"...those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 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..."
-- 1 Corinthians 12:22-24
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The phrase that jumped out to me when I read this section recently was "the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty." What is Paul talking about here? In our human bodies, he is obviously talking about those parts that are indecent to expose to the public. But how does that relate to the Body of Christ?
I think the "unpresentable" here are those situations and people that are not (or not yet) "presentable" to the world for one reason or another, yet are so important to the life of the church. For example, we must confess our sins to one another and deal with sin, but these things must be carefully protected within the Body. There are also immature Christians who are sinful and rough around the edges, but if a church has no immature Christians, then no one is being reached. These are not "presentable" parts of the life of the Body, but they are "indispensable." We cannot pretend these parts do not exist or try to force them out. Instead, although we're not ashamed of them, we know it is not proper to expose these to anyone and everyone. Instead, we lovingly shelter these treasured and indispensable parts so that they can serve their purpose in the Body.
