6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
according to the grace given to us,
God gave Paul the gift of apostleship by grace (v.3) and He gives us our gift by grace. The word “gift” itself comes from the word “grace,” so there is a grace dimension in gifts. We do not deserve or earn the right to possess these gifts; they come from God’s supernatural choice to give them to us. Our gifts are not arbitrary but operate under divine design. We cannot brag about how we developed our gifts because God gave them out of His sovereign grace.
God gives gifts that go beyond natural talent or human capacity. Glory goes to God in this. There is no room for boasting, as verse three indicated; we will not esteem ourselves beyond what we ought to think if we are grace oriented.
PRINCIPLE:
We do not earn or deserve our gift.
APPLICATION:
All gifts are expressions of God’s grace to the church. Grace is the source and measure of all the gifts. The true nature of the church does not operate on natural resources or human talent but on divine resources from grace. The emphasis is not on status or office but on gifts given to individuals. Every believer has something to offer the church through his or her gift. There is mutual interdependence in this.
