New Living Translation
Romans 12:7
7If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.
Romans 12:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
- New International Version (NIV)if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
- English Standard Version (ESV)if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
- New King James Version (NKJV)or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
Context of Romans 12:7
5so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
Read all of Romans 12Romans 12:7 word by word
εἴτε διακονίαν ἐν τῇ διακονίᾳ, εἴτε ὁ διδάσκων ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Romans 12:7
- Isaiah 21:8Then the watchman called out, “Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord. Night after night I have remained at my post.
- Ezekiel 3:17“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.
- Ezekiel 33:7“Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me.
- Matthew 24:45“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
- Luke 12:42And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
- Acts 20:20I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.
- Colossians 4:17And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”
- 1 Timothy 4:16Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
- 2 Timothy 4:2Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
- 1 Peter 5:1And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:
- Deuteronomy 33:10They teach your regulations to Jacob; they give your instructions to Israel. They present incense before you and offer whole burnt offerings on the altar.
- 1 Samuel 12:23“As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.
- Psalms 34:11Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
- Psalms 51:13Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.
- Ecclesiastes 12:9Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them.
- Matthew 28:19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Commentaries on Romans 12:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Or ministry - simply means the office of a deacon; and what this office was, see in the note on Acts 6:4; (note), where the subject is largely discussed. Or he that teacheth - The teacher, , was a person whose office it was to instruct others, who thereby catechizing, or simply explaining the grand truths of Christianity.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Or ministry - ́ diakonianThis word properly means service of any kind; Luke 10:40. It is used in religion to denote the service which is rendered to Christ as the Master. It is applied to all classes of ministers in the New Testament, as denoting their being the servants of Christ; and it is used particularly to denote that class who from this word were called deacons, that is, those who had the care of the poor, who provided for the sick, and who watched…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-8Verses 3-8 Pride is a sin in us by nature; we need to be cautioned and armed against it. All the saints make up one body in Christ, who is the Head of the body, and the common Centre of their unity. In the spiritual body, some are fitted for and called to one sort of work; others for another sort of work. We are to do all the good we can, one to another, and for the common benefit. If we duly thought about the powers we have, and how far we fail properly…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7teaching: The gift of teaching is listed third among the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and fifth in Ephesians 4:11. Prophets speak to the community with a message they receive directly from God. Teachers, however, instruct the church by carefully studying the word of God and explaining it to others.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-86-8. Having then gifts differing according to the grace given to us--Here, let it be observed, all the gifts of believers alike are viewed as communications of mere grace. whether--we have the gift of prophecy--that is, of inspired teaching (as in Ac 15:32). Anyone speaking with divine authority--whether with reference to the past, the present, or the future--was termed a prophet (Ex 7:1). let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith--rather, "of…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 12:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
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