For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 ESV
Understanding these two verses requires us to understand the context of the letter so far. The Corinthian church was divided and Paul corrects their behaviour. From Chapter 7 onwards, Paul addresses the issues to which they wrote. In chapter 12, we see that they had written concerning spiritual people (1 Corinthians 12:1-3). Paul confirms that among them are various types of spiritual gifts to be used in the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
However, the crux of Paul's point is now shown as a metaphor. He applies those varieties of gifts to a variety of organs. There may be multiple gifts, services and activities - but there's only one objective. Likewise, there may be multiple organs in the body, but there is only one body. It all functions for a single cause.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12
The twelfth verse mirrors what Paul had written in the previous verses that it is the one and same spirit:
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
If then there is only one body, the bond that ties us together is unity. There should be a variety of gifts and services - no emphasis on a single type of gifting. For example, if all seek miraculous gifts, where would be the ministers? Instead, there is not a single gift that resides above the others as it pertains to importance, even if there are some that are more beneficial in specific contexts (1 Corinthians 14:1-5).
The thirteenth verse takes this metaphor of the body and extends its scope. It not only applies to the spiritual gifts and their variety, but also the nature of the people in the church. The Corinthians were a church with both Jews and Gentiles. There is importance placed on both as part of one body:
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13
Whatever your background, you're part of the church. Likewise, however God gifts you, he does so for the benefit of the church. None are less vital to the body, which we see in the remainder of the chapter.
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