11. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.
12. The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does.
13. Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit.
14. Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts.
15. Suppose a foot says, “I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body.” Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body?
16. Or suppose an ear says, “I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body.” Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body?
17. If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing.
18. But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.
19. A body isn't really a body, unless there is more than one part.
20. It takes many parts to make a single body.
21. That's why the eyes cannot say they don't need the hands. That's also why the head cannot say it doesn't need the feet.