1 Corinthians 12:12

1 Corinthians 12:12 states, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.  Paul tells us that even though our physical bodies are made up of several different parts, that all the individual parts work together to make the body work at its peak.  Paul then tells us that this is true of spiritual gifts and the church.  All the gifts are needed for the church to function at its best.  We might argue that the heart or brain are more important than the appendix, but that is not the point.  Even if we can survive physically without certain parts of the body, all parts have an intended purpose and cannot become what they were not intended to be.  Verse thirteen adds, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.  Paul again reminds those members of the church that they may have come from different backgrounds, but they were all made equal through the cross of Calvary.  We cannot allow the thought that some Christians are more important than others or that they deserve more than others become a part of our faith in Christ.  There should be no thought that certain material things are good enough for other Christians, but that we deserve more.  We are all sinners saved by grace, and whether we are rich or poor in the eyes of the world is unimportant.  We come to God from whatever our station in life, and we serve God wherever we might be.  The key is to always put the will of God first.  Verse fourteen continues, For the body is not one member, but many. Paul again uses the analogy of the human body.  There are many parts to the body with each part having a specific purpose, but all parts work together.  The same should be true of the church, the body of Christ here on earth.  We cannot afford to feel that because of where we live and what we have that we are any more important or necessary than the poorest, weakest Christian anywhere.  Verse fifteen states, If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  I believe that Paul was pointing out that just as it would be ridiculous for parts of the body to claim they didn't belong to the body because they didn't serve the same purpose as another part that the same is true for members of the body of Christ, the church.  We all serve our unique purpose, but we are all part of the same body of Christ.  Verse sixteen adds, And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  Verse seventeen continues, If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?  I believe he was saying that if every part of the body served the same purpose, we would be a mighty limited creature.  The same is true of the church, the body of Christ on the earth.  Verse eighteen says, But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.  Paul reminds us that God created the body, with each part having a unique purpose according to His will.  The same is true of the church.  God calls each person to a unique purpose in the church according to His will.  Verse nineteen adds, And if they were all one member, where were the body?  We cannot all have the same spiritual gift and function effectively as the body of Christ.  Verse twenty continues, But now are they many members, yet but one body.  Just as our bodies have many members, or parts, that make up the whole body, so does the church.  We are more than just individual Christians.  We are called to work together to bring about the will and glory of God.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.  Paul was not just speaking of our physical bodies, but of the body of Christ.  We all need each other utilizing our own individual gifts collectively to accomplish our goal, the spreading of the gospel and the reaching of the lost with God's message of salvation.