Are some members of the body of Christ unseen and unknown like the little toe?
Yes. Within the body of Christ, some members are as unseen and unknown as the little toe, yet they remain important members. Visibility does not determine importance; the unseen believer is still a member of Christ’s body, just as prominent evangelists are no more important.
Les teaches that this illustration of the body of Christ includes some members who are just as unseen and unknown as the little toe is on your foot. But they are still important; that believer is a member of the body of Christ. Others are more visible, like Billy Graham and famous evangelists, but they are no more important than the believer represented by the little toe. So no one should say God cannot use them because they are a nobody. If you are in Christ, you are a somebody. He then comes to Romans chapter 12, where verse 5 says that being many, we are yet one body, and all members of one another. Verse 6 speaks of gifts differing according to the grace given to us, and God is the one in control of the gift giving, imparting each particular gift, whether great or small.