1 Corinthians 12:28 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.
Paul lists different types of gifts that can be found in the church. All of these gifts help in spreading the gospel and being witnesses of Jesus in fulfillment of Acts 1:8. These miracles can be seen in the different stories in the book of Acts.
Apostles can be understood in two ways. There was the special group of twelve apostles who were commissioned by Jesus to go out and preach the gospel. Others were called apostles in the New Testament who had a similar call. The basic idea of an apostle is one who is sent out with a special task. In the early church, these apostles had special authority that others did not have. Part of the question of this verse is the meaning of “church.” Does Paul mean the general church of Christ worldwide? If so, then the number of apostles would be limited to the few mentioned in the New Testament. The question would be if there are apostles today. These gifts would be scattered across many churches, so not every church may have these gifts. If Paul is referring to any given local church, then “apostle” may have a broader meaning and could be equivalent to missionary. Every church could have the particular gifts that Paul mentions in this verse.
Prophets are those who “speak forth” the words of God. New Testament prophecy focuses on proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. This prophecy may include warnings and insights about the future, but even this is mean to impact the present. All of the predictive prophecy we see in the New Testament is intended to lead people to Christ. Prophecy will be the topic of ch. 14 as Paul shows how prophecy is to be sought more than tongues in the church.
Teachers are gifted with the ability of taking complex topics and explaining them to people. Teachers are essential in preserving orthodoxy and making sure the next generation knows it well. The central topic of Christian teaching is the gospel. The gospel can be explored from many angles and not simply doctrine. The people of God need to be taught how to BE Christians in their spiritual growth and character, what to DO as Christians in this world, and what to KNOW about the truth of the gospel.
Miracles are when God intervenes into this world to bring about his purposes. Miracles may happen within the natural order or in obvious ways that break the laws of nature. What Paul means here likely leans towards the latter. The miracles we see in the book of Acts bring about healing of diseases or rising from the dead. Jesus performed many different types of miracles, including health, food, and natural. These types of miracles cannot be forced but happen according to God’s will. We do not often think of someone having this type of gift today. Is this gift only for the period of the early church? Should every church have someone with this gift? This might be over-reading this verse.
Gifts of healing are miracles especially related to the human physical or mental condition. It is the care of the person’s body and soul in a special way that brings restoration and wholeness. This gift could be described in modern terms as being in the medical field. What makes a Christian medical person different than a non-Christian? Since this is a gift of the Spirit, this gift could be related to acts of compassion that are given in love without any expectation of repayment or obligation.
Helping could refer to those people who often are in the background but keep so many things running and keep the flow of activities going forward. They assist others who may be the leaders or who have other gifts. They know what needs to be done and can get it done.
Guidance or administration is the ability to organize and categorize activities, finances, people, and other things in order to accomplish a purpose. People with this gift can see the big picture and what needs to happen in order to fulfill the mission.
The gift of tongues comes last. This is the most controversial and difficult to determine. There are two perspectives on this. Some say that this gift refers to speaking in a spiritual language or heavenly language, often of unknown syllables and sounds. Others argue that this is the ability to speak in known languages. Paul will take up this topic in ch. 14.
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