A variety of Spiritual Gifts have been appointed for each church
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
Paul does apply this to the Church, mentioning the body of Christ to indicate that the gifts are given within the body and have the primary purpose of building up the body. He draws attention to “unity first, then diversity of individual members.” Each one has an important part in the body of Christ.
To make his application clear, Paul mentions that God has specifically appointed in the Church first apostles (sent by Jesus personally while He was on earth, with the exception of Paul who was appointed later), second prophets (Spirit-directed speakers for God), third teachers, then workers of miracles, those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Fee points out that the first three are ministries “that find expression in various persons.” The rest are “gracious endowments of the Spirit, given to various persons in the church for its mutual upbuilding.”
The enumeration here may be chronological with respect to the history of the Early Church. Apostles were the primary witnesses to the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus. They included not only the Twelve but Paul, Barnabas, James, Andronicus and Junias,46 and the seventy-two others Jesus sent out (Luke 10:1–20). Prophets and teachers were also given by the resurrected and ascended Jesus to establish and mature the believers: so that every one of them could do works of service, or ministry, and build up the body of Christ “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants.… Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:13–16).
The rest of the gifts are also necessary for this, not only the obviously supernatural gifts of miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues, but also the gifts of “helps” (KJV; i.e., doing helpful deeds) and administrations (governments).
The plural of antilēmpseis, “helps,” indicates that all sorts of helpful deeds may be inspired by the Holy Spirit in this gift. The corresponding verb is used of helping the weak (Acts 20:35) and of masters being helped by good service (1 Tim. 6:2). The word was also used as a technical term for a chief accountant and would fit the work of the seven chosen in Acts 6:2–3, where “ ‘tables’ ” means “money tables,” and refers to the same cash fund that Paul later brought offerings to. These seven were “ ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom’ ” (Acts 6:3) and surely ministered through the gifts of the Spirit.
Kubernēseis (“administrations,” “governments,” “guidance”) is also plural and provides for a variety of expressions of the gift for those who are in a position of leadership. Acts 27:11 uses kubernētē, a closely related noun, to mean a steersman or pilot of a ship. Thus, it implies guidance and counseling, or even the managing of business affairs as well as giving spiritual leadership and guidance to the local assembly.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31a But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Paul next asks a series of questions which call for the answer no. He is dealing with ministries and gifts exercised or manifest when the assembly of believers comes together. He implies that no one will be used in the public meeting by the Spirit in all the gifts. This verse is not dealing with gifts such as tongues exercised in private prayer, nor tongues as the initial outward evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. “Do all speak in tongues” is in the continuous present tense in the Greek and may mean, “Do all continue to speak in tongues?” implying that not everyone will have a continuing ministry in the local assembly of speaking in tongues.
He goes on to tell them to “eagerly desire the greater gifts.” This may mean “keep desiring eagerly,” that is, with a zeal that never lets up. They were exercising the gifts but needed to give more attention to those that are greater.
Fee lists four possible interpretations of the “greater gifts.” (1) “Desire” is imperative, and means to seek the greater gifts rather than speaking in tongues (2). On the basis of 14:12 Paul is quoting the Corinthians who were eager to seek the greater gifts. (3) “But” (Gk. de) is adversative and “eagerly desire” (Gk. zēloute) is indicative, rather than imperative. Paul wants them to seek after love rather than gifts. However, zēloute continues the thought in 14:1 and is clearly imperative. (4). Zēloute is imperative, but does not refer back to the gifts in chapter 12: “Rather, he is looking ahead to his next point, the need for intelligibility in the community … but before he can get that point made, he interrupts himself to give the proper framework in which the ‘greater gifts’ are to function, namely, love.” The greater gifts would thus be all the intelligible gifts as greater than the gift of tongues.48
31b And now I will show you the most excellent way.
Paul has been taking the Corinthians who did not “lack any spiritual gift” (1:7) and showing them the need to appreciate both the variety of the gifts and the unity of the body. Now He wants to point out “the most excellent way” to exercise the gifts, the way of love. He does not suggest that the gifts are inferior to the fruit of the Spirit (which are all included in love). Nor does he mean that spiritual gifts and manifestations are not needed if they have love. Though God’s love and the love of Christ are the source of our salvation and all God has for us, love is not called a spiritual gift (one of the charismata). All that has been said in chapter 12 shows that the gifts are necessary for Christian life and ministry. But in Corinth they needed correction. The gifts were genuine, but the motives of the believers were not all they should be. Let us not forget that God has modeled this love for us “in His person and work.”
Horton, S. M. (1999). I & II Corinthians: A Logion Press Commentary (pp. 121–124). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.
