1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Paul now elaborates an illustration from the body and its members. Here we have organic unity with diversity of function and interdependence of the whole and its parts, interdependence also of the parts themselves. All are essential to the welfare of every other part and of the whole; none, however important or beautiful, can affect to despise the humbler or unseemlier; all sympathetically respond to the pain or honour of the other. The illustration does not call for detailed exposition. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 Christ is not regarded as the head of the body, but as the body itself of which Christians form part. The Spirit in whom all received baptism is not many but one, so its effect is to constitute them all one body, thus cancelling distinctions of race and social condition even in their extreme forms (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). And this Spirit not simply enfolds them, it saturates and penetrates them. In the application the readers are called body of Christ, i.e. such is their intrinsic quality; they are individually members, each in his sphere. God has appointed various members in the Church to exercise various functions (1 Corinthians 12:8; Romans 12:6 *, Ephesians 4:11, cf. pp. 645 f.), those of apostleship, prophecy, teaching, working of miracles, healing, helping, direction, and, as last of the list, speaking with tongues; the gift of interpreting tongues is added in 1 Corinthians 12:30. None of these functions is exercised by all, they are distributed among the members. They should desire the higher gifts. What he means is explained in 1 Corinthians 14. But before he pursues the theme, he points them to love as something better than all the gifts, in a panegyric which is the pearl of his writings. He had studied to some purpose the character and career of Jesus.