What does roman's chapter 12 verse 4 -8 mean?

Answer 1

It means that everyone in the body of Christ (the Church, both Universal and local) doesn't have the same function, the same job, as everyone else. Each has his or her own talent(s) and ability(s) to contribute to the overall smooth running of the Church. But despite the fact that there are many unique individuals in the Church, they are all united in one in Christ, and at the same time, are members of each other. It's a matrix of relationships within the framework of Christ. The writer goes on to mention some of the more prominent operational gifts and ministries and how they should appear in operation ideally.

Answer 2

Paul was using the human body as a reference point to illustrate how a community works. He refers to that community as 'the Body of Christ'; in the body we have numerous parts, the hand, the eye, the foot etc; each is different to the others and has its own job to perform. So in the community of believers some are prophets, others teachers, others ministers etc.

He is telling the community to allow those who have certain gifts to use them and those who have the gifts to use them for the benefit of the community.

Answer:

This is a logical and beautiful example of the nature of "oneness."

For some strange reason... people have no trouble understanding the "oneness" of the human "family" structure that God created, to teach us about it. It is one family unit that's composed of many individuals. They are NOT all the same person.

Go ahead... try to tell someone that you and your father are the "same person"... and see what the reaction is.

Yet -- when it comes to religion... sound reason and logic go out the window.

Jesus prayed to His Father that His "ekklesia" [His disciples and future church] would be "one" JUST AS HE AND HIS FATHER ARE ONE! [John 17:11]

And although any logical person knows that all the millions of members of the "Body of Christ" [God's church]... which is "unified"... of "one purpose" and "one" in the Lord... aren't the "same person."

Yet, in certain "religious" environs in this world... people blindly accept the "trinity doctrine"... that God is three "different persons" [explained to us in "familial terms"] who are somehow "all the same person"... and no one seems to bat an eyelash at the utter illogic of it.

Romans 12:4-8 is a wonderful example of the logic of oneness. Just as a family unit is composed of different people who have different personalities and talents, which are all used differently for the common benefit of the whole -- so is the human body composed of different members [arms, legs, head, hands, fingers, toes, etc], which all work in their different capacities as one in the function of the unit.

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form One Body, and each member belongs to all the others.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." (Rom.12:4-8 NIV)

"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into the body -- whether Jews or Greeks [Gentiles], slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

"If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

"And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

"If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

"But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. IF THEY WERE ALL ONE PART, WHERE WOULD THE BODY BE?

"As it is, THERE ARE MANY PARTS, but ONE BODY." (I Cor.12:13-20 NIV)

"Now you are the Body of Christ, and each of youis a part of it." (verse 27)

So, if Jesus' desire is that His church be "one" as He and His Father are "one"... then the logical opposite of the equation dictates that since the Church is NOT ALL ONE PERSON -- then neither are Jesus and His Father.

That's what Roman 12:4-8 means.

"For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear; but of... a sound mind." (II Tim.1:7)

The example of oneness in Romans 12:4-8, and elsewhere in God's Word, is "sound logic" as God's creation teaches us... but the "religious confusion" of the doctrine of the "trinity" is absurd and illogical.

Answer 3

Romans 12:3-8 is a passage on "gifts". Verses 4 is saying that in the body of Christ, the true church, each member has a gift, but that each gift is different from another member. Even if two or more members have the same gift, in say, teaching each member can and will use that teaching gift in a different way from another member. There is another list of gifts in I Corinthians 12:12-14. That list and the one here differ. One commentator said it is like the gifts are a palette of basic colors, and God has blended those colors just slightly for each person. Think about it. There are millions? of believers and just so many gifts to go around so God has varied the gifts so that not two people's gifts are exactly the same. No one has the same function exactly.

All true believers are one body in Christ, He is the Head and so that gives us a common relationship not only to the Head but to each other.

Answer 4

Romans 12:4-5 (NKJV)

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

This means that everyone that believes in Christ are all brothers and sisters. We are the body of His church. Not everyone has the same abilities or God given talents. Some can preach, some teach, some can play Musical Instruments, some can write books, some prophesy and so forth. We all belong to Christ but still we all need each other to do what we do best for the glory of God.