1 Corinthians 12:12

12 Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. ¹

1 Corinthians 12:12 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 12:12

For as the body is one
That is, an human body; for of this the apostle speaks, and takes a simile, and forms a comparison from, showing the union among saints, and their mutual participation of the various gifts of the Spirit; for an human body is but one body, and not more.

And hath many members;
as eyes, ears, hands, feet, &c].

And all the members of that one body being many are one body;
as numerous as they may be, they all belong to, and make up but one body; performing different offices, for which they are naturally fitted for the good of the whole:

so also to Christ;
not personal, but mystical; not the head alone, or the members by themselves, but head and members as constituting one body, the church. The church, in union with Christ, the head, is but one general assembly, and church of the firstborn written in heaven, though consisting of the various persons of God's elect, who are closely united one to another, and their head Christ; and therefore are denominated from him, and called by his name; see ( Romans 9:3 ) ( Jeremiah 33:16 ) .

1 Corinthians 12:12 In-Context

10 The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God's message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said.

11 But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.

12 Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts.

13 In the same way, all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether slaves or free, have been baptized into the one body by the same Spirit, and we have all been given the one Spirit to drink.

14 For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts.

Cross References

• 1. 12.12Romans 12.4, 5.