12:3 Paul began this pericope with a reminder of his apostolic authority. He probably did so because what he was about to say required personal application that would affect the conduct of his readers. The Romans had not met Paul personally so he urged them to receive his teaching humbly. A humble attitude was also important as they evaluated and exercised the individual abilities that God had given each of them (cf. 1 Pet. 4:10). Paul had had experiences with Christians, who were proud because of their spiritual gifts, in Corinth where he wrote this epistle (cf. 1 Cor. 12:14-31; 13:4; 4:12, 20).
The main point of this entire paragraph (vv. 3-8) is that Christians should not think more highly of ourselves than we should but use sober judgment in evaluating ourselves.
The faith in view in this verse and in verse 6 seems to refer to one's ability to view and use his or her gifts as abilities that God has given. It also involves trusting in God to work through us to bring blessing to others. Such a view of oneself in relation to his or her gifts is sound judgment because it is consistent with reality.361Spiritual gifts do not reflect the worth of the person who has them. For example, a person who has gifts that enable him or her to minister effectively to large crowds of people should not conclude that he or she is a superior Christian.
12:4-5 It is important that we remember that we are part of a larger organism. We are not just a group of individuals each doing our own thing. Paul had previously used the body to illustrate the church in 1 Corinthians 12. What he said here recapped the main idea that he expounded more fully there. The body of Christ is a unified organism, and its members are diverse personally and in their functions.
"Your right hand has never yet had a fight with the left: on the contrary, each constantly helps the other!"362
All the members belong to one another; there is mutuality in the church. As members of one another, we cannot work independently effectively. Each member profits from the contribution of every other member too. This realization should help us to avoid becoming proud.
12:6 The gifts that we have are abilities that God gives us by His grace (cf. 1 Cor. 12:6; Eph. 4:7; 1 Pet. 4:10). They are capacities for His service.
"Spiritual gifts are tools to build with, not toys to play with or weapons to fight with."363
The list that follows is not exhaustive but only illustrative (cf. 1 Cor. 12:27-28). Paul's point here was that it is important that we use our gifts and that we use them in the proper way. All the gifts need using according to the proportion (Gr. analogia) of the faith that God has given us. The faith in view, as in verse 3, is probably the amount of faith God has given us, not what we believe, namely Christian teaching.
Probably Paul meant prophecy in the sense of communicating revealed truth (cf. 1 Cor. 14:3, 31) rather than as predicting or proclaiming new revelation. All the other gifts listed here serve the whole church throughout its history so probably Paul viewed prophecy this way too.
12:7-8 All the gifts Paul mentioned in verse 6-8 need exercising within the body of Christ for its members' mutual benefit (cf. v. 5). Obviously other gifts have other purposes. However, Paul was stressing here the need to recognize that the members of the body contribute to the common welfare. In each case he spoke of the way we use these gifts.
"Service"or "serving"(v. 7, Gr. diakonia) probably refers to ministering to the material needs of other believers. Teaching involves explaining what God has revealed (cf. 1 Cor. 14:6). It differs from prophesying in that prophesying (from propheteuo, lit. to speak forth) evidently included communicating any word from God, inspired or uninspired (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11).364
"Exhorts"or "encouraging"translates the Greek word parakalesis, sometimes rendered "comfort."All three words are good translations. The context provides the clue to the main idea whenever the word appears. Here exhortation is perhaps best. Whereas teaching appeals to the mind, exhortation appeals to the will.365"Giving"is capable of broad application within the body. We should practice giving with singleness of heart and free of mixed motives (cf. Acts 5). The idea is not so much giving lavishly as giving single-mindedly.
Leaders experience temptation simply to enjoy the benefits of their positions rather than really providing leadership. Showing mercy relates to ministering to the sick and specially needy. A cheerful rather than a grudging attitude is an important part of such ministry.
