Paul’s theology of community aligns closely with this vision in many respects, especially in the formation of communities of mutual dependence, where every member of the body has something to contribute and no one can say of another, “I have no need of you” (1 Cor 12:21).14 In this respect, it is unhelpful (even harmful) to speak of “the poor” or “deprivation,” if one thereby implies the presence of nothing but lack. On a Pauline model of the body, everyone has something to give to others, and one should expect to give not to the poor but with them.
