1 Corinthians 12:19

All one member. There was apparently a spirit of discontent on the part of some in Corinth with the way God had distributed the gifts. Those who did not hold prominent offices in the church seemed to be disgruntled, feeling that if they were not ministers or teachers they were of no account. By an effective illustration from the human body Paul sought to dispel these false ideas, pointing to the absurdity that would result if all parts of the human body were fused into one particular member, such as the eye or the ear.

Body. For the hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc., to perform their allotted service they must be united in the body; not one of them can function if that union is broken. If all the strength of the body were to be channeled into one particular member such as the eye, all other parts would suffer, and the eye itself would become useless. Thus Paul emphasizes that any interference with the Creator’s plan for the orderly operation of the body is not beneficial, but harmful, in its results.