1 Corinthians 12:18

18 As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

1 Corinthians 12:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 12:18

But now hath God set the members
The members of a natural body, as they are all made and fashioned by God in the form they be, so they are each of them set by him in the place they are: everyone of them in the body as it hath pleased him;
according to his sovereign will, without consulting any; and each stands in the best situation and position they could be put, and for the greatest service and usefulness to the whole: so God, and not man, hath set every member in the mystical body, the church, in such a place and part of it, as he himself thought fit; some in a higher, others in a lower station, but all for the good of the body; and therefore each member ought to be content with his place, gift, and usefulness, be they what they will; since it is the wise counsel and sovereign pleasure of God, who works all things after the counsel of his own will, that so it should be.

1 Corinthians 12:18 In-Context

16 If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body?
17 If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell?
18 As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
19 But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster.
20 What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.