In 12:28-31 Paul speaks concerning the gifts God has placed in the church. Verses 3 through 11 emphasize the Spirit, verses 12 through 27 emphasize the Body, and verses 28 through 31 emphasize administration. Verse 28 says, “And God has placed some in the church: firstly apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers; then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” The church here refers both to its universal and local aspects. From verse 12 through 27 the church is considered the Body of Christ. The Body is an organism for Christ as the believers’ life to grow and express Himself. The church is an assembly for God to operate His administration. Therefore, in chapter twelve in dealing with the gifts, four matters are emphasized: speaking, the Spirit, the Body, and administration. Speaking ushers us into the Spirit, the Spirit brings us into the Body, and the Body keeps us in the Spirit. Thus, Ephesians 4:4 speaks of one Body and one Spirit. If we are in the Body, we have the Spirit, for the Body preserves us in the Spirit. If this is our situation, the Body is not divided; rather, it remains one in the Spirit. Then the Body is qualified for the carrying out of God’s administration. The Body in the sense of being the church is the means for God to administrate on earth.
The Body as the church is the assembly of God. The Body of Christ is an organism to grow Christ and express Him. The assembly of God, the church, is the means for God to carry out His administration. Thus, we go from speaking, to the Spirit, to the Body, and, ultimately, to God’s administration. The Lord’s coming back will be the ultimate consummation, the peak, of His administration. What we are doing in the Lord’s recovery is preparing the way to bring Him back. Hallelujah for speaking, the Spirit, the Body, and administration! All this is to bring the Lord Jesus back.
In verse 28 Paul mentions apostles, prophets, and teachers. The apostles are those who are called and sent by God (1:1; Rom. 1:1) to preach the gospel that sinners may be saved to be the materials for the building of the church, to establish the churches (Acts 14:21-23), and to teach the divine truth. Their ministry is universal for all the churches. The prophets are those who speak for God and speak forth God by God’s revelation, and who speak sometimes with inspired prediction (Acts 11:27-28). Teachers are those who teach the truths according to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42) and the prophets’ revelation. Both prophets and teachers are universal as well as local (Eph. 4:11; Acts 13:1).
In verse 28 Paul also refers to helps and administrations. The helps or helpers, helpings, must refer to the services of the deacons and deaconesses (1 Tim. 3:8-13). The administrations or administrators, governings, refers to the eldership in the church.
In verse 28 Paul lastly mentions various kinds of tongues. This is the second time the speaking in tongues is listed as the last of the aspects of God’s operation in the church.
In verses 29 and 30 Paul asks a number of questions: “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of powers? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” Of course, the answer to all these seven questions is no. Speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues are again, the third time, listed last in Paul’s writing because they render the least profit to the church (14:4-6, 19).
In verse 31 Paul says, “But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And yet I show to you a way of excellence.” To earnestly desire the greater gifts is to be zealous for them, to delight in them. The expression greater gifts indicates that some gifts, like speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues, are smaller because they are less profitable to the church. It also indicates that we should desire earnestly the greater gifts, like prophesying and teaching, which are more profitable for the building of the church (14:1-6). To have these greater gifts we need to grow in life unto maturity. They are developed, by growth in life, out of the initial gifts (1:7) we received when we were regenerated.
Paul concludes verse 31 by saying that he would show the Corinthians a way of excellence. The way to have the greater gifts is love. This way is fully defined in the following chapter.