Unity in the Midst of Diversity

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, although they^[a] are many, are one body, thus also Christ. ¹³ For by^[b] one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit. ¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as he wanted. ¹⁹ And if they all were one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ But now there are many members, but one body.

²¹ Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, “I do not have need of you,” or again, the head to the feet, “I do not have need of you.” ²² But by much more the members of the body which are thought to be weaker are necessary, ²³ and the parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant honor, and our unpresentable parts come to have more abundant presentability, ²⁴ but our presentable parts do not have need of this. Yet God composed the body by giving more abundant honor to the part which lacked it, ²⁵ in order that there not be a division in the body, but the members would have the same concern for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; if a member^[c] is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members of it individually^[d], ²⁸ and whom God has appointed in the church: first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Not all are apostles, are they?^[e] Not all are prophets, are they?^[f] Not all are teachers, are they?^[g] Not all are workers of miracles, are they?^{[h] 30} Not all have gifts of healing, do they?^[i] Not all speak with tongues, do they?^[j] Not all interpret, do they?^[k]

¹¹ And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers ¹² for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him with reference to all things, who is the head, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined together and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the working by measure of each single part, the growth of the body makes for the building up of itself in love.