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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 1 Corinthians 12:12–26. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The apostle here makes out the truth of what was above asserted, and puts the gifted men among the Corinthians in mind of their duty, by comparing the church of Christ to a human body.
I.By telling us that one body may have many members, and that the many members of the same body make but one body (Co1 12:12):
As the body is one, and hath many members, and all members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ; that is, Christ mystical, as divines commonly speak. Christ and his church making one body, as head and members, this body is made up of many parts or members, yet but one body; for all the members are baptized into the same body, and made to drink of the same Spirit, Co1 12:13. Jews and Gentiles, bond and free, are upon a level in this: all are baptized into the same body, and made partakers of the same Spirit. Christians become members of this body by baptism: they are baptized into one body. The outward rite is of divine institution, significant of the new birth, called therefore the washing of regeneration, Tit 3:5. But it is by the Spirit, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, that we are made members of Christ's body. It is the Spirit's operation, signified by the outward administration, that makes us members. And by communion at the other ordinance we are sustained; but then it is not merely by drinking the wine, but by drinking into one Spirit. The outward administration is a means appointed of God for our participation in this great benefit; but it is baptism by the Spirit, it is internal renovation and drinking into one Spirit, partaking of his sanctifying influence from time to time, that makes us true members of Christ's body, and maintains our union with him. Being animated by one Spirit makes Christians one body. Note, All who have the spirit of Christ, without difference, are the members of Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free; and none but such. And all the members of Christ make up one body; the members many, but the body one. They are one body, because they have one principle of life; all are quickened and animated by the same Spirit.
II.Each member has its particular form, place, and use.
1.The meanest member makes a part of the body. The foot and ear are less useful, perhaps, than the hand and eye; but because one is not a hand, and the other an eye, shall they say, therefore, that they do not belong to the body? Co1 12:15, Co1 12:16. So every member of the body mystical cannot have the same place and office; but what then? Shall it hereupon disown relation to the body? Because it is not fixed in the same station, or favoured with the same gifts as others, shall it say, "I do not belong to Christ?" No, the meanest member of his body is as much a member as the noblest, and as truly regarded by him. All his members are dear to him.
2.There must be a distinction of members in the body: Were the whole body eye, where were the hearing? Were the whole ear, where were the smelling? Co1 12:17. If all were one member, where were the body? Co1 12:19. They are many members, and for that reason must have distinction among them, and yet are but one body, Co1 12:20. One member of a body is not a body; this is made up of many; and among these many there must be a distinction, difference of situation, shape, use, etc. So it is in the body of Christ; its members must have different uses, and therefore have different powers, and be in different places, some having one gift, and others a different one. Variety in the members of the body contributes to the beauty of it. What a monster would a body be if it were all ear, or eye, or arm! So it is for the beauty and good appearance of the church that there should be diversity of gifts and offices in it.
3.The disposal of members in a natural body, and their situation, are as God pleases: But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body, as it hath pleased him, Co1 12:18. We may plainly perceive the divine wisdom in the distribution of the members; but it was made according to the counsel of his will; he distinguished and distributed them as he pleased. So is it also in the members of Christ's body: they are chosen out to such stations, and endued with such gifts, as God pleases. He who is sovereign Lord of all disposes his favours and gifts as he will. And who should gainsay his pleasure? What foundation is here for repining in ourselves, or envying others? We should be doing the duties of our own place, and not murmuring in ourselves, nor quarrelling with others, that we are not in theirs.
4.All the members of the body are, in some respect, useful and necessary to each other: The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee; nor the head to the feet, I have no need of your: nay, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble (the bowels, etc.) are necessary (Co1 12:21, Co1 12:22); God has so fitted and tempered them together that they are all necessary to one another, and to the whole body; there is no part redundant and unnecessary. Every member serves some good purpose or other: it is useful to its fellow-members, and necessary to the good state of the whole body. Nor is there a member of the body of Christ but may and ought to be useful to his fellow-members, and at some times, and in some cases, is needful to them. None should despise and envy another, seeing God has made the distinction between them as he pleased, yet so as to keep them all in some degree of mutual dependence, and make them valuable to each other, and concerned for each other, because of their mutual usefulness. Those who excel in any gift cannot say that they have no need of those who in that gift are their inferiors, while perhaps, in other gifts, they exceed them. Nay, the lowest members of all have their use, and the highest cannot do well without them. The eye has need of the hand, and the head of the feet.
5.Such is the man's concern for his whole body that on the less honourable members more abundant honour is bestowed, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. Those parts which are not fit, like the rest, to be exposed to view, which are either deformed or shameful, we most carefully clothe and cover; whereas the comely parts have no such need. The wisdom of Providence has so contrived and tempered things that the most abundant regard and honour should be paid to that which most wanted it, Co1 12:24. So should the members of Christ's body behave towards their fellow-members: instead of despising them, or reproaching them, for their infirmities, they should endeavour to cover and conceal them, and put the best face upon them that they can.
6.Divine wisdom has contrived and ordered things in this manner that the members of the body should not be schismatics, divided from each other and acting upon separate interests, but well affected to each other, tenderly concerned for each other, having a fellow-feeling of each other's griefs and a communion in each other's pleasures and joys, Co1 12:25, Co1 12:26. God has tempered the members of the body natural in the manner mentioned, that there might be no schism in the body (Co1 12:25), no rupture nor disunion among the members, nor so much as the least mutual disregard. This should be avoided also in the spiritual body of Christ. There should be no schism in this body, but the members should be closely united by the strongest bonds of love. All decays of this affection are the seeds of schism. Where Christians grow cold towards each other, they will be careless and unconcerned for each other. And this mutual disregard is a schism begun. The members of the natural body are made to have a care and concern for each other, to prevent a schism in it. So should it be in Christ's body; the members should sympathize with each other. As in the natural body the pain of the one part afflicts the whole, the ease and pleasure of one part affects the whole, so should Christians reckon themselves honoured in the honours of their fellow-christians, and should suffer in their sufferings. Note, Christian sympathy is a great branch of Christian duty. We should be so far from slighting our brethren's sufferings that we should suffer with them, so far from envying their honours that we should rejoice with them and reckon ourselves honoured in them.
Historical interpretation
Sixteen Centuries of Reception
4 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
The diversity in the members of the body unites for the purpose of ensuring that the body fulfills its potential.
"And if they were all one member, where were the body?"
"But now are they many members, but one body."
Thus having silenced them sufficiently by God's own arrangement, again he states reasons. And he neither doth this always nor that, but alternates and varies his discourse. Since on the one hand, he who merely silences, confounds the hearer, and he, on the contrary, who accustoms him to demand reasons for all things, injures him in the matter of faith; for this cause then Paul is continually practising both the one and the other, that they may both believe and may not be confounded; and after silencing them, he again gives a reason likewise. And mark his earnestness in the combat and the completeness of his victory. For from what things they supposed themselves unequal in honor because in them there was great diversity, even from these things he shows that for this very reason they are equal in honor. How, I will tell you. "If all were one member," saith he, "where were the body?" Now what he means is, If there were not among you great variety, ye could not be a body; and not being a body, ye could not be one; and not being one, ye could not be equal in honor. Whence it follows again that if ye were all equal in honor, ye were not a body; and not being a body, ye were not one; and not being one, how could ye be equal in honor? As it is, however, because ye are not all endowed with some one gift, therefore are ye a body; and being a body, ye are all one, and differ nothing from one another in this that ye are a body. So that this very difference is that which chiefly causeth your equality in honor. And accordingly he adds, "But now they are many members, yet one body."
The only rite which we know to have been instituted by Our Lord Himself is the Holy Communion ('Do this in remembrance of me' - 'If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you'). This is an order and must be obeyed. The other services are, I take it, traditional and might lawfully be altered. But the New Testament does not envisage solitary religion: some kind of regular assembly for worship and instruction is everywhere taken for granted in the Epistles. So we must be regular practising members of the Church.
Of course we differ in temperament. Some (like you - and me) find it more natural to approach God in solitude: but we must go to church as well. Others find it easier to approach Him through the services: but they must practice private prayer and reading as well. For the Church is not a human society of people united by their natural affinities but the Body of Christ in which all members however different (and He rejoices in their differences and by no means wishes to iron them out) must share the common life, complementing and helping and receiving one another precisely by their differences. (Re-read 1st Corinthians cap 12 and meditate on it. The word translated members would perhaps be better translated organs).
The Christian is called not to individualism but to membership in the mystical body... The very word membership is of Christian origin, but it has been taken over by the world and emptied of all meaning. In any book on logic you may see the expression "members of a class." It must be most emphatically stated that the items or particulars included in a homogeneous class are almost the reverse of what St. Paul meant by members. By members he meant what we should call organs, things essentially different from, and complimentary to, one another, things differing not only in structure and function but also in dignity. Thus, in a club, the committee as a whole and the servants as a whole may both properly be regarded as "members"; what we should call the members of the club are merely units. A row of identically dressed and identically trained soldiers set side by side, or a number of citizens listed as voters in a constituency are not members of anything in the Pauline sense. I am afraid that when we describe a man as "a member of the Church" we usually mean nothing Pauline; we mean only that he is a unit - that he is one more specimen of some kind of things as X and Y and Z. How true membership in a body differs from inclusion in a collective may be seen in the structure of a family. The grandfather, the parents, the grown-up son, the child, the dog, and the cat are true members (in the organic sense), precisely because they are not members or units of a homogenous class. They are not interchangeable. Each person is almost a species in himself. The mother is not simply a different person from the daughter; she is a different kind of person. The grown-up brother is not simply one unit in the class children; he is a separate estate of the realm. The father and grandfather are almost as different as the cat and the dog. If you subtract any one member, you have not simply reduced the family in number; you have inflicted an injury on its structure. Its unity is a unity of unliked, almost of incommensurables...
The society into which the Christian is called at baptism is not a collective but a Body. It is in fact that Body of which the family is an image on the natural level. If anyone came to it with the misconception that membership of the Church was membership in a debased modern sense - a massing together of persons as if they were pennies or counters - he would be corrected at the threshold by the discovery that the head of this Body is so unlike the inferior memberships that they share no predicate with Him save by analogy.
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Summary
First Corinthians 12:20 profoundly encapsulates the Apostle Paul's teaching on the nature of the Christian church, asserting that despite comprising a multitude of diverse individuals, it functions as a single, unified organism. This verse highlights the essential paradox of the church: its strength and effectiveness stem from the harmonious integration of many distinct members, each possessing unique gifts and roles, yet all contributing indispensably to the common purpose and identity of the one body of Christ.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is strategically placed within Paul's extended discourse on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. The Corinthian church was grappling with significant internal divisions, partly fueled by a misunderstanding and misuse of spiritual gifts. Some members, perhaps those with more outwardly impressive gifts like speaking in tongues or prophecy, may have considered themselves superior, while others, whose gifts seemed less prominent, felt marginalized or unnecessary. Paul introduces the analogy of the human body in 1 Corinthians 12:12 to counter this elitism and inferiority complex, arguing that just as a physical body requires all its diverse parts—eyes, ears, hands, feet—to function properly, so too does the church need every single member. Verses 1 Corinthians 12:14-19 specifically elaborate on the indispensable nature of each part, refuting the idea that any member is dispensable. Verse 20 serves as a powerful summary and affirmation of this principle, setting the stage for Paul's subsequent explanation of how these diverse members should interact in mutual care and honor.
Historical & Cultural Context
The city of Corinth was a bustling, cosmopolitan hub, known for its diverse population, wealth, and often, its moral laxity. The Corinthian church itself was a melting pot of various social strata, ethnic backgrounds (Jewish and Gentile), and philosophical influences. Within this environment, issues of status, pride, and competition were prevalent, mirroring the broader societal values. Paul's use of the "body" analogy was not entirely new; ancient Greek and Roman writers (e.g., Plato, Livy, Seneca) had used similar metaphors to describe the state or society, emphasizing the interdependence of its citizens. However, Paul elevates this analogy by applying it to the spiritual organism of the church, grounding its unity not in civic duty but in the divine reality of Christ's headship and the Spirit's work. His teaching directly challenged the hierarchical and individualistic tendencies of Corinthian culture, promoting a radical equality and mutual dependence rooted in their shared identity in Christ.
Key Themes
The verse significantly contributes to several overarching themes in 1 Corinthians and the broader New Testament. Foremost is Unity in Diversity, which posits that the church's strength and beauty are found precisely in its combination of many different parts working together, rather than in uniformity. This counters any notion that certain gifts or roles are inherently superior or inferior, promoting a holistic view of the church's function. Another crucial theme is Interdependence, emphasizing that no single part of the body can function effectively in isolation, nor can it claim self-sufficiency. Every "member" of the body needs the others for the body to be complete and healthy, fostering humility and mutual respect among believers, as further elaborated in Romans 12:4-5. Finally, the verse reinforces the profound theme of The Church as the Body of Christ, a central Pauline metaphor. This analogy highlights the intimate connection believers have with Christ as their head (Colossians 1:18) and with one another. The church is not merely an organization but a living, organic entity, embodying Christ's presence and work in the world, a truth Paul explicitly states in 1 Corinthians 12:27.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word signifies a great quantity, abundance, or multitude. In this context, it emphasizes the sheer number and variety of individual believers within the church, each distinct in their personhood, gifts, and functions. It sets up the contrast with the singular "body," highlighting the paradox of unity.
Referring to a limb or part of the body, this term vividly portrays individual believers as integral components of a larger, living organism. It underscores the idea that each person, like an eye or a hand, has a specific, designed role and is essential for the body's proper functioning and overall health.
As a primary numeral, "one" here denotes singularity, unity, and indivisibility. Despite the "many members," they collectively form a single, cohesive entity. This emphasizes the organic and spiritual unity that binds believers together, transcending their individual differences.
This term, derived from a root meaning "to save" or "to be sound," signifies a complete, integrated organism. In Paul's usage, it extends beyond a mere physical entity to represent a living, unified whole, whether literally (a physical body) or figuratively (the church as the "body of Christ"). It conveys the idea of an interconnected system where all parts work in concert for a common purpose.
Verse Breakdown
"But now [are they] many members"
This clause establishes the reality of diversity within the church. The conjunction "But now" (νῦν δὲ, nŷn dé) marks a transition, affirming the truth that has been elaborated in the preceding verses: the church is genuinely composed of numerous distinct individuals, each with their own unique characteristics, gifts, and callings. It acknowledges the visible plurality of believers.
"yet but one body"
This clause presents the profound theological counterpoint and resolution to the first. Despite the multiplicity of members, they are not a disparate collection but are intrinsically united to form a single, cohesive, and organic entity—the body. The phrase "yet but" (δὲ, dé) serves as an adversative, highlighting the surprising and divinely ordained unity that exists despite the inherent diversity, emphasizing that the church's identity is found in its singular, unified nature.
Literary Devices
Paul's concise statement in 1 Corinthians 12:20 is rich with literary artistry, primarily employing Analogy and Contrast. The overarching device is the Analogy of the human body, which serves as a powerful metaphor for the church. By comparing the church to a physical body, Paul makes an abstract theological concept tangible and relatable. This analogy allows him to illustrate complex ideas such as interdependence, the necessity of every part, and the harmonious functioning of diverse elements. Within this analogy, Paul utilizes Contrast (also known as Antithesis), specifically by juxtaposing "many members" with "one body." This stark contrast highlights the central paradox of the church: its inherent diversity (many members) is not a weakness but is divinely integrated into a profound unity (one body). The phrase "But now" (νῦν δὲ) also functions as a Transitional Marker, signaling a summary statement or a pivotal point in his argument, drawing a conclusion from the preceding detailed explanations of individual body parts.
Theological and Thematic Connections
The profound truth of 1 Corinthians 12:20 resonates throughout biblical theology, particularly in its emphasis on the nature of the church as a unified, living organism. This verse underscores God's design for community, where individual uniqueness is not eradicated but integrated into a greater whole, reflecting the very nature of the Triune God—distinct persons in perfect unity. It challenges any human tendency towards division, elitism, or self-sufficiency within the Christian community, calling believers to embrace their interdependence and mutual necessity. Theologically, it affirms that the church's unity is not merely organizational or superficial but is a spiritual reality, empowered by the Holy Spirit who indwells and gifts each member, binding them together as one in Christ.
Reflection and Application
1 Corinthians 12:20 offers a timeless and transformative truth for every believer and every local church. It compels us to move beyond superficial differences and perceived inequalities in gifts or roles, recognizing that every individual is a vital, indispensable part of God's design. This verse calls for a radical humility, reminding those with prominent gifts not to boast, and those with less visible gifts not to despair or feel inadequate. It fosters a spirit of genuine appreciation for one another, encouraging us to seek out, affirm, and celebrate the unique contributions of every member, understanding that the body is incomplete and less effective without them. Practically, this means actively combating gossip, division, and competition within the church, and instead cultivating an environment of mutual honor, service, and collaboration. It challenges us to participate fully, using our God-given abilities to build up the whole, ensuring that the church truly functions as a healthy, vibrant, and unified expression of Christ in the world.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Paul use the human body as an analogy for the church?
Paul uses the human body as an analogy for the church primarily because it is a familiar and highly effective way to illustrate complex theological truths about unity, diversity, and interdependence. A physical body clearly demonstrates that it is made up of many distinct parts (eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc.), each with a unique function, yet all are essential and work together for the well-being and purpose of the whole. This analogy helps to convey several key ideas:
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
The truth that "But now [are they] many members, yet but one body" finds its ultimate fulfillment and coherence in Jesus Christ. He is not merely the head of the church, but the very source and sustainer of its unity and diversity. It is through His atoning work on the cross that a diverse multitude, once alienated from God and from one another, is reconciled and brought together into a single new humanity (Ephesians 2:14-16). The "one body" is intrinsically linked to Christ's own body, broken for us, and His resurrected body, which now serves as the spiritual head of the church (Colossians 1:18). The Holy Spirit, poured out by Christ, is the divine agent who baptizes all believers into this one body, regardless of their background or previous divisions (1 Corinthians 12:13). Thus, the church's unity is not a human achievement but a divine reality, a direct consequence of Christ's finished work and ongoing reign. In Him, all distinctions that once divided humanity—Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female—are transcended, as all are "one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). The church, as His body, is called to live out this Christ-centered unity, reflecting His glory and continuing His mission in the world until He returns.