1 Corinthians 12:23-24 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
The human psyche and reason are difficult to understand sometimes, as v. 23 hints. Why do we treat less honorable parts with special honor and show modesty? Some much of this is determined by culture and self-awareness. People are easily shamed and embarrassed, especially about their bodies. This pysche is carried over into the church also. Why are certain people seemingly honored in the Body of Christ while others are neglected or ignored? The only way to overcome this type of thinking is through unconditional love, which Paul will discuss in just a few verses. He may be setting up for this idea in ch. 13. Love is what brings all of these gifts together in unity.
The key point is given at the end of v. 24: God is the one who gives honor, and his honor is given to all people who are believers and part of the body of Christ. The place of honor is to be found in Jesus Christ. He is our honor and source of honor. God has created the human body to function as a unit. Each part has a purpose and is important to the whole.
Our challenge is how to put this principle into practice in the average church. It will require that we totally abandon any self-serving attitudes and behaviors and put others before ourselves (Philippians 2:1-4). Our model is Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-11). This is not just the job of the pastor but of every member of the Body of Christ. In real life, there will always be people who are not fully committed. One of the reasons for preaching the gospel is to call these not full sanctified people to the life of full consecration. This will open the door to seeing others as important and also finding ways to encourage each person to be fully engaged in where and how God wants to use them.
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