What does Romans 12:3 mean? (2024)

ESVFor by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

NIVFor 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 faith God has distributed to each of you.

NASBFor through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

CSBFor by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

NLTBecause of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

KJVFor I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Follow Us:What does Romans 12:3 mean? (1)What does Romans 12:3 mean? (2) What does Romans 12:3 mean? (3)

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.

Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.

Paul has written that those of us who have received God's awesome mercy in Christ should change the way we lead our lives. In fact, he has urged us to sacrifice how we use our bodies and our minds. We should seek to be used by God for His purposes and to see the world through the lens of what He wants instead of just what we want.

Now Paul writes that this begins with seeing ourselves as we really are. By nature, human beings inflate our perception of ourselves. We are ever at the center of our own mind's eye, always measuring everything we see and hear against the standard of our own perspective.

Paul writes that one of the ways our minds must be transformed is in developing the ability to see ourselves accurately. We must develop "sober judgment," or an objective eye. We need to be honest with ourselves about what we're good at and what we're not.

Paul does not say we must all learn to think of ourselves as terrible and worthless. Instead, he wants us to step away from the funhouse mirror that causes us to see ourselves as big and powerful and important. It takes faith to see ourselves objectively in this way, Paul writes. Why faith? He will go on to show that we must see ourselves truthfully so that we can trust God to do through us what He has gifted us for.

In other words, God has work for each of us to spend our lives doing in service to His church. An inflated view of ourselves will only get in the way of the truly powerful things God intends to do through us.

Expand

Expand

Expand

What is the Gospel?

Download the app:
What does Romans 12:3 mean? (4)What does Romans 12:3 mean? (5)

BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries What does Romans 12:3 mean? (6)

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit
What does Romans 12:3 mean? (7)

Follow Us:What does Romans 12:3 mean? (8)What does Romans 12:3 mean? (9) What does Romans 12:3 mean? (10)

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.

Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.

What does Romans 12:3 mean? (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 5872

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (73 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.