Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
In the previous section of this chapter, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about how spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit decides who distributes the gifts to each person (verse 11). Now, Paul builds on that and begins to discuss the diversity and unity of the gifts.
The main analogy in this section is the human body with its diversity and unity. While the human body has many different parts that have many different functions and purposes, so it is with the spiritual body of Christ (verse 12). Regardless of our differences as humans, we are all part of the body of Christ.
We may live in different parts of the world, have different social statuses, and be of different ethnic backgrounds, but we are all united through our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul emphasizes this unity in verse 13, where he mentions common distinctions found in his world – Jews vs Gentiles and slaves vs free. While he mentions those differences, his focus is on unity: “We were all given the one Spirit to drink.” All believers have received the same Holy Spirit. While the Church was not yet worldwide then, the universal Church was already a concept and it was growing every day. The differences among believers were becoming greater, so a focus on unity was needed.
But in that unity, there is diversity, as Paul points out in verse 14. While we are one body, it is made up of many parts. The body must act as one unit, even though it has distinct parts that function for distinct purposes.
In verses 15-17, Paul calls out various body parts as examples. A foot is not a hand, but both are very important. An ear is not an eye, but both are very important. Each part is distinct and needs to do what it was created to do. The same is true for us as believers; we all have our unique functions based on the gifts that the Spirit desires to give to each one of us, and all of those functions are needed. If you lose a part of your body or a sense of your body, something is missing or not functioning properly in the body as a whole. If one part of your body is injured, you focus on that one part and work to bring it back to functioning properly within the body.
No person’s body can function if it were all one sense, i.e. all seeing with no hearing or all hearing with no smelling as Paul calls out. We should not all desire to have the same spiritual gifts or else the body of the Church will not function properly. Diversity is essential in the body of the Church while maintaining the unity of being one body together.
Paul emphasizes God’s role in this in verse 18: “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” God’s sovereignty is important here. We may think we know what role we should fill in His Church, but the truth is that only God truly knows how His Spirit has gifted us and where each one of us belongs to best accomplish His good purposes. God is the one who chooses whether each of us is a hand, foot, eye, ear, etc. in the body of His Church.
Just to drive the point home, in verse 19 Paul again brings up the rhetorical question of how the body could function if it were made up of all one part. There must be diversity within the body so that it can accomplish all of the various functions that it has.
But at the same time, unity is still required. While diversity is essential, unity is also essential, as there must be one body that is made up of those many parts (verse 20). Each believer has a role to play, and we are all important. We must all do what God has called each one of us to do, and at the same time, we must be unified in our purpose to accomplish what God wants for His Church.
What role has God given you to fulfill in His Church? Are you living out that role how God has uniquely gifted you? At the same time, are you living in unity with your fellow believers, all working together toward the common goal of glorifying God and accomplishing His purposes?
Whether you’re a hand, a foot, an eye, an ear, or even a spleen in the body of Christ, as believers in Christ, we are all important to living our what God has called us to and accomplishing what He desires that we accomplish.
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