The next section in Romans 12 comes in two parts, both beginning with the connecting word “For.” What was said before is recorded, but receives an explanation. What follows is related to and deepens what has gone before.

First part:
“For by virtue of the grace given to me, I say to each one of you not to think beyond what should be in mind, but to be careful to show sound judgment, just as God apportions to each one the measure of faith.”
Rom 12:3

Second part:
“For as in one body we have many members, but the members do not all have the same function, so also we, the many, are one body in Christ, but individually members one of another. According to the grace given to us, we now have excellent gifts of grace:
If it is a prophetic word, let it be used according to faith;
If it is the gift of service, use it in service;
Whether the teacher has the gift, so he works in the teaching;
If the promisor has it, he exercises it in the promise;
Likewise, do the one who shares with others in simplicity of heart,
the foregoing with diligence,
the one who has mercy, with joyfulness”.
Rom 12:4-8

In this article, we turn only to the first part. The second part comes to the fore in a next post. It is only mentioned here together because Paul builds up the answer in several stages.

Common sense

Common sense, in the context of the New Testament, has to do with lifestyle, with everyday life. It is sober. Having a sound mind is not merely the ability to think, but the word (Gr. sophrosune, sophronismos, sophroneo, sophroneo) is rendered “prudence” in some translations. It is a sober approach to life. Perhaps today one would also speak of “grounded” or “founded”. Someone shows common sense in what they do. So it’s not about special intellectual achievements, but rather about pragmatic sobriety in everyday life – sensible, in other words. The following examples may illustrate this. It is worth reading the texts in context.

“When they came to Jesus, they looked at the demon-possessed man who had had the legion, sitting there clothed and quite rational, and they were afraid.”
Mk 5,15

“I tell each one of you not to think beyond what should be in mind, but to be careful to show sound judgment.”
Rom 12:3

“But thou sayest what befits sound doctrine: let the aged men be sober, honorable , reasonable, sound in faith, love, and perseverance. In the same way, the aged women may show a conduct befitting consecrated women, not resisters, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of the excellent, so that they may instruct the young women in sound reason, namely, to love their husbands …”
Titus 2,1ff

“For God has not given us a spirit of despondency, but of power and of love and of sound judgment.”
2Tim 1:7

Common sense shows itself in the ability to test something

The first part ties in with Romans 12:1-2. The renewal of the mind, Paul said, should lead us to be able to examine what the will of God is (the good, pleasing and perfect). This “testing” is now described in more detail in Romans 12:3.

Why is it here? Let’s dive into the one verse here. A good way to help track down the meaning is to use the seven W-questions.

What might the answers be?

1. Who? Paul writes (Rom 1:1)
2. What? It is about the way of life based on the gospel (Rom 12:1-2)
3. When. A letter from Paul to the church in Rome, where he had never been (Rom 1:10).
4. Where. The church is in Rome (Rom 1:7)
5. The church in Rome (Rom 1:7)
6. Why? Paul wants to share “some spiritual gift of grace” with the church in Rome (Rom 1:11)
7. What for? To build up the church: “to strengthen you” (Rom 1:11).

These questions show what the apostle’s concern was for the letter. He was concerned, quite positively, with building up the community. This should be emphasized because some read into Romans 12 an instruction to devalue others because of their supposed low “measure of faith.” However, that was not Paul’s concern.

Here, in Romans 12, we are dealing with a partial issue, that of living on the basis of the gospel. Paul is speaking here to the church in Rome. The apostle addresses each one: “Said I to each one of you”. Accordingly, Paul is concerned with personal responsibility. Everyone should think about what is on everyone’s mind – their own motivations, motivations, attitude towards other people, expectations – everything that goes through your mind on a daily basis.

In this now everyone should be and remain humble. One should show common sense and always keep in mind how God apportions to each one his own measure of faith. This is a remarkable statement, because Paul assumes two things here:

1. Common sense is related to the measure of faith
2. The measure of faith comes from God.

Paul thus addresses the people personally on the one hand, but at the same time states that the foundation comes from God. He does not impose a burden, because the measure of faith comes from God. In other words, if someone shows little reason, room should be given to God’s activity, which does not assign the same measure of faith to everyone. His statement frees us from judging others.

It is never a matter of measuring ourselves against others – how much faith the other person has and how little I have myself, or how reasonable I am and how unreasonable the other person is. Nothing of the sort. Paul himself once clarified that he does not even judge himself and write:

“I myself do not care in the least that I am being investigated by you or by the Man Day. Neither do I search myself out, because I am not conscious of any guilt; yet I am not justified thereby. But he who searches me is the Lord!”
1Cor 4,3-4

“But we dare not judge ourselves or apply a standard according to certain people who commend themselves. But they are unwise, because they measure themselves by themselves and put the standard on themselves.”
2Cor 10,12

The measure of faith, then, is not a yardstick, but simply a quantity, a measure of faith as given by God differently from person to person – and that is a good thing. This frees us from self-righteousness. It is not a question of a yardstick to determine whether someone belongs to the good or the bad, but the apostle shows how building up succeeds. It is not the condemnation or intimidation of others, the rejection, exclusion or praise where it does not belong that is decisive, but the measure comes from God. He gives a measure of faith and from this comes appropriate behavior with sound reason. Applying standards to others or to oneself does not help much, because it is not about standards. Paul does not focus on a “set of rules for how everything should work,” but on the result. We are allowed to relax with all our differences and happily continue to grow, reflect, affirm development and promote good processes.

It is about transformation of everyday life, based on God’s grace, not about comparing people legally, even less about belittling them. It is always amazing to discover how soberly and liberatingly the apostle contributes to the construction with God’s grace.

If we ask the seven questions, this interpretation will emerge from the context. It is a liberating way of looking at things that puts everyone in their own responsibility.