Sober Judgment

Constantine's Arch, Rome, 2014

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (Romans 12:3)

Rome was the center of civilization in Paul's day. It was the seat of government for most of the known world, and though much of its culture was Greek in origin, it considered itself to be the center of culture, intellect and all things important. It was and is known as "The Eternal City," and still today it is a beautiful place. I've been privileged to walk its streets twice, and there is a certain magic or power or importance you feel just be being there.

In the first century, Paul wrote to those who were believers in Rome. Many say he was writing to them in hopes of drumming up support for a planned mission to Spain, and so Romans is a sort of "introductory letter" to Rome about Paul. A "here's what I believe, here's who I am" sort of letter. It is, some say, Paul's theological triumph. And yet, in the midst of the theology, there is also much practical advice about how to live out what you believe. In other words, if Jesus is who he says he is, how then should we live?

Paul has lots of answers to that question, but one aspect of living out this faith he says is found in the way we present ourselves and even in the way we think of ourselves. He calls us to not be self-important. Rather, he says to think about ourselves with "sober judgment." In other words, think clearly about who you are in light of who Jesus is. Don't make yourself out to be more important than you really are.

He says this in the context of a discussion about the body of Christ, a comparison he also makes elsewhere. We are part of a larger body; we are not meant to be independently functioning parts. One may be a foot, another a hand, and yet another an ear. And just as the parts of your body don't work so well apart from the others, so too, Paul says, is the body of Christ. This body also needs all its parts, working together, sticking together, relying on each other.

We live in a world where we are told that we are strong and independent, that we don't need anyone else, and that we are, in fact, the most important person in the world. And we swallow that message, hook, line and sinker (never realizing that everyone simply cannot be the most important). Therefore, we've created a culture where everyone is only out for themselves, and it doesn't matter who they hurt in the process. The long view will show, however, that they have really only hurt themselves. Others can find healing but a person who refuses to see themselves as part of a greater whole, a person who thinks of themselves more highly than they ought, a person who refuses sober judgment, never will.

Here's the truth Paul wants us to see, the "sober judgment" we must use: Jesus loves us just as we are but he loves us too much to leave us as we are. He calls us into community and to radical trust in him. He calls us to leave behind selfishness and self-centeredness and instead to care for the least, the last and the lost. He calls us into relationship that is constantly growing. In the mindset of John the Baptist, we become less as he becomes greater (John 3:30). What if we lived like that, like Jesus? What kind of world could we create then?