1 Corinthians 12:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,

NIV: 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,

NASB: and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable,

CSB: And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect,

NLT: And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,

KJV: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

NKJV: And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,

What are the least honorable and least presentable parts of the human body? Most of us immediately think of parts which seem crude to discuss among polite people. These are the parts we hope are never seen in public, and we are especially careful to keep from getting injured. These might include the body functions we train young children to control and only use in appropriate times or places.

Paul's analogy about the importance of certain members takes on a special power when seen in this way. Losing a finger, or an eye, for instance, would be difficult to endure. Both would create hardships of their own. And yet, some people know what it means to lose organs associated with those "less presentable" functions. Losing those is more disruptive to one's life and comfort than damage to a more "prestigious" member.

That is exactly Paul's point in this verse. Because we must keep them from view and protect them so carefully, the least honorable and seen parts of a human body become, in a way, the most honored and essential parts of the body. His purpose is to extend this idea to those members of the Christian church who some might dismiss as less valuable, or less important, since they have spiritual gifts "less presentable" than some.

The least honored functions of the church become the most honored when God's people work together to protect and care for those who need it most. What the more honored members do is important, yes, but it literally cannot be done without the contribution of those other members.

First Corinthians 12:12–31 continues Paul's teaching on the spiritual gifts as they cooperate to empower God's will for the church. The Christian church is like a human body. It is one individual organism made up of many different parts that serve a wide variety of functions. All those functions matter. Nobody should decide they don't like their gift or their role in the church and try to quit. The body needs each member to do its part in order to work properly. We must respect and value each other for the vital roles we serve in the church.

Apparently in response to further questions from Corinth, Paul describes what spiritual gifts are, who receives them, and what they are for. His emphasis is that particular spiritual gifts do not make believers spiritual. Every believer is spiritual because every Christian has God's Spirit with him or her. In addition, the Spirit gives one or more spiritual gifts to each believer to be used to serve the church. The church is like a body, in which every part is needed, and all the parts exist to serve one another. Every believer must discover how they are gifted by the Spirit and value the function they serve in Christ's body.

After tackling the issues of head coverings for women and the Lord's Supper in the previous chapter, Paul moves to the issue of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. Paul insists that the display of spiritual gifts does not make one believer more spiritual or important than another. Every believer in Jesus has the Spirit, and the Spirit gives to every believer one or more spiritual gifts. The gifts are given for the common good, and the church is like a human body. Each gifted function in the church represents a body part, and all the parts are essential. This sets up a description of love, as defined from a Christian viewpoint, and famously recorded in chapter 13.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.