We have our place in the Body of Christ. Paul uses the metaphor of the body to illustrate the unity, the interdependence that we have in the church. And each member of the church has its part to contribute to the whole. He stresses that the gifts are necessary and should be valued regardless of their perceived importance, and that the focus should be on serving the Body rather than seeking personal glory. I find it interesting that the chapter that follows this one immediately is the Love Chapter, because if love does not accompany the gifts that we are given, what good are they? What are the gifts if they are corrupted by selfishness and pride?
And then he goes on to show that every part of the body is dependent upon every other part of the body.
So God has organized the Body as He saw fit, and every part of it has a function to perform. Because we are living organisms of free moral agency, it therefore bears upon us (as every individual part) to contribute to the wholeness, to the purity, to the efficiency, to the effectiveness of the whole—or leave.
If you were following there carefully, you will see that no part of the body is seen as being more important, more necessary, better or intrinsically possessing more authority—regardless of office. The arrangement of all the parts of the body is not left to chance, but is by appointment of God; and each part is shown as needing the other! Did you get that?
