It kind of strikes me as a bit ironic that Romans, a book so consumed by grace, would also contain so many commands to obey. I underline “commands to obey” with a purple colored pencil. I’ve used it a little in the first part of Romans, but the first 11 chapters have been mostly about the doctrines of salvation and grace and justification through faith. But get to Romans 12 . . . and pull out the purple pencil . . . especially over the last 12 verses. In a series of “short snappers”, Paul clearly spells out the implications of being a believer . . . clearly paints a picture of what it looks like to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (12:2). And as I was reading and re-reading this list of “commands to obey” one, in particular, caught my attention this morning.

“Do not be wise in your own opinion.” (Romans 12:16b)

Now maybe, if I had been reading it in the NIV, it may not have jumped out at me (unless of course it’s not so much that it caught my eye but that the Holy Spirit made sure my eye caught it — in which case the translation wouldn’t have mattered). In the NIV it’s simply, “Do not be conceited.” And I’m thinking that “to consider oneself wise in one’s own opinion” is a pretty good definition of conceited.

This command is a repeat thought in this portion of Scripture. Yesterday morning, I read the first part of Romans 12 and there Paul writes, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Now, our world makes a big deal out of self-image today . . . and it seems, so does the Scriptures. We are not to over-rate ourselves . . . but we are to think about ourselves “soberly” or with “sound judgment” . . . we are to think about ourselves accurately . . . with an honest self evaluation . . . and this, according to the faith God has given us. So, while our self image isn’t to be overstated, it’s not to be understated either. By faith we understand that we are children of God, joint heirs with Christ, a special people called out as God’s prized possession and inheritance. Not much room for an inferiority complex there.

But by faith we also understand that, when all is said and done, we are simply sinners saved by grace. And that should be humbling. That should keep us from ever becoming wise in our own opinion . . . from becoming high-minded and haughty . . . from thinking ourselves as better than anyone else . . . from becoming enamored with our brain power or our abilities. Our gifts and abilities are according to the grace given us (12:6) . . . our understanding, whether of things of the world or of the Scriptures, is only as He has led us out of darkness and into His marvelous light and as His Spirit has formed within us any measure of a biblical mindset.

Proverbs has something to say about being “wise in our own eyes” . . . “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him (Pr 26:12)”. When we get too enamored with ourselves . . . when we start preferring the sound of our voices over the sound of others . . . when we start thinking we’re something . . . then things can get a little dicey. Instead we need to guard against being “high minded” or haughty. Nothing good can come from pride . . . from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought . . . of “being wise in our own opinion.”

But ground our self-image in Christ . . . humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord . . . esteem others better than ourselves . . . yield ourselves to the Spirit’s work of conforming our minds to that of the Savior’s . . . and then, we’ll have a healthy self-image. A self-image born out of grace . . . a self-image empowered by the knowledge that we are the children of God . . . a self-image that finds worth not in ourselves but in the One who loved us so much, that He gave His One and Only Son to redeem us. Not wise in our own opinion . . . but wise in Christ . . . by His grace, and for His glory . . . amen.