Although Paul lists nine manifestations of the Spirit, the manifestation of the Spirit by the believers is of more than nine items. A number of items are not included in these nine. The apostleship, helps, and administrations by the Spirit listed in verse 28, seeing visions and dreaming dreams by the Spirit as mentioned in Acts 2:17, the signs and wonders referred to in Hebrews 2:4, and three of the five miraculous acts prophesied in Mark 16:17-18 are not listed here. The apostle listed here only nine items of the Spirit’s manifestation as an illustration. Of these nine, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues are listed as the last two, because they are not as profitable as the other items for the building up of the church (14:2-6, 18, 19). Of these nine gifts and those listed in verses 28 through 30, prophecy as prediction, faith, gifts of healing, works of power, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues are miraculous. All the rest, a word of wisdom (like the word of the apostles), a word of knowledge (like the word of the teachers), and speaking for God and speaking forth God in prophecy by the prophets, discerning of spirits, helps, and administrations are gifts developed by the growth in life (3:6-7), as those listed in Romans 12:6-8, out of the inward, initial gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:7. The miraculous gifts, especially speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues, do not require any growth in life. The Corinthians did much speaking in tongues, yet they still remained in infancy (3:1-3). However, the gifts developed in life require growth in life, even maturity, for the building up of the church. It was for this purpose that this Epistle was written to them.
We need to be impressed with the fact that Paul puts the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge as the first two and tongues and the interpretation of tongues as the last two. This indicates that Paul regarded the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge more highly than tongues and the interpretation of tongues. We may say that the best gift is the gift to speak for Christ and to speak forth Christ. The word of wisdom and the word of knowledge are related to this kind of speaking. Rather than the miraculous gifts, I encourage all the saints to seek the gift of speaking the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge and also the gift to speak for the Lord and the gift to speak forth the Lord.