1 Corinthians 12:11 Commentary and Bible Study

The people he is speaking about are apostles and prophets, and authenticators of prophets; and tongues speakers and corroborators of those tongues speakers. And there were the gifts in the very early church, surviving at least in Corinth, though not mentioned in any other epistle. And the point is that God is not giving them these gifts to distinguish them as individuals, but because they are part of his revelation of the word. The apostles are giving the word, both the wisdom and knowledge of mysteries, and they need to be authenticated; the prophets who are filling in until the Scripture is completed, they are being given the word and being authenticated; and the tongues speakers commending it to the Jewish people also. ‘So, you were’, says the apostle, ‘led away to dumb idols, no message. But now you have got the blessing of God speaking, the word of God being brought together to its completion, and we are people who hear the word and listen to this.’