The Body of Christنموونە

In this passage, Paul uses the body of Christ metaphor to explain in great detail the principle of unity-in-diversity within the Church. Paul appears to be responding to a question that the Church in Corinth has asked him about concerning spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1), and in the first part of the chapter, he lists a number of spiritual gifts that Christians might receive. From verse 12, he starts to compare the use of different gifts by different members of the Church with the way in which different parts of the body function. He does this as he is aware of division and divisive attitudes in the Corinthian Church, apparently caused by people placing a higher value on certain gifts and therefore on the individuals demonstrating those gifts.

By comparing the members of the Church to the parts of the body, Paul illustrates how absurd it is for anyone to be considered, or to consider themselves, inferior or superior to anyone else; just as a hand can’t do the work of a foot, so one person in a church can’t do the work of another, and just as an eye and an ear can’t dismiss each other as unnecessary, so members of the Church can’t dismiss each other based on their individual gifts.

Equally, no one can avoid their responsibility to the rest of the Church; every part of the body has a role to play, and every role is vital to the well-being of the whole body. Unity in diversity is the very essence of the body - a body is by definition made up of many different parts, each with its own purpose and role. This unity is so important that just like the parts of a human body, the members of the Church suffer together and rejoice together, and what affects one person should affect the whole church community.