RULING or GOVERNMENTS
The gift of ruling may be the same as the gift of governments (I Corinthians
12:28). These gifts refer to those who guide or take the lead in the church. The
leaders in the early church were bishops, or elders, and deacons. Bishop, or elder,
refers to the same function. The term Elder (presbuteros--an older, mature person)
speaks of the spiritual maturity of the individual; the term bishop (episkopos--to
watch over) speaks of the function of the office, that is, one who watches over or
oversees the spiritual concerns of the house of God.
Paul said,
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of
double honor, especially they who labor in word and
doctrine (I Tim 5:17).
There were elders who taught or preached the word, and there were elders who
just exercised spiritual oversight. So "bishop" describes the nature of the work,
and "elder" reveals the maturity of that individual's spiritual experience.
In I Timothy 3:2-13 and in Titus 1:6-9, Paul has set forth the qualifications
of the bishops and elders--their personal characteristics, their spiritual qualities,
and their family relationships.
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