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For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think<\/span> <\/strong>of himself<\/em><\/strong><\/span> more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n We must make an honest appraisal of ourselves.<\/p>\n Paul starts off this verse with, \u201cFor<\/span>\u201d, implying that this verse is directly connected to the previous one in thought and intent.<\/p>\n In this verse Paul makes one of his familiar play-on-words with the word phrone\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which refers to \u201cthe mind, thinking, or a mindset.\u201d Literally, Paul says that each of us should \u201cnot over think ourselves beyond what we ought to think, but to think toward sound thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n The word translated \u201csoberly<\/span>\u201d is s\u014dphrone\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which means \u201cto be of a sound mind\u201d or \u201cto be mentally self-controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n The Greek word translated \u201cas<\/span>\u201d is h\u014ds<\/em><\/span>, which is a tiny word with numerous nuances of interpretation. We could interpret its use here as, \u201cin recognition of the fact that.\u201d<\/p>\n In the previous verse Paul told us we should be transformed by renewing, or renovating, our minds. That is, we need to completely change the way that we think.<\/p>\n We in the United States, like the Romans of Paul\u2019s time, tend to think of ourselves as a little bit better than others because we are part of a successful, powerful, influential country. And we tend to measure our own personal worth by our position, our income level, and our heritage. Couple that with the fact that we as Christians think of ourselves as better than the pagans and other unbelievers because we know the truth about God and they don\u2019t. In other words, we are very proud of ourselves. It\u2019s likely that the Jewish Christians in Rome felt exactly the same way about themselves.<\/p>\n Now that Paul has politely admonished us to offer ourselves up to God, recognizing that He is our master and we are His slaves, he tells us to quit being so arrogant! Of course, Paul is not as blunt as that, but in essence that\u2019s what he\u2019s saying. He gives us a guideline as to how we ought to think; \u201cin recognition of the fact that God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.\u201d Everything we have and are has come directly from God. Even the measure of faith that we have, as small as it may be, has its source in God alone. Do you see that? This Christian faith which we have was measured out to us by God. We didn\u2019t come up with it by ourselves.<\/p>\n When we recognize that God \u201cchose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him<\/span>\u201d (Ephesians 1:4<\/strong><\/span>), we must submit to the fact that all things are under God\u2019s control. And no matter how great we think we are as a nation, as a church, or as a person, we must recognize that we are nothing more than sinners deserving of Hell, who have been saved by God\u2019s grace, not by anything of our own doing. Though we are adopted children of the King of Kings, we are at our best when we recognize that we are lowly slaves of our Master who bought us body, soul, and spirit, and paid for us with the blood of His own son.<\/p>\n Application<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n So – don\u2019t waste your effort thinking about how great you are! Instead, think about how great our God is!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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