1
Corinthians 12: 12-27
12The 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. 13For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or
Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one
part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I
am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be
part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because
I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to
be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where
would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of
smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the
body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If
they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is,
there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand,
"I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need
you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that
seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we
think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable
are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable
parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has
given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that
there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for
each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with
it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ, and
each one of you is a part of it.
