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apostles, it is even more probable that for such a new sphere of service as the
dispensation of the mystery, other apostles, called in harmony with the glorious
revelation of the pleroma, sent directly from the ascended Head for the benefit of the
members, will be given.
When dealing with "spiritual gifts" the apostle in I Cor. 12: includes apostles,
prophets and teachers among the number, and a superficial reading of I Cor. 12: 28 may
lead to the conclusion that the teaching is just the same as that of Eph. 4: Let us
therefore examine I Cor. 12: a little carefully. First of all the apostle makes a clean cut
between the spirit that animates and inspires the worshipper of idols and the spirit that
was given to the church of God (verses 2 and 3). Then, turning to the gifts that come
from the Lord, he reveals a threefold relation to the three persons of the Godhead:--
1. Diversities of GIFTS, but the same SPIRIT (verse 4).
2. Diversities of ADMINISTRATION, but the same LORD (verse 5).
3. Diversities of OPERATIONS, but the same GOD (verse 6).
As we read on in this chapter we find that verses 7-13 expand the first item, namely,
the gifts of the spirit. Verses 18-31 deal with the operations of God:--
"God hath set the members every one of them in the body" (verse 18).
"God hath set some in the church, first apostles, etc." (verse 28).
We have in this chapter, therefore, the gifts of the Spirit, and the operations of God,
expanded and illustrated. Where, however, do we read of the "administrations of the
Lord"? They are not found in I Cor. 12: We find them in Eph. 4: We notice further
that there is a definite order, twice repeated, and actually enumerated so that we shall
make no mistake:--
"And God hath set some in the church,
First--APOSTLES,
Secondly--PROPHETS,
Thirdly--TEACHERS" (I Cor. 12: 28).
When we turn to Ephesians we read:--
"And He (Christ, the `one Lord' of the unity of the spirit, and the dispenser of the
`administrations' of I Cor. 12: 5) gave:--
Some, APOSTLES;
Some, PROPHETS;
Some, EVANGELISTS;
Some, PASTORS and TEACHERS" (Eph. 4: 11).
Here the order is not quite the same as that of I Cor. 12: For reasons that may not be
fully apparent to us, it pleased God to omit the "evangelist", while it pleased the Lord to
include this gift. The "pastor", moreover, is included with the "teacher" in the
administration of the lord. This fourfold gift is explained in Eph. 4: to be
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ" (verse 12).