Romans 12:16, commentary and pictures

To be of the same mind toward one another is to be like-minded in Christ, receiving one another as He received us and living together in unity, peace and mutual regard so that with one mind and one mouth God is glorified. It is lived as one body and temple in which different gifts and fitted works are blended into a complete whole, each member finding a proper place and growing together. To mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate is to turn from seeking status and favor with the great to humble fellowship with the lowly, tempering oneself to inferiors rather than making them feel inferior by display or airs. To be not wise in one's own conceits is to refuse trust in one's own judgment and exaltation of self, and instead to think soberly, walk humbly and seek wisdom from God as Guide and Counsellor. This forbids all dominating mastery and dictating over God's people, for God can sustain, lead, teach and use His workers only while they work humbly, while self-confidence and self-exaltation unfit them and break unity.

Meaning and Church Context

To be of the same mind one toward another is to be like-minded according to Christ, so that with one mind and one mouth believers glorify God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and receive one another as Christ received them to the glory of God. It is one of the principles for the conduct of Christians toward one another as members of the heavenly family, calling for unity of mind, peace, mutual regard, consideration, and help as they press on to overcome as Christ overcame. It requires laying aside proud ambitions and refusing trust in one's own wisdom in order to live and work in unity.

The same mind is lived as one body and temple in which every member has a fitted work, one person fitted for one class of work and another for another, with diversity of gifts and capabilities blended together into a complete whole, since all do not have capability to do the same work to the best advantage. With a variety of gifts brought into the building of the temple of the Lord, all are to find their proper place and grow together into a holy temple, for believers are God's husbandry and God's building. As the perfection of the physical body depends on the perfection of the individual organs, so the perfection of the spiritual body depends on each member practicing this humility in his place.

The verse forbids dominating mastery and ruling power that charges upon the Lord's people what they shall do and shall not do, and forbids treating any worker's judgment as unquestionable. It forbids shutting oneself within oneself, judging a brother, setting at nought a brother, or putting a stumblingblock and occasion to fall in his brother's way, since all must stand before the judgment seat of God and render account to God. Those in position, especially shepherds, are to represent the great Shepherd on a higher plane of action, wearing Christ's yoke and drawing under His leading, uniting and cooperating with brethren in unity and love instead of carrying out their own plans and ideas as a distinct whole refusing cooperation. Such dominating work is not of God, is another gospel, is not the righteousness of Christ, and is a spoil to the church of God.

To mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate is not to seek status, exalted things, or favor with the great, but to turn to fellowship with the lowly and associate humbly with people of low standing. It calls for a humble, considerate spirit in daily life and for tempering oneself to the condition of inferiors so as to assuage envy and mortification. It forbids putting on airs of learning before the illiterate, displaying wealth, wearing the richest garb before the humble in mean attire, speaking of keen eyesight before the blind or acute hearing before the deaf, walking unmoderated past the lame, changing dress as soon as it is worn by supposed inferiors, or any ostentation of a covetable quality to make others feel inferior. To be not wise in one's own conceits is not to trust, rely on, or be exalted in one's own judgment, opinion, wisdom, self-honor, self-esteem, egotism, or arrogance. It is to think soberly of self, walk humbly before God, keep mind and heart in constant prayer, and seek wisdom and guidance from Him as Strength, Guide, and Counsellor, for God keeps using men as His instruments only while they work humbly, while Satan works by every device to make workers exalted in their own opinion in order to weaken them and gain power over them, and anyone who considers himself wise in himself is left to follow his own finite judgment.

The verse belongs to Paul's instructions in Romans 12 for how believers live together as one body in Christ, joined to sincere love, honoring one another, active service, and sharing joys and sorrows. It stands with rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep, repaying no evil for evil, providing honest things before all men, and living peaceably with all as far as possible. Joined to it are not avenging but leaving wrath to God, feeding a hungry enemy, giving drink to the thirsty, and overcoming evil with good rather than being overcome by evil, with the mind kept clear, pure, clean, and healthy under the control of God and the Holy Spirit. The whole chapter is very instructive history and instruction of high value for all churches, showing the plain duty of the church in every place to live in unity, peace, love, kindness, and courtesy.

Humble Obedience and Warnings

Romans 12:16 sets religious duty for the whole church to study, requiring careful study and doing in small matters as well as large, brought into practical daily life. It is to be lived with a clear, pure, clean and healthy mind kept under the control of God and the Holy Spirit, in unity and peace, not minding high things but in humility condescending to men of low estate and not being wise in self-conceit, joined to recompensing no evil for evil, providing things honest before all, living peaceably with all as far as possible, not avenging but leaving wrath to God, feeding a hungry enemy and giving drink to the thirsty, and overcoming evil with good rather than being overcome by evil. That life appears in pure, clean words full of sympathy, tenderness and love, in family religion and family holiness, and in accepting reproof and sharp rebuke when out of the way. Every member has a fitted work to do, one for one class of work and another for another, all blending together in a complete whole, since all do not have capability to do the same work to the best advantage.

Humility is the condition for God to sustain, use, lead and teach His appointed workers. God, who is high and lifted up, keeps using men as His instruments only while they work humbly and seek wisdom from Him. Human weakness in serving God is to submit to divine help while faithfully doing the appointed part, acting toward one another with humble, unassuming minds rather than seeking high status or trusting own wisdom. Satan works by every device to make workers exalted in their own opinion in order to weaken them and gain power over them, and pride puts a person in danger of giving him that power.

Ministers and those chosen to make decisions must not be full of themselves or consider themselves wise, especially when they have success in their work. To consider themselves wise is to be too strong and too full of self, vainly imagining that God cannot do without them and relying on own judgment as though it were wisdom, and such self-confidence unfits men, proves they are not men of consecrated ability and lack the value that comes from experience in living connection with God, so that God cannot lead them or teach them or use them to His glory and they become inefficient. Self must be buried, workers must come out of the conflict to hold communion with God and be subject to Him seeking wisdom from Him, the people must be educated to seek the Lord, and plain words must be spoken to those who trust their own wisdom. Practicing the command to be of the same mind, not to mind high things but to condescend to men of low estate and not to be wise in own conceits, means thinking soberly of self, wearing Christ's yoke and drawing under His leading, uniting and cooperating with brethren instead of carrying out own plans and ideas as a distinct whole refusing cooperation.

Because the church militant is not the church triumphant, believers will face opposition, suspicion, unjust treatment and unadvised speech even from brethren, and are to walk humbly before God keeping His honor first and expecting disappointment rather than much from men. In presenting truth they must be humble, calm, dignified, just, tender, wise and considerate, of one mind in Christ rather than divided by pride, self-esteem, egotism and arrogance. They are to cultivate kindness and true heavenly courtesy rather than hostility or drawing off toward those who are suspicious and unjust, for such courtesy is not weakness and always pays. They must closely criticize self to distinguish the honor of God from the honor of self, and must not mind high things of self-honor under pretense of vindicating truth by accusation, condemnation, bitterness, indignation, overbearing words, hard thrusts and offensive temper that wound souls, close ears and close doors otherwise open. Instead they are to value the soul of every opposer, erring brother and unbeliever as purchased by the blood of Christ, pray silently for those in error instead of reviling, live in mutual understanding and humility without seeking status or looking down on people of low estate and without trusting supposed wisdom, and manifest the Spirit of Christ learned from being with Jesus, so that opponents are softened, subdued and convinced.

Living the verse builds fellowship as one of many principles for the conduct of Christians toward one another as members of the heavenly family, calling for unity of mind, humility rather than seeking high things, and fellowship with the lowly instead of pride in own wisdom, so that believers help and strengthen each other as they press on to win heaven by overcoming as Christ overcame. It calls for overcoming faults of character, respecting and loving fellow believers, and cultivating confidence rather than suspicion, not seeking status or favor with the great but associating humbly with people of low standing and not trusting own wisdom. It rules out picking at others' faults, exaggerating mistakes, or discouraging workers who are struggling, requiring instead lifting them up and recognizing the good they have done, with Christian fellowship and self-sacrificing love forming character and drawing believers together in unity.

Being wise in one's own conceit brings blindness and stumbling in understanding prophecy and Scripture. Such pride makes people feel no need to seek God humbly to be led into truth, leaving them ignorant of Scripture and God's power despite confidence in their own enlightenment. It leads to misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus and dishonoring God through unbelief. The warning applies to relying on self-important people, those who disregard God and His law, trust their own judgment, or offer worldly counsel as counselors, where the less trust placed in them the safer one is and the better one's standing before God.

Making self the highest consideration breaks unity and counterworks God and hinders conversions, while an unselfish life shows Christ living within rather than Satan ruling the heart. High and pure and holy things must be earnestly sought and cherished, for when they are not the professed believer sinks to a low base level in company and speech. Then the tongue runs riot unrestrained, words are not lifted up by holiness but take on Satan's attributes, and by those words the evil treasure stored in the heart is revealed. The same pride and self-confidence in being wise in own conceits was leading workers in Australia to envy and jealousy and to resist the work that needed to be done.

Obeying the verse requires a change of attitude, controlling self and keeping self under control in order to work in harmony with others and continue in usefulness. Those who live it are true believers, transformed by the renewing of the mind, showing sincerity and proving by experience the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, and living thus prepares a people to meet God. Failure to live it shows by daily character that faith is spurious and that moral renovation of the heart is still needed. Intelligent, pure, cordial belief in the grace of Christ that brings salvation to all sets feet on the eternal Rock and makes reaching the standard of perfection possible without losing past success.