3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Paul instructs the Romans to embrace some balance in their witness. First of all they were not to think more highly of themselves than they should. When you look to the culture of that day, the Romans and Greeks were very proud of their accomplishments. They felt that they were the strongest, wisest, smartest and most advanced people on earth. Some of this may have been true. But their self assessment was obviously from a heart of pride and arrogance. Paul didn't say that they couldn't be pleased and thankful for what they could accomplish either as a people or as a person. He was stating the obvious - leave selfish pride out of it!
Thinking about one self is a bit of a two edged sword isn't it? On one hand you have that which you can do and do well. But on the other there are things which you cannot seem to get right nor do well. Self assessment is always a tough thing to do and if you don't do it right it always ends disastrously. That is why you must take Paul's next statement into context. "... in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Faith knows what we really can do even if we cannot see it. Everyone has their limits, but from our point of view we can only see that which is of this earth. Faith can see things beyond our understanding. Thus placing our faith in Jesus helps us discover what is beyond our understanding of ourselves. Faith unlocks unseen potential and places our future firmly in the hands of someone who can so something great with it. So, what can you do?
Paul instructs the Romans to embrace some balance in their witness. First of all they were not to think more highly of themselves than they should. When you look to the culture of that day, the Romans and Greeks were very proud of their accomplishments. They felt that they were the strongest, wisest, smartest and most advanced people on earth. Some of this may have been true. But their self assessment was obviously from a heart of pride and arrogance. Paul didn't say that they couldn't be pleased and thankful for what they could accomplish either as a people or as a person. He was stating the obvious - leave selfish pride out of it!
Thinking about one self is a bit of a two edged sword isn't it? On one hand you have that which you can do and do well. But on the other there are things which you cannot seem to get right nor do well. Self assessment is always a tough thing to do and if you don't do it right it always ends disastrously. That is why you must take Paul's next statement into context. "... in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Faith knows what we really can do even if we cannot see it. Everyone has their limits, but from our point of view we can only see that which is of this earth. Faith can see things beyond our understanding. Thus placing our faith in Jesus helps us discover what is beyond our understanding of ourselves. Faith unlocks unseen potential and places our future firmly in the hands of someone who can so something great with it. So, what can you do?
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