1 Corintians 12: You Are the Body of Christ

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” -1 Corinthians 12:27

Most discussions of 1 Corinthians 12 concentrate on the controversy of spiritual gifts. While these gifts are important, what is often missed is Paul’s summary found in verse 27: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

We are the body. Not me or you or someone else out there, but us. When we grasp this fascinating idea, our focus is no longer on who is more important or more gifted but on interdependence. Ultimately, we are fully dependent upon God for life and all we have, yet we are also interdependent with each other. No one person has every ability necessary for a healthy Christian community. God designed it this way. He has created an environment where the person who preaches and the person who hands out the notes for the one who preaches are of equal value and importance.

Resist the temptation to see another Christian as the one who has it all together (especially if you think it’s you!). We, as a collective family, are the body of Christ. In this truth we have both the power of God on our side and a family to help us through this life and to celebrate with throughout all eternity. Let us begin to enjoy this community of our Christian brothers and sisters anew today.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.