Romans 12:3

Paul began this pericope with a reminder of his apostolic authority. He probably did so because what he was about to say required personal application that would affect the conduct of his readers. The Romans had not met Paul personally so he urged them to receive his teaching humbly. A humble attitude was also important as they evaluated and exercised the individual abilities that God had given each of them (cf. 1 Peter 4:10). Paul had had experiences with Christians, who were proud because of their spiritual gifts, in Corinth where he wrote this epistle (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:14-31; 1 Corinthians 13:4; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 4:20).

The main point of this entire paragraph (Romans 12:3-8) is that Christians should not think more highly of ourselves than we should but use sober judgment in evaluating ourselves.

"Humility is the direct effect of consecration, because pride is, and ever has been, the great enemy of true righteousness." [Note: Griffith Thomas, St. Paul’s Epistle . . ., p. 331.]

The faith in view in this verse and in Romans 12:6 seems to refer to one’s ability to view and use his or her gifts as abilities that God has given. It also involves trusting in God to work through us to bring blessing to others. Such a view of oneself in relation to his or her gifts is sound judgment because it is consistent with reality. The "measure of faith" does not refer, then, to how much faith one can muster up but to the amount of faith that God has given each Christian. This amount varies from believer to believer. We can see this in that it is easier for some Christians to trust God than it is for others to do so. Spiritual gifts do not reflect the worth of the person who has them. For example, a person who has gifts that enable him or her to minister effectively to large crowds of people should not conclude that he or she is a superior Christian.