Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
What does 1 Corinthians 12:27 mean?
Contempt, hatred, envy, and strife, are very unnatural in Christians. It is like the members of the same body being without concern for one another, or quarrelling with each other.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside 1 Corinthians 12:27-29 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 12:27
Are the body of Christ - The allusion to the human body is here kept up. As all the members of the human body compose one body, having a common head, so it is with all the members and parts of the Christian church. The specific idea is, that Christ is the Head of the whole church; that he presides over all; and that all its members sustain to each other the relation of fellow-members in the same body, and are subject to the same head; compare the note at 1 Corinthians 11:3 . The church is often called the body of Christ; Ephesians 1:23 ; Colossians 1:18 , Colossians 1:24 .
Context in 1 Corinthians 12
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1 Corinthians 12 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as worship, gifts, and the body. First Corinthians is a pastoral and doctrinal letter correcting divisions while teaching about holiness, worship, gifts, and resurrection. Read this chapter with the wider themes of the cross, church order, and holiness in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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