Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 12:26

"And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or [one] member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." — 1 Corinthians 12:26 (ASV)

Here the emphasis is on the mutual dependence and concern of the various members of the body. As the organs of the human body—such as the eye, hand, head, and feet—need each other, so the members of the church with their various functions need each other. Moreover, the least attractive and inconspicuous parts of the body are important and should be treated with respect (vv.22–23). So also the inconspicuous members of the church are essential— those who pray, those who work with their hands and bring their meager tithes into the church, etc. As the humbler parts of the body are given special attention by covering them with appropriate clothing and, as in the case of the digestive organs, providing them with food, so the inconspicuous members of the church —the poor, the despised, the less prominent—are to be cherished and nurtured.

The “But” in the middle of v.24 brings the argument back to God’s sovereign purposes. He has brought the members of the body together in perfect harmony. By saying that God “has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,” Paul means that through implanting modesty and self-respect in our hearts, God has caused us to protect our unpresentable parts (such as the sex organs) from exploitation by properly covering them. All this concern for the body is for the purpose of enabling it to operate in unity, so that all its parts will mutually respond to each other’s needs—e.g., the brain sending nerve signals to the hand. The word “division” (GK 5388) in v.25 reminds the Corinthians of the discussion in 1:10–17. As it is with the body, so with the church (v.26). What happens to one part affects the well-being of the whole.