1 Corinthians 12:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

NIV: As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

NASB: But now there are many parts, but one body.

CSB: As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

NLT: Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.

KJV: But now are they many members, yet but one body.

NKJV: But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

Paul has just written that if we all chose our own job in the church based only on what sounded meaningful or exciting or important to us, the church might cease to exist. A church made up of people who refuse to perform any task except those associated with being the pastor, for example, would not be a "church." This is in the same way that a body made up entirely of elbows would not be a "body."

Bodies that survive, thrive, and accomplish their purpose have many and varied parts while still being just one body. Churches that accomplish their purpose have many and varied people serving different functions assigned to them through the gifts of the Spirit while still being just one church. Not every spiritual gift is equally glamorous in the eyes of the world. Not every task in a church is equally prestigious in the eyes of the world. But churches need people to fulfill those other roles, just as much as the body needs all those members to serve their purpose. They are all part of the same Spirit and need to work together for that reason.

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 5:19:58 PM