1 Corinthians 12:28

1 Corinthians 12:28. And God hath set some in the church, first (some to be) apostles, secondly prophets the prophets of the New Testament (not of the Old Testament), on whose functions see on 1 Corinthians 12:10. They came in order next to the apostles (see Ephesians 2:20). It was at the word of these inspired utterers of the mind and will of God that some of the most important movements of the apostolic Church were adopted (as may be seen in Acts 13:1-4; 1 Timothy 4:14).

helps, governments i.e. persons to ‘help,' and persons to ‘govern.' diverse kinds of tongues including (as is plain from 1 Corinthians 12:30) the “interpretation” of them.

Note. On comparing this list with that in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, it will be seen that here we have both the gifts and the gifted; there the gifts only: also, two gifts in the first list “faith and discerning of spirits” are omitted in the second; whereas in the second list there are two which are wanting in the first “helps,” “governments.” This shows how little completeness and systematic arrangement were aimed at. Nor are permanent offices and temporary functions nicely separated: indeed, in the first list they are not distinguished at all, and but faintly in the second. And though a certain descending scale is observable from the primary offices to the inferior yet since they are followed by diversified forms of supernatural energy, there is no reason to suppose that anything more was intended than a rapid allusion to the gifts exuberantly manifested in their church.

That “helps” mean the Diaconate, and “governments” mean the “ruling” as distinguished from the “teaching” ministers, we cannot think; for besides that if this had been intended, it could have been expressed more simply, as elsewhere if we refer to the corresponding and more precise statement in Ephesians 4:11, it would be difficult in it to find a place for those offices. Any and every kind of “helping” and “governing” needed in the Church seems to be the things in view. In fine, all the supernatural endowments of the early Church will be found to have their counterpart in the ordinary work of the Church of Christ, modified according to circumstances; while the Spirit of all grace whose supernatural manifestations in the early Church were mainly designed to give it a startling and resistless impulse is still in and with the Church, and according to the promise of its Head, will abide with it for ever.