1 Corinthians 12:12-26

New Testament for Everyone

Many members, one body

¹² Let me explain. Just as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is the Messiah. ¹³ For we all were baptized into one body, by one spirit—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one spirit to drink.

¹⁴ For the body, indeed, is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot were to say, “Because I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” that wouldn’t make it any less a part of the body, would it? ¹⁶ And if the ear were to say, “Because I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” that wouldn’t make it any less a part of the body, would it? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were the sense of hearing, what would happen to the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God has organized the members, placing each one individually in the body according to his wishes. ¹⁹ If all the parts were one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ So the result is this: there are many members, but one body.

The responsibilities of each member

²¹ The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you”; and, again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” ²² No: the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, ²³ and we give much greater honor to the parts of the body we reckon more dishonorable, so that the parts we hide in shame have a far greater dignity ²⁴ which our more presentable parts don’t need. In fact, God has made the body a single, organized whole; he has given greater honor to the lesser part, ²⁵ so that there won’t be any division in the body, but that all the members may have the same concern for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is exalted, all the members celebrate along with it.