1 Corinthians 12:18

But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him.

'But now' -'But as it is' (RSV); 'But as things are, in contrast to that absurdity.' (Robertson p. 172)

'hath God set' -'God has placed' (NASV) 'The emphasis is on the fact that each member is there by divine placement.' (Fee p. 611)

'even as it pleased him' -referring back to 1 Corinthians 12:11. What is true concerning the placement and arrangement of the parts of the human body, is also true of who received which gift in the body of Christ. Divine purpose is behind every gift, not just the gift of tongues.

Points to Note:

1. 'Dissatisfaction with one's particular charism (gift), or contempt for that of another, is disloyalty towards Him and distrust of His wisdom.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 891)

'Do any of us presume to find fault with what God did? Does envy, false humility, self-disparagement, or whatever else may blind us or lead us to think that we can improve on God's act?' (Lenski p. 523)

2. The same truth would seem to apply to the natural talents and abilities that we were born with and those we weren't born with. We need to be careful concerning what we complain about, i.e. our height, hair color, etc..or that we lack various abilities that we envy in others.