside the Christian community stands out to the glory of God (1 Timothy
3:7).
What is your spiritual gift? Are you faithfully discharging the mandate of your spiritual gift?
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2025
Blessed by the teaching Rev, thanks.
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