Romans 12:16 Be not wise in your own conceits.

“Be Not Wise in Your Own Eyes”

Text: Romans 12:16 (KJV)


“Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”
INTRODUCTION: THE DANGER OF THINKING YOU KNOW IT ALL

We live in an age of opinions. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has a platform. Everyone believes they are right. Knowledge has increased—but wisdom has diminished.

The Apostle Paul ends Romans 12:16 with a sober command:


“Be not wise in your own conceits.”

In simple words:
“Do not think you know it all.”

This is not merely a personality flaw—it is a spiritual danger.

Pride in the mind leads to hardness of heart.
Self-confidence replaces God-dependence.
And soon, a man may know much Scripture, yet walk far from God.
I. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES”?

The phrase “own conceits” means:


Self-generated wisdom


Private conclusions without God


Confidence rooted in self, not in truth

To be wise in your own eyes is to say (even silently):


“I already know this”


“I don’t need correction”


“Others are beneath my understanding”


“My view is superior”
Scripture Interprets Scripture


Proverbs 3:7
“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

Notice the contrast:


Self-wisdom vs Fear of the Lord


You cannot hold both fully at the same time

The more a man fears God, the less confident he is in himself.
II. WHY GOD OPPOSES SELF-WISDOM
1. It Exalts Self Above God


Isaiah 55:8
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”

When we trust our own reasoning above God’s Word, we subtly place ourselves above Him.

This was the original sin:


“Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
2. It Makes a Man Unteachable


Proverbs 26:12
“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.”

Why?


A fool may still listen


A proud man cannot hear

God cannot teach a heart that already thinks it knows.
3. It Divides the Body of Christ

Romans 12 is about Christian unity.

Paul connects pride of mind with:


Looking down on others


Avoiding the lowly


Seeking “high things”

Pride fractures fellowship.
Humility preserves unity.
III. CHRIST: THE PERFECT OPPOSITE OF SELF-WISE MAN

If anyone had the right to be confident in Himself—it was Jesus.

Yet Scripture says:


Philippians 2:5–7
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus… he made himself of no reputation.”

Jesus:


Did not assert His rights


Did not demand honor


Did not cling to position


Walked with fishermen, sinners, children, and the rejected

True wisdom descends.
False wisdom always elevates itself.
IV. SIGNS YOU MAY BE WISE IN YOUR OWN SIGHT

Let us examine ourselves honestly:


You feel irritated when corrected


You dismiss sermons as “too basic”


You rarely ask for counsel


You assume others are ignorant


You speak more than you listen


You defend yourself more than you repent


1 Corinthians 8:1
“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”

Knowledge without humility becomes spiritual pride.
V. GOD’S PATH TO TRUE WISDOM
1. Fear the Lord


Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Wisdom does not begin with intelligence.
It begins with reverence.
2. Remain Teachable


James 1:19
“Be swift to hear, slow to speak.”

A mature believer is not one who speaks the most—but one who listens the best.
3. Walk Lowly With God


Micah 6:8
“What doth the LORD require of thee… but to walk humbly with thy God?”

Humility is not thinking less of yourself—
It is thinking of yourself less.
VI. A SOLEMN WARNING


Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Many have fallen not because they lacked truth—
but because they trusted themselves more than God.

God resists the proud.
But He gives grace to the humble.
CONCLUSION: A PRAYER OF THE WISE

The truly wise man prays:


“Lord, teach me.
Correct me.
Break my pride.
Save me from trusting myself.
Give me the mind of Christ.”


Romans 12:16 (again)
“Be not wise in your own conceits.”

Because the moment a man thinks he knows it all—
he has already stopped growing.
FINAL CALL

Let us come low,
walk humbly,
listen deeply,
and depend fully—
not on our wisdom,
but on God’s.