<p>12:12 <i>For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though being many, are one body; so also is Christ- </i>The term &quot;Christ&quot; is even used of the believers, such is His unity with us (1 Cor. 12:12). See on Jn. 3:11. The analogy to the human body means that every part is critical for the function of the whole. This is why despite the entire raft of problems at Corinth, Paul begins in chapter 1 by addressing their lack of unity. And he uses the same metaphor in Rom. 12:4,5, arguing that all members do not have the same function, but we are thereby &quot;every one members one of another&quot;. This continual focus upon &quot;every one&quot; is in the context of the way that religion generally gives importance to the leadership, and the mass are expected to simply attend and empower the leadership. But in the body of Christ, each member is critical to the function of the whole. If any leave the body or malfunction, then all suffer. This is why Paul is so concerned that &quot;members&quot; of Christ's body should become one body with church prostitutes, because &quot;your bodies are the members of Christ&quot; (6:15). Yet within the same metaphor, we are &quot;every one members one of another&quot; (Rom. 12:5). Undeniably, our membership within Christ is intimately connected to our membership of one another. This is why the practices of disfellowship and division, so common to many churches, are absolutely wrong. They deeply damage the entire community, including those who are responsible for them.&nbsp;</p>