One Anothers Part III: A Faith That Works Out Loud

In Romans 12:4, Paul makes the following statement,

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function.”

We gather from the text that, as people of faith, we are one, but we are not all the same. The reality is that Christianity is not about becoming part of a group of people who are exactly the same. However, we by absolute necessity must be serving the same Savior.

What becomes apparent is that you cannot be a One Another, in mind and heart, if you are not a One Another, in body—group association. This is to say, you must be a member of the Body of Christ. Therefore, Paul writes, “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another,” (Romans 12:5). Thus, we are of the same Body. Nevertheless, we still possess our differences.

What we discover is that, in the body of Christ, the many are gifted. In fact, Paul says, we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us (Romans 12:6). Do not miss the method of their conferring. Your gifts were conferred, not due to your goodness. Instead, these gifts were conferred by God’s grace. Another thing to note is that the gifts are not all the same. Within the many, there is variety.

During my years of ministry, I became aware of a group of church leaders who diminished the pastor's gifting by elevating their own. The fact that they were gifted men was true (though some were more gifted than others). However, when they chose to diminish the pastor’s gifting to elevate themselves, it became clear that among the gifts they lacked were wisdom and humility.

When we attempt to categorize ourselves with a gifting we don’t have, humility is replaced by arrogance, and thinking ourselves wise, we become fools. So, don’t take God's grace and gifting for granted. Do something with the gift you have been given. This is why Paul says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them,” (Romans 12:6).

Paul’s words in Romans 12 aren’t just lofty theology, they are blue-collar Christianity. He tells us to let our love be genuine, to hate what’s evil, and to cling to what’s good. Then he adds a competitive twist, “Outdo one another in showing honor,” (Romans 12:10). It’s as if Paul is saying, “If you’re going to compete, compete to love better than anyone else.” That’s a gifting worth having and a race worth running.

The gifts are real. But are you actually using yours?

→ Read Part 4: Take Inventory with Intent on Action

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Your gifts came from grace, not greatness — and they were never meant to compete. Dr. Victor Stanley helps ministry leaders align their gifts with humility, purpose, and genuine service.

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