CCC Livestream - It's All About The Gospel - Romans 12:3-8
Live Worship Gathering: 10/26/2025
Preaching: Jason Purdy
One Body, Many Members
Jason Purdy
It’s All About The Gospel / Romans 12:3–8
I invite you to turn with me to Romans 12.
We will look at verses 3-8 today.
And as we have moved into the more practical section of the book of Romans that instructs us in how to live the Christian life, I want to remind us that all the commands of Scripture flow out of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
The foundation of your relationship with God is not what you have done or have not done for him, the foundation of your relationship with God is all about what God has done for you in Christ.
He has loved you and sent his son to die for you while you were a sinner.
He has saved you from the wrath of God by His grace through faith.
He has brought you to spiritual life by the power of the Spirit of God.
He has promised you a present of no condemnation and a future where nothing can ever separate you from the love of God.
They say that rules without relationships leads to rebellion.
But the opposite is also true: rules and commands in light of a good relationship of love and empowered by grace leads to greater and greater intimacy.
We looked at verses 1 and 2 of chapter twelve last week, which are really the two umbrella verses for the rest of the book.
Everything else that is written in the book falls under the heading of verses 1 and 2: which is the appeal by the great mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So, the rest of the book of Romans is going to flesh out for us how to live as a sacrifice pleasing to God in different aspects of our lives, especially when it comes to living as a follower of Jesus amongst a diverse community like the church in Rome, made up of Jew and Gentile.
And the first place Paul goes in order to flesh out for us what it looks like to live as a pleasing sacrifice and understanding God’s will for our lives, is that we are called to live lives of worshipful service.
Please follow along as I read God’s word:
Romans 12:3–8 ESV
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
1. Serve With A Right Attitude
Notice, Paul moves straight from discerning God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will to then living a life of service with a proper attitude.
Because this is God’s good will for all of his people: to live a live of worship filled service.
Verse 3: For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.
Paul writes many times throughout the New Testament about the grace of God given to him in salvation, and about the grace of God given in his calling to be an apostle.
And here, Paul is referring to the grace of God in calling him to be an apostle to help establish the church and write the Scriptures and it is because of that grace that he exhorts us all not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
Paul not only commanded this attitude by the Spirit of God, but he modeled this attitude for us as well.
Though he was called by God to a very prominent position in the early church, he made clear over and over again that it was by God’s grace and grace alone.
He was willing to share about his weaknesses and struggles and to point to God’s grace being sufficient in these things.
He even admitted that he should be considered the least of the apostles and not even worthy to be called an apostle because he used to persecute the church.
Yet he wrote that he was what he was by God’s grace alone.
So, as we present our bodies a living sacrifice and are transformed by the renewal of our mind, we must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think with sober judgment.
Right judgment.
You know, sometimes a young man will be saved by Jesus and immediately announce that he is called to preach and pastor or go the mission field to share the gospel with the unreached!
And while his zeal might be commendable, the next step he must take is to humble himself, and think with sober judgment about first submitting to godly leadership, growing in the knowledge of God’s word, being trained and tested in smaller areas of service and letting spiritual leadership help you discern your gifts and calling, considering remaining sins and weaknesses and growing to have a strategy to war against them.
Some people because of extraordinary zeal and extraordinary gifting push fast and hard into places of ministry and service past where their character flaws, sins, and weaknesses cannot sustain them.
Worshipful service to God is not first about position and influence, it is about willingness, submission, humility, and gratefulness.
Yet, I must also warn that for many of us, thinking too highly of ourselves in terms of how we should serve and advance in ministry is not our problem, instead, your problem is always considering yourself unqualified for any kind of service to God at all.
Some of us need to not think too highly of our faults and inabilities and think with sober judgment about the fact that God’s will for us is to live a life of service to him, and we need to stop making excuses for why we aren’t living that way.
Back to verse 3: think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Now, in the context, Paul is not talking about saving faith.
Saving faith is saving faith and you either have it or you don’t.
There are not different measures of saving faith where some people are more saved than others.
You either have saving faith or you don’t.
So, when Paul writes here that you should think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned,
He is talking about the measure of spiritual giftedness that God has assigned to you through your faith.
Once again, the question is not: How much faith do you have?
The question is: what measure of the gifts has God given you to serve with?
Because if you have saving faith, you have been gifted a measure of spiritual gifting in order to serve.
And no one has been gifted the full measure, yet we are all gifted with some spiritual gifting.
And we are called of God to worshipful service in line with the gifts He has given us.
Let me show you another place we see this in the Scripture:
Ephesians 4:7–12 ESV
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
So, God gifted us with a measure of gifting, not for us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought like we see in this passage claiming great things like I ascended the heights or I descended to the lowest regions,
No, He gifted us with a measure of gifting to make some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers to equip all the saints for the work of ministry in line with their own gifting.
So the right attitude of a living sacrifice in light of the mercies of God is to think with sober judgment about the measure of gifting God has given you and live a life of worshipful service using your gifting to serve Christ, His church, and His mission in the world.
Are you able to consider your life of worshipful service with sober judgment?
Have you ever been willing to ask someone close to you, your spouse, a pastor, what your strengths and weaknesses are then truly listen and humbly consider them?
God has saved you to live a life pleasing to Him as a living sacrifice, and it begins with a humble life of service.
Serve with a right attitude.
2. Serve For The Right Purpose
Look at verse 4: For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
It is obvious when we stop and think about our human bodies, there are many different members that make up our bodies and they do not all have the same function.
My fingers can’t do what my eyes do, and my eyes can’t do what my fingers do, but I need both to work in order to properly function.
In the same way, God’s church is a body, and we who are in Christ are all members of the body, but we don’t all have the same function.
The preacher can’t do what the deacon of building and maintenance is doing, and the deacon cannot do what the preacher is doing, but we need both to work in order to properly function.
This is one of the passages I point to in order to make an argument for church attendance and church membership.
Some people genuinely believe they are experiencing the true spiritual life of following Jesus completely separated from the life of the church and membership in a church or at best very distant connection to a church.
I would ask: how can that be when verse 5 says: so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
I say often that in the gospel, we are not only saved from the wrath of God due our sin, but we are also saved into God’s family - the church.
You do not get one part of salvation without the other. In Christ, you are adopted into the family of God.
And to go one step further, I believe in the new testament, it is obvious to the leadership and to the people who the members of the church are.
There is a mutual understanding and agreement that we are members of the body of Christ and individually members of one another.
Members are not just anyone who chooses to attend some of the services.
The whole purpose Paul is addressing here is that the church is one body that has many members, and all the members do different functions as they give themselves as a living sacrifice and follow the will of God through a life of service.
So, what is the right purpose of giving your life as a living sacrifice?
The right purpose is to serve God’s church!
For God’s church is the very context through which God is accomplishing his mission and purposes in the world and in your life.
Now, I don’t mean that the only thing you are supposed to spend all your time doing is serving in the nursery at church, though thank you for doing that, by the way.
I am saying that in Christ, you are a member of God’s church, and as a member of God’s church, God uses you as a living sacrifice in order to humbly serve and advance his mission in all the realms of life He places you in.
You are a member of God’s church when you go to work.
You are a member of God’s church when you are out in your neighborhood.
And no matter where you are, you represent the person, the work, and the body of Christ, that is absolutely true when we gather, but it is also true when we scatter.
Being part of God’s body, the church, means that you are interdependent.
They say in counseling that it is not healthy to be independent in every relationship, and it is not healthy to be codependent, the healthy way of relationship is interdependent.
You have something unique that you offer in service to the body, and the others in the body have different things to offer in service to you.
And we all work together to serve the mission of Christ in the world.
Now remember, Paul has just spent three previous chapters helping us understand how Jew and Gentile can fit well together into one body and one family of faith.
I want to encourage you to remember that your being a member of the body of Christ has nothing to do with your background, your education level, your skin color, your socioeconomic standing, or the amount of years you have attended church.
You being a member of the body of Christ has everything to do with while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you, to save you from the wrath of God and to save you into his family - the church, and by His grace you have repented and believed for salvation,
So, do not be tempted toward partiality.
The beauty of the body of Christ is not in uniformity but in conformity to Christ from all different kinds of backgrounds and all the rest.
Serve for the right purpose.
Finally,
3. Serve In The Way God Has Gifted You
Verse 6: Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
We see here again: all who are in Christ have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.
Meaning God graciously gifts us differently.
So let us use them!
That is a command, meaning if you are not living a life of service in line with your gifts, you are disobeying God’s command to you.
So, use them! Put your gifts into practice!
Paul told Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God he had given him, which for Timothy was pastoring, preaching, and teaching.
We are to rightly steward the gifts God has graciously given us.
Now, we need a correct understanding of the spiritual gifts in order to rightly practice them.
Notice in verses 6-8, Paul lists seven different gifts that one might have.
And it is helpful to note that there are five different New Testament passages that give a list of spiritual gifts, and all of those lists differ in some ways.
So, there is not one official list of spiritual gifts, and that helps us understand that we should think of the spiritual gifts more like broad categories of service to consider and not precise prescriptions that would actually limit your service.
What I mean is: if you think of spiritual gifts as a precise prescription, and your spiritual gift is evangelism, then you think the only way you can serve God’s mission and church is through sharing the gospel with the lost, so you say “no” to any and every other opportunity because your one thing is evangelizing the lost.
But, if you think of spiritual gifts as broader categories of service, you can be open handed to serve in any way that God puts in front of you while also prioritizing putting yourself in positions to serve within your gifting.
Look at the seven Paul lists here:
If prophecy, in proportion to our faith.
Now, when we hear the word prophecy, we usually think of God giving a person a prophecy about future events - telling of something that will come to the pass in the future.
And while that was an element of prophecy in both the Old and New Testaments, the basic meaning of the word prophecy here simply means speaking to men in public.
1 Corinthians 14:3 ESV
3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
It is a gift of public speaking.
It is interesting to me how public speaking is many peoples’ number one fear, even Christian people.
Now, I have a lot of fears, but ever since I have been a Christian, I have always taken great joy in serving through publicly speaking God’s word through preaching.
It’s something I want and desire to do because God through is measure of grace to me and gifted me spiritually in that way.
Consider how Peter writes of the spiritual gifts and boils them all down to just two categories:
1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
This is why it is so helpful to think about the gifts in broad categories.
Peter is able to boil down all spiritual gifting to two categories: speaking and serving.
And once again, just because you are gifted to speak doesn’t mean you never serve and just because you are gifted to serve doesn’t mean you never speak.
But, prophecy is the gift of publicly speaking the word of God - it is preaching.
And our passage says: if you are gifted in prophecy, use your gift in proportion to our faith.
Now, again here, proportion to our faith does not mean how much faith you have.
If that was the case, it would read: in proportion to your faith.
But it says in proportion to our faith, because it is saying those who have the gift of public proclamation, use that gift to speak in line with our faith.
Speak the faith. Preach God’s word - no more and no less, because God’s word accurately presents the faith.
Like it says in Jude: the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Listen, if you are in Christ, and gifted at public speaking, which is a rare thing, have you ever opened your hands before God and asked him if he is calling you to preach.
God doesn’t just call people to preach when they are in college. He can call at anytime.
Verse 7 - if service, in our serving.
Now, we are all called to serve the Lord, but some people are particularly gifted of God in service.
They take joy in meeting the practical needs in the church, in the workplace, in the community.
We have a deacon of finance and of building and maintenance who constantly serve for the good of the church.
Beyond that, our church is filled with servants who meet the needs of Christ’s body in countless ways.
I married someone gifted in service.
While we are all called to serve, some people are particularly marked by empowerment for service.
It is those who can serve twelve hour days, and it just doesn’t seem to exhaust them as it does others.
It fuels them, because God has gifted them for it.
The one who teaches, in his teaching.
It seems the only two differences to infer between preaching and teaching seems to be the public nature of preaching, though teaching can be public, and the nature of appeal that is connected to preaching where the preacher in every sermon must appeal to men to be reconciled to God through faith.
Yet, teaching can be public or more one and one and in groups.
Consider:
2 Timothy 2:2 ESV
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
It is a passing on of the faith in a personal way, a teaching of the Scriptures, a passing on of the truth of God’s word.
We see this in many of you being Bible teachers to our children’s ministries.
Jesus said in the great commission to go, and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded.
While we are all called to speak God’s word in some aspect, those gifted with teaching are able to most effectively communicate God’s word in personal relationship and counsel.
One way to know how you are gifted is to ask yourself: what is your first instinct when you learn of someone’s need?
Do you first desire to provide them teaching, counsel, and help from God’s word? That is a speaking gift.
Or do you gravitate toward wanting to make a meal, offer to watch their kids, or give financially? That is a serving gift.
If you are gifted for teaching and instruction, are you filled with the knowledge of the word in order to teach and counsel others? If so, are you using your gift?
Verse 8: The one who exhorts, in his exhortation.
Exhortation is the idea of encouraging, urging, and building up believers to trust God and apply the Scriptures to their lives.
It is, once again, why thinking in broad categories is helpful.
Of course a preacher also teaches and exhorts, so we don’t have to draw hard lines.
But, some people are spiritually gifted encouragers and exhorters.
They are who you are drawn to talk with when you are spiritually discouraged.
They are the people who really embody
Hebrews 10:25 ESV
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Many of you have the gift of exhortation and encouragement! Use your gift!
Back to verse 8: the one who contributes, in generosity.
Once again, all believers must obey God’s command to give to his church through tithes and offerings by his grace as an act of worship,
But some people are spiritually gifted for generosity.
When they learn of a need, their first instinct is how can they give?
These are ones who intentionally plan to create margin in their budget in order to be a blessing to others in need.
Many times, we are uncomfortable with letting others in the church know of a financial need, but the New Testament is clear that giving to those in need in our faith family should be part of what we regularly do.
Are you gifted for generous giving? Use your gift.
The one who leads, with zeal.
This is that person in the group who steps up when the group has a job to do and needs someone to lead the way.
Men are called to lead spiritually their families, and their churches.
Some women are gifted leaders in business, service, and community.
If God has gifted you to lead, use your gift.
The one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
This is the person who, when they hear of someone’s need, their first impulse is to want to sit and be a good listener.
One whom God gifts with a desire to ease pain and suffering.
To embody the compassion and care of Jesus.
It is those who count it a privilege to care for the sick and dying.
If you are gifted in mercy, use your gift.
Now, a passage like this leads us to ask: how do I know what my spiritual gift is?
I find it interesting that the New Testament does not say, here is how to know your gift.
It just writes about the gifts as though it is obvious, the one who serves, serve.
The one who teaches, teach.
Remember, I said last week, God’s will is not something hidden.
God’s will is something you can know as you are transformed by God’s word to know what is good, perfect, and pleasing.
So, you learn what your gift is by feeding yourself with God’s word and being an active member in His church.
And as you gather to worship, and attend Community Group, and learn of needs in the body and community, you come to see how you are motivated to serve and help.
Living in church community also allows others to speak into what spiritual gifting they see in you, so ask your spouse or another church member.
Finally, consider what aspects of Jesus’ character and work you seem to spiritually perceive the most.
And remember, just like every other aspect of the Christian faith, we are gifted by God’s grace, not our works.
Before we were saved by Jesus, we lived out our days in the desires of self and sin.
But, while we were still sinners, Christ took our punishment of sin on the cross, that we might believe and be brought to spiritual life.
So, now, by the power of the Spirit of God, we live our days in humble and worshipful service to our Lord Jesus as we serve in our giftings.
Do you know the grace of Jesus?
Let’s pray.