1 Corinthians 12: Lessons from the Human Body

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

Can you get along in life without eyes? Of course, but you must make adjustments. You must rely more on other senses and depend on friends, or perhaps a seeing-eye dog, for extra help. Regardless of what adjustments you make, however, your body will remain incomplete without eyes. You will miss out on color and design and all the visual delights this world offers.
An eyeless body can cope, but a bodiless eye is unimaginable. The most beautiful eyes in the world, when detached from a body, are lifeless and worthless. Eyes need a body that will bring them blood and receive their nerve impulses.

In chapter 12, Paul gives a clever anatomy lesson, with a purpose. By comparing members of the church of Christ to parts of a human body, he neatly explains two complementary truths the Corinthians have failed to comprehend. Any part of a body, he says- such as an eye or a foot- makes a valuable contribution to the whole body. Whenever a single member is missing, the entire body suffers. And, he continues, no member can survive if isolated from the rest. Alone, an eye is useless. All parts must cooperate to form a single, unified body.

Paul relied on body images to explain both the diversity and unity of god’s followers. The body analogy fit so well that he referred to it two dozen times in his various letters. It became his favorite way of portraying the church.

A church as diverse as Corinth knew about the differences among various members, so Paul’s letter to them stressed the unity party of the analogy. How can diverse people work together in a spiritual body? He answered that question with the famous lyrical description of love in chapter 13. After that eloquent statement, he went on to discuss the Corinthians’ various spiritual gifts.

Reflection

Chapters 12-14 address issues that troubled the Corinthian church and that still disturb our church today. I think the solution, in our time as well as Paul’s, is for each person to respect other members of the body and to take direction from Jesus Christ, the head.