And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.
Parallel translations
- WEB God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.
- KJV And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
- NKJV And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
- NASB And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.
- NLT Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God has appointed roles and gifts in the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, then miracles, healings, helps, governing, and tongues. There is an order and structure to the body's life.
Overview
Paul lists offices and gifts God has set in the church, placing foundational ministries of the word (apostles, prophets, teachers) first. The ordering implies that gifts edifying the whole body rank above the more spectacular ones the Corinthians prized. All are God-appointed, underscoring that the church's structure is His gift, with Christ as her head.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Eph 4:11–13And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
- Rom 12:6–8We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith;
- 1 Cor 12:18But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design.
- 1 Cor 12:7–11Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
- 1 Tim 5:17Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
- Eph 2:20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
- Eph 3:5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
- Heb 13:24Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings.
- Heb 13:17Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.
- Num 11:17And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
- Acts 20:28Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
- 1 Pet 5:1–4As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:
- 1 Cor 10:32Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—
- Acts 2:8–11How is it then that each of us hears them in his own native language?
- Acts 13:1–3Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.
- Luke 6:14Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 12:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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