1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (NIV)
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Paul’s bottom line is simply that every person in the Corinthian Church is part of the body of Christ, and all are essential for accomplishing the full mission that God has given them. That includes the older folks as well as the very young, the wealthy as well as the poor, the Jewish Christians as well as those who had come out of the pagan religions. All are essential, all have a part to play, and their vital interconnectedness must be recognized and nurtured.
In the final verses of this chapter, Paul points to the multifaceted character of the body of Christ. As in every congregation, there is a hierarchy based on levels of responsibility and accountability. Those with the highest levels of responsibility in the Church, and thus the most strongly accountable to God, are the apostles. They have been given the primary responsibility of taking the gospel into new places and doing the vital work of establishing congregations and selecting and equipping leaders who will continue the work after they move on to their next assignment.
Next are prophets, those who speak God’s words to the congregation. They are under high accountability, because as they preach, their words will be accepted as God’s own, so they must be absolutely faithful in everything that they say.
Next are the teachers. Again, they have the high responsibility of teaching the word of God absolutely faithfully. If they go astray and teach error, or if they teach their own opinions as God’s truth, they will lead people astray, and those people could ultimately be lost. And those teachers will be judged for that (James 3:1).
Finally, there are those who have received spiritual gifts that support and build up the Church, without any specific ranking. (Note the simple use of “and” connecting these instead of the hierarchical “then” as with the previous roles.) This understanding is a vital corrective to those who were trying to elevate themselves to the top positions in the Church based on the spiritual gifts they had been given. Paul’s message is that all the gifts are equally essential and equally valuable when they are used to build up the Church.
Paul points out that the callings and gifts will be distributed among the congregation based on how the Holy Spirit chooses to distribute them (1 Corinthians 12:11). And that decision will be based on His omniscience and divine wisdom. Not all will be apostles. Not all will be prophets. Not all will be teachers. Not all will be healers or workers of miracles. Not all will speak in tongues or interpret languages. And, just as it would be wrong to expect every part of the human body to filter blood like the kidneys, so it would be wrong to require all the people in the congregation to have the same “superior” gift or gifts in order to be considered truly mature.
Paul does point out that if people are going to seek spiritual gifts at all, which is actually unnecessary since the Spirit Himself determines which gifts are needed, and distributes them on His own authority, that emphasis should be placed on seeking what he calls the greater gifts. Some have taught that the greater gift is love, since chapter thirteen, the chapter on agape love, follows immediately after. But love is not a spiritual gift. It is the key fruit that is produced in the life of a person indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). If agape love is lowered to the status of a spiritual gift, that would mean that everyone would not be given it, but only those the Holy Spirit decides should have it.
Instead, agape love is clearly manifested in everyone who has the Holy Spirit living in them. And more importantly it is the one thing that can keep the gifts and callings in their proper places and keep people from exalting themselves above others (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Instead, as Paul later clarifies, the greater gifts (aside from the Holy Spirit Himself, which is by far the greatest gift) are gifts that build up the Church (1 Corinthians 14:12), especially prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1).
Father, Paul’s corrective here is very clear and easy to understand. No one should promote themselves because they exhibit a particular gift, because that gift was given to them, not because they are superior in their faith or more mature than others, but simply because the Holy Spirit has determined that that gift is needed in the Church. So, rather than exalt themselves, they should simply use their gift or gifts humbly to build up the whole Church. Paul manifested many gifts in his ministry, including healing, miracles, knowledge, and wisdom. But he rarely talked about those things. When they were needed, he simply did them in the power of the Spirit and moved on. Instead, he focused on his calling as an apostle, knowing that he would be held accountable, not for the number or quality of spiritual gifts he manifested, but on how faithfully he carried out that one key calling. And, of course, the Holy Spirit provided him with all the gifts, graces, and fruit he needed to be successful, all made available at just the right time. Help me, Lord, to continue to be faithful like Paul to the calling you have placed on my life, simply trusting You and Your Spirit to provide all I need exactly when I need it. Amen.