The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
- 1 Corinthians 12:21-31
This section of 1 Corinthians 12 builds on the previous section, in which Paul went into detail about the unity and diversity of the human body and related it to those who make up the Church. We each have a role to play, and all of our roles are important to what God is doing through the Church. There must be diversity so that all roles are covered, yet there must be unity so that the Church functions as one body.
In this passage, Paul emphasizes how we as the parts of the body should interact with one another. To start with, we should not tell one another that he or she is not needed (verse 21). No matter what part of the body of Christ we are, it is not our place to tell another person that they are not needed. Even if we don’t understand what they do or what their function is, that’s not our responsibility; remember that the Holy Spirit is the one who distributes the gifts. We all need one another.
In verses 22-23, Paul explains that the weaker parts and the “unpresentable” parts of the body are absolutely essential and should be treated with great honor. Think about the congregation you attend; are there people working tirelessly behind the scenes? They may be perceived as weaker since you don’t see them working, but if they were not doing what they are called to do, the church would not function as it is supposed to. We don’t see what our intestines or our lungs are doing, but we know they are essential for our physical bodies to function properly.
Perhaps you don’t even know what some people are doing for the Church, such as prayer warriors who spend countless hours praying for the Church and its people, or those who give anonymous financial gifts. All of those people are just as important to the mission of the church as those who are seen and recognized for their efforts. Just like we may not realize what some of our internal organs are doing for our physical bodies, we know they need to function properly for our bodies to remain healthy. We should strive to honor all parts of the body, no matter their role or function.
Then Paul brings it back to God and His good purposes: “But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it” (verse 24). God is the one who “assembles” us, both in our physical bodies (see Psalm 139:13-16) and as the body of Christ, the Church. God honors the parts of the body that we as humans may see as lacking or less important because it is God who put the body together.
Paul comes back to the idea of unity within the body in verse 25. We should not have any division in the body, especially among the different roles and functions. Unity is not only important for accomplishing God’s purposes for us as the body of Christ but also so that we take care of one another. As Paul says, we “should have equal concern for each other.” We should not care about one person less than another simply because of their role or function in the body, nor should we care about one person more than another simply because of their role. We must strive to live with the entire body in perfect harmony.
This unity is demonstrated more in verse 26: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” When a part of your body suffers, even something as small as a hangnail or a stubbed toe, the rest of your body focuses on that part until it is healed. While the other parts don’t suffer in the same way, they identify with the suffering of that one part. We should be like that as the body of Christ, coming alongside one another whether in suffering or in times of rejoicing and celebration.
Paul wraps this all up in verse 27, stating again that we are all parts of the body of Christ. While he had been using the idea of physical body parts as his metaphor, he then shows how this works in the Church. In verse 28, Paul gives a list of some of the gifts that are given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. Scholars believe that these gifts are listed in order of importance, from the highest importance (apostles) to the lowest importance (tongues). The first three (apostles, prophets, and teachers) are considered to be those who provide leadership in the church. The rest of the list indicates gifts that are for everyone in the church, not just leaders, though they are still important and significant.
In verses 29-30, Paul gives a list of rhetorical questions that relate back to the body imagery. We can’t all be eyes or hands, just like we can’t all be apostles or we can’t all have the gift of healing. God has selected specific individuals to give them specific gifts that go with their specific roles and functions in the body of Christ.
Paul closes out this section in verse 31 by urging them to desire the greater gifts, and then the last half of the verse introduces his next thought. Possessing a certain gift is not as important as how you use that gift, making sure that your actions glorify God and that you do what He is calling you to do. In the next chapter, Paul will show us how to use these gifts to love one another.
What are your unique gifts and roles in the Church? How are you using the ways that God has gifted you to glorify Him and to honor others, striving for unity as the body of Christ?
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