1 Corinthians 12:12–30

One Body but Many Parts

¹²There is one body. But it has many parts. Even though it has many parts, they make up one body. It is the same with Christ. ¹³We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Greeks, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink.

¹⁴The body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts. ¹⁵Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” It is still part of the body. ¹⁶And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” It is still part of the body.

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? ¹⁸God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. ¹⁹If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.

²¹The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. ²³The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. ²⁴The parts that can be shown don’t need special care.

But God has joined together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. ²⁵In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy.

²⁷You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸First, God has appointed apostles in the church. Second, he has appointed prophets. Third, he has appointed teachers. Then he has appointed people who do miracles and those who have gifts of healing. He also appointed those able to help others, those able to direct things, and those who can speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before.

²⁹Is everyone an apostle? Is everyone a prophet? Is everyone a teacher? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in languages they had not known before? Do all explain what is said in those languages?