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Two Measures

For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:3 

Did you see the two measures here? Look again. "For by the grace given to me" and "according to the measure of faith." Both grace and faith are given in measures. 

Let's define terms first. Grace is God's favor. Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Both are fundamental to God's plan for you.

In this verse, we see that grace is given. The tense used for the word "given" is vital, as are all aspects and details of God's Word. The tense is an aorist passive. The Aorist tense is like a snapshot of a past action. A freeze-frame. The passive with the aorist tense indicates a past action taken on the subject by an outside source or individual (http://goo.gl/e9ezL).

So, Paul says that the grace, God's favor, has already been given to him. It is a done deal. He has it now. He didn't earn it. An outside source gave it. That source being God. 

Elsewhere he tells us that grace comes in varying measures (Eph 4:7). God apportions grace. He measures it out his unmerited favor to each of His children, as He sees fit. This measuring took place in eternity past and continues into the eternal future. 

The second measure comes as God allots us faith. Here the verb is an aorist indicative active, which indicates that God is in the continuing process of assigning this faith.

If you are a believer in Jesus the Christ, it is because God has allotted you faith to believe in Him. If you are not a believer, think hard about what this verse is saying. It is a matter of life and death.

P.S. You Greek scholars, feel free to help me understand the above text! Thanks.  

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