Paul did not earn this place. It was not his choice to make. It was God who called him to be an apostle and to write some of the Scriptures and to travel extensively and establish sound churches. The saints in Rome needed to understand who was writing to them. Paul was going to address a problem in that church. It was a problem similar to that which he needed to address in Corinth. It seems to be a common problem among professing Christians.
Pride is an ugly thing. It is sin. Cain was a proud man who refused to listen to God. Pride led Cain to murder his brother. Pride is not a crutch we can lean on. It is a sin that needs to be addressed by the saved and forsaken. Pride is what brought about the many denominations.
True faith is based upon the true God. There is no compromise with God. Those who believe the truth can know that they have eternal life. The Christian life is not based on opinions of man. It is established in God’s Word and must be accepted by those who are saved. Standing upon the Word of God is not pride. Those who stand upon God’s Word faithfully are humble in that they do not rely on their intellectual capacities. They do not rely on the writings of other men. They honestly and truthfully build their lives on the Word of God.
Biblical conviction is often mistaken for pride. Compromisers always want others to compromise as well. They cannot accept anyone who stands firm upon the Word of God. Compromisers do not accept a pure absolute Word of God. There may well be some who will read this and conclude that the writer is a very proud man. They will be mistaken, but that is a possible outcome of being bold in the truth. The apostle Paul was despised by false teachers. I am not an apostle. I do not speak with inspired words, as Paul did. Every born again Christian has access to the pure Word of God. Every born again Christian has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. We can know the truth and we are exhorted to stand upon the truth.
The saints in Rome had no right to think they were better than others. Those who are saved need to be humble. They need to think soberly. Any born again Christian is capable of sin. It is foolish to assume that we have arrived at a place where we do not sin any longer.
The saints need to understand that who they are as saved individuals is the work of God. He gave each saint a measure of faith according to His will. Some were kept back because of their lack of humility. They refused to follow God faithfully and thus He could not entrust them with the deeper things of God.
The faith that is needed is that ability to trust God completely for His gift of salvation. As we will see, the grace we are given is not limited by God, but rather by our attitude toward God after we are saved. The sin of pride can still hinder the saved person. It needs to be confessed and forsaken.
Paul continued by using the human body as an example of what he was talking about. Not every part of the human body does the same thing. Not every part of the human body is able to do the same thing.
It is as the different parts of the body function as God designed them, that the person can function properly. No sane person would expect the same thing from the hand as they do of the foot. No one expects the teeth to function in the same way that the ear does. We understand that each part of the human body has a specific function. When our bodies work properly, we can accomplish much. When there is disagreement among body parts, actions are limited. A person with a paralyzed arm is limited in his abilities, etc.
In verse 5 Paul used the above illustration to make an important point regarding the local church. Each member in the local church is called of God to a specific task. The apostle Paul was called to be an apostle. He did not go to every church and choose apostles. There were 12 of them, and they were all directly chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were also all personally trained by the Lord Jesus.
Those who are saved need to learn what their particular gift is and they need to learn how to use that gift for God’s glory.
In verse 6 we see that the gifts are given according to God’s grace. Here we see again that grace is the vehicle that God uses to assign His purpose to each saved person. The pastor cannot assume he is so much better than the rest and that is why he was called to be the pastor. The same goes for the song leader or the usher or any other person. Each person is called to their task after they are saved, for the edification of the body. It is not about elevating one person above the rest.
The true child of God fulfills his calling by faith. He trusts God and functions in accordance with the sure Word of God. We will look at the list that the apostle Paul was given next time. We see here that even those who are saved need to be reminded of the importance of humility. The “old man” is still hanging around and he is still trying to undermine what God designed His child to be. The saved person needs to be in the Word of God and needs to be taught properly by others who have been taught the truth. Those who are saved all need to be taught. The apostle Paul was taught by the Lord. He received his instructions from the Lord as he wrote this letter. He did not dream it up by himself. Those who follow after the apostle Paul also need to be instructed from the Word of the Lord. We need godly men who can help us to know and follow the truth. Good Bible conferences are becoming harder to find, but they are important. There is no place for an “old boys club” among true saints. There is a need to take God’s Word as the absolute and final authority. When we do this, we will avoid the many pitfalls that the devil has laid out to try to trap God’s people.
Pastor Bartel