The Ordering of the Members in the Church; Seek the Greater Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:27–31)

1 Cor. 12:27. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

“Lest anyone say: what relevance does the example of a body have for us? It is arranged thus by nature, but our perfections depend on our will—the Apostle applies this example to our circumstances and shows that by will we must have the same harmony that the members of the body have by nature: ‘you are the body of Christ,’ he says. If there should be no discord in our body, then much more so in the body of Christ, and all the more so because grace is more powerful than nature” (Saint John Chrysostom).

You all together are the body of Christ, and each individually is a member of this body. But properly the body of Christ is “the whole universal Church, not just the Corinthian Church. By adding: in part, he makes them understand: your church is part of the universal Church, this mystical body of Christ, constituted by all Churches; so that you are obligated to be at peace not only with one another but with the whole universal Church, if you are indeed members of the whole body” (Saint John Chrysostom).

1 Cor. 12:28. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.

“God appointed.” The administrators of churches and keepers of order in them did not establish themselves: they are of heavenly origin. Therefore, the arrangement existing in the Churches should be received with complete obedience, as a direct institution of God (Theophylact). By saying “first, second, third,” the Apostle ranks the ecclesiastical offices according to their dignity.

“First, apostles.” “The most excellent order becomes highest of all, for the Apostles possessed all gifts” (Saint John Chrysostom). “They are the leaders of faith” (Oecumenius). “Conveyors of all spiritual blessings and treasures” (Theophylact). “He means not only the twelve, but also the seventy and others who later were deemed worthy of this grace. For he himself, being called later, received this appointment, as did the divine Barnabas, and besides them many others” (Theodoret).

“Second, prophets.” “He means those who existed not before grace, but under grace. Of their number was Agabus” (Theodoret). “The daughters of Philip prophesied, and those of the Corinthians about whom he says: ‘Let two or three prophets speak’ (1 Cor. 14:29). Generally at that time there were far more prophets than in the Old Testament, because this gift was not given to ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred people, but this grace was abundantly poured out, and each Church had many prophets. If Christ says: ‘the law and the prophets were until John,’ (Matt. 11:13), he speaks of those prophets who foretold His coming” (Saint John Chrysostom).

“Third, teachers.” “And they brought great benefit, and are justly placed immediately after the prophets” (Oecumenius). “Inspired by divine grace, they set forth the doctrine of divine dogmas and made moral exhortations” (Theodoret). “The prophet speaks all from the Spirit, but the teacher sometimes speaks from his own reason. Therefore the Apostle says: ‘Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching’ (1 Tim. 5:17). Whoever speaks all from the Spirit does not “labor,” therefore the Apostle placed the teacher after the prophet, for the work of the latter is wholly a gift, while the former is also human labor; the teacher says much also from himself, though of course in accord with the Divine Scriptures” (Saint John Chrysostom).

“Then deeds of power, then gifts of healing.”

Before he pointed to persons who received the gifts, but now he began to point only to the gifts—which produces no difference in the course of the discourse, for these gifts too were sent to certain persons. “Do you see how again he distinguishes the gift of healing from power, as he did before? This is because power is greater than healing. One who has power both strikes and heals, while one who has the gift of healing only heals” (Saint John Chrysostom). Perhaps “deeds of power” also mean the gift that manifested itself in extraordinary authority over the forces and elements of nature. “The Apostle placed teaching before these gifts not simply, but thereby teaching that these gifts are for the sake of teaching, not teaching for their sake; because teaching furthered salvation, since they did not receive it without signs, it was out of necessity for those coming, as a kind of guarantee, that they performed miracles” (Theodoret).

“Forms of assistance,” αντιληψεις. “They assist the wronged and those suffering violence. If one takes this meaning more completely and goes through everything from which a weak person can suffer and consequently would require assistance, then under this gift much can be understood. People suffer from human injustices, suffer from poverty and illnesses, suffer violence and oppression from demons. Correspondingly, the gift of assistance would be either the gift of courage and wisdom in defending the oppressed before authorities, or the gift of care for the poor and sick, or the gift of authority over demons. What is more fitting to recognize in the present case? Our interpreters did not give this word a strict definition, so all can be understood. But more closely—assistance from wicked people and demons.”

“Forms of leadership,” κυβερνησεις. The gift of administering particular Churches—shepherding. Theodoret places leadership and assistance together and says: “By this the Apostle depicted the administration of Churches.” Theophylact says the same about both together: “‘Forms of assistance, forms of leadership,’ that is, to assist the weak and to govern, or to arrange the affairs of the brethren. Although this depends on our diligence, the Apostle calls it God’s gifts, teaching us to be grateful for them to God and to look to Him, not to exalt ourselves.” Saint John Chrysostom says: “What is ‘assistance’?—To help the weak. Is this also a gift?—Without doubt, to help and to manage spiritual matters (here Saint John Chrysostom also speaks of ‘leadership’) is God’s gift.—However, the Apostle calls many of our virtues gifts not that we might become careless, but to show that we always have need of God’s help, and to dispose us to gratitude, to make us more diligent and to stir up the souls of listeners.”

“Various kinds of tongues.” “The Apostle placed this gift in the last place not simply, but because the Corinthians thought highly of it and used it excessively for show, not according to the measure of need. For this reason the Apostle presented the order of gifts and said which of them is first, which second, and which third, so that they would take care of what is more necessary” (Theodoret).

1 Cor. 12:29–30. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

“By this the Apostle again comforted those who received gifts that, in their estimation, were lesser, and clearly taught that it is impossible for all to have the same gifts, and that they have need of one another, as the members of the body have need of mutual assistance” (Theodoret).

“Since by listing the gifts he again showed great distinction among them and excited the distress of those who received the lesser gifts, finally, after having presented many proofs that they are not too humiliated, he addresses them with a very strong rebuke, saying: ‘Are all apostles?’ and so on. He does not stop at one or another gift, but enumerates all to the last, expressing either that not all can have everything, or at the same time adding to the word of comfort something else. What is that?—That even the lesser gifts, like the greater ones, equally should be objects of desire, because they too are not given to all. For why, he says, do you grieve that you do not have the gift of healing? Consider that the one who has the greater often does not have what you have, even though it is lesser. As God did not grant all great gifts to everyone, but gave one such to one and another to another, so He acted also with lesser ones, granting not all gifts to all. And He did this to inspire great harmony and love, so that each, having need of his neighbor, might be more closely united with him. The same He did in the arts, in the elements, in plants, in our members, and in all things generally” (Saint John Chrysostom).

1 Cor. 12:31. But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

This text stands at the transition to the following discourse on love. Having said all about the extraordinary gifts of grace that manifested themselves in the Church, and having calmed all who were troubled by receiving lesser gifts compared to others, the Apostle speaks to them as it were: Do you desire the better gifts?—Seek them. But I will tell you that the matter of Christian life is not in the gifts. All gifts can cease in the Church. There is in Christianity something higher than all gifts. And this I now want to show you.

“A still more excellent way,” the most excellent way, that is, the way of life, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Photius in Oecumenius says: “I show you a way on which, having no need of any of the gifts I have shown, you will nevertheless prove to be better and more perfect than all. What is this?—Something most simple, effortless, achieved in the easiest manner—love. Whoever has obtained pure love has risen above all, has surpassed all. And whoever lacks it has fallen below all, and moreover is empty (of all spiritual goods). Having obtained love, you will no longer look with envious faint-heartedness at the higher gifts of others.”

These are the words of Saint John Chrysostom. “He did not say: strive for the higher gifts, but κρειττονα, the better ones, that is, the more necessary, the more useful. He did not say: a gift, but a way, to exalt more that of which he intended to speak; not one, not two, not three gifts, he says, will I show you, but one way, leading to all of them, and not simply a way, but the most excellent way, open to all generally. This is not like the other gifts, of which some are given to some and others to others, not all to all, but there is a gift universal.”