This article is part 5 of the Faithful Faith Formation in a Formative World series – Romans 12:1-8.
Today’s article brings our exploration of “A Faithful Faith Formation in a Formative World” to a close. Paul’s movement from verse 3 into verse 4 marks a decisive turn – moving from personal change to living it out in real life. Paul spoke of discerning God’s good, pleasing, and complete will, next, he describes how God’s will takes shape; what God’s will looks like as it shapes a community of friends.
“As in one body we have many limbs and organs, you see, and all the parts have different functions, so we, many as we are, are one body in the Messiah, and individually we belong to one another.” (Romans 12:4–5 – The Kingdom New Testament)
I emphasize in Working Out God’s Will, the will of God isn’t an abstract concept where we like monks, meditate upon in solitude mystical mindfulness. On the contrary, it’s a shared reality to be practiced in mutual belonging. Faith formation that stops at personal transformation misses Paul’s preferred future. Furthermore, the renewed mind naturally flows into a renewed way of being together.
The Measure of Faith: Thinking of Ourselves Rightly
Before introducing spiritual gifts, Paul calls for humility:
“Don’t think of yourselves more highly than you ought to think. Rather, think soberly, in line with faith, the true standard which God has marked out for each of you.” (v. 3)
This measurement of faith isn’t like a Google scale that ranks the level of a biblically shaped life. Instead it’s a shared inclination believers have toward Jesus. While we can (and all too often do) measure our worth by comparing ourselves to others, our true value is found in our participation.
God trusts each one of us with grace that contributes to the whole community of believers. Paul deconstructs the competitive hierarchies of the ancient Roman empire (much like our modern, Western empires) and invites believers to think rightly, relationally, and redemptively.
In this context, the renewed mind isn’t just changing the ways we think, but it’s a transformed self-perception – one that recognizes both our limitations and calling.
God’s Will Lived Out In Real Life: Many Members, One Life
I like how Paul’s image for a church community is intentionally dynamic. He compares it to a human body. The church as a local Christian community and as a global community, isn’t a static organization but an organism animated by the Holy Spirit. Our vitality isn’t measured by a sea of sameness but by our interdependence.
Each gift, each act of service, is a local expression of God’s will – acting out our shared identity toward what is “good, pleasing, and complete.” In psychological terms, this has a scaffolding effect on individual behaviour. We can give temporary support to help a person acquire a new skill or transform an existing behaviour – thinking one’s way to acting and acting one’s way to thinking.
We might say that discerning God’s will (v. 2) leads directly into doing God’s will (vv. 6–8).
Recognizing God’s will translates into revealing God’s will in serving one another.
Gifts As Grace in Motion
Once again I draw your attention to the nature of Scripture. Some passages are intended prescriptively but most are written descriptively. In the verses that follow, Paul’s list of gifts (prophecy, serving, teaching, encouragement, giving, leading, showing mercy) reads less like a prescription from Doc Martin (series on Acorn TV) and more like a description of what grace in action looks like. Each gift is relational and situational – they belong to the body’s ongoing life rather than to an individual’s spiritual gifts survey or résumé.
This also reinforces the idea that formation is participatory – a kind of ParticipACTION (most Canadians will be familiar with this. Here’s a relatable video clip that not only illustrates physical exercise but can teach us a good lesson about participating in the community of Christ.
Of all the forces that form us, serving shapes us; our minds renew as our bodies engage.
The very act of belonging to others becomes grace that forms. The “good, pleasing, and complete” will of God is revealed in the ordinary faithfulness of a shared life.
From Faithful Formation to Faithful Function
I see Paul unpacking a theological trifecta; a threefold movement like the cover on the back of my old pickup truck:
1. Presentation: We offer ourselves to God (v. 1).
2. Transformation: We experience a renewed mind (v. 2).
3. Participation: We function as one body (vv. 4–8).
This is the full arc of Christian formation. A renewed mind is never meant to remain a theory. The test of discernment reveals the authenticity in the life we live together; God’s fingerprints ought to be all over our shared life and ministry. Just like the muscles in our body learn to work together, the people of God learn to respond together to the lead of God’s Spirit.
Final Thoughts
The early church didn’t just believe new things; it became a new kind of people. Paul’s vision for the church in Rome still speaks powerfully to our church communities today. We’re groups of people whose thinking and living are inseparable, whose diversity is a witness to grace, and whose unity isn’t forced but formed through love. To live as the body of Christ is to live the will of God – not pursuing perfection, but sharing in the practice of mercy and grace.