When we read 1 Corinthians 12, we learn from the Apostle Paul that God, through the Holy Spirit, bestows gifts upon His people. Each and every gift He gives is to be used for “the common good” of the body of Christ (v. 7). Paul also makes it clear that before coming to Christ, each person was dead in their sins, following mute and dumb idols. There is nothing about any follower of Christ that makes him unique or more deserving of God’s gifts than another. All are equal in His eyes for, before their redemption, all were sinners deserving of death, but now, all are undeserving trophies of His grace. Be it Jew or Greek, slave or free, all members of the body have been redeemed by God for His purposes and His glory, no one rises above another (v. 13).

Therefore, when God bestows these gifts, it must be understood that there is nothing about each individual that makes him better or more deserving in the eyes of God. When God, through the Spirit, equips each Christian with a unique gift or calling, the choice to give such gifts is apportioned “to each one individually as he wills” (v. 11). In other words, it is only by God’s divine will that anyone is given any particular gift and that His will is not dependent on anything outside His sovereign decree. All men are equally sinful and deserving of hell and all those redeemed are equally undeserving of His grace. Yet, God decrees the giving of His gifts to each man for the express purpose of fulfilling His divine will and bringing glory to Himself by serving the body of Christ for the common good.

It must be understood that these gifts are not for those who receive them, rather they are for the mutual upbuilding and benefit of the entire body. Furthermore, no Christian can esteem their gifts as being more important or necessary than other gifts. Paul makes this clear in verses 14 through 16 when he writes:

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.”

Every person and every gift within the body of Christ serves a particular purpose according to God’s divinely appointed plan. Just as a car engine can catastrophically fail when one bolt breaks, so the body of Christ does not fully function without each person humbly serving one another with the gifts with which they are equipped. The person who prays diligently in their home for the spiritual health of the church has equal value to the pastor who prominently leads the body in worship. We must cherish all the gifts we are given and never think we are useless unless we have the gifts which others possess. God’s purposes in supplying those gifts make each person necessary within the life of the church.

Worse yet, are those who believe their gifts make them more important or necessary to the body of Christ. Paul writes in verses 21 and 22:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…”

Some Christians may view their more public and obvious gifts as making themselves more deserving of honor or special treatment. It becomes all too easy to believe that their acts of teaching, leadership, preaching, etc. make them far more necessary than the person who quietly comes alongside others to minister through personal counseling, words of encouragement, prayer, and the like. Because they are more public and can be seen by everyone, the assumption they are better for the health of the body is a trap that can be too easily fallen into. But, any professing Christian who believes their particular gifts make them better or superior to another, or who believes other gifts are unworthy of acknowledgment, acts the same as a physical body which denies the need for the hand or the foot. It is a foolish nonsensical mindset, as Paul highlights in this passage.

To take the matter further, Paul makes it clear that those people whose gifts seem less necessary or “weaker” are actually “indispensable.” What good is a church building with a pastor when there is no congregation to hear the preaching? What use is teaching if there are none to apply what is to be learned? What help is a discernment ministry if there is no one to learn and share with others? Those whose public and obvious gifts are meant for the building up of the body have no purpose when they fail to rely on the body to put their own gifts into practice, gifts which are honed and sharpened under the public teaching and preaching of the “honorable” parts of the body. This is why God gives “greater honor to the parts that lacked it” (v. 24). In God’s economy, every single member of the church is honored in some capacity because each uses his gifts for the purpose for which He gave them. When one is honored, all are honored together (v.26).

Christians must dispense with the twisted idea that some gifts make them better or superior to others. Each gift is purposely given, not for the recognition and honor of the bearer, but that it might be used specifically for the service of others. The gifts of God are meant to humble us so that we might be servants and glorify the giver of the gifts. Yes, every Christian may excel in some area or other when it comes to their gifts, yet, in like manner, they will be weaker or less capable as compared to their brethren in other areas. This is why Paul uses the analogy of the physical body. Each piece must work specifically to serve the others. Any physical part of the body that begins to work solely for itself will deprive all others and, in time, irreparably damage the body as a whole. We have a medical term for a body part that destroys the rest of the body, cancer. When cancer cells grow and multiply, they destroy the healthy parts of the body by stealing and depriving the body of what it needs. In time, without direct intervention, cancer kills. In like manner, any professing Christian who esteems themselves as better or superior to other Christians, who believe their gifts and callings place them in a higher status above all others, will equally deprive and kill the church.

Christians, praise God that He gives us gifts and use them mightily in His service. Yet, do not esteem your gifts as something that makes you more unique or deserving. Also, do not judge yourself as somehow lesser or worthless because you do not have the gifts of another. Humble yourself and know that God has purposed your gifts for the specific reason that He has called you to serve in a capacity that grows the church, makes it healthy, and glorifies His name. Be humble in your use of the gifts and reject any idea that God’s gifts make anyone greater or lesser than another. You did not deserve any of these gifts but God in His lovingkindness gave them to you because He loves you and desires to use you. Meditate on this today, then go serve one another, glorifying Him who equipped you.

Note: This article was also published on X.com.