1 Corinthians 16:16

The Greek word etaxan, which we have rendered "have devoted," means to appoint an officer to a regiment, or, more widely, a man to any post. But here it is a service of love. The family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia. Their wish to serve the Lord and their love for the saints moved them, and in the matter of service they placed themselves at the head of the saints. They took that place to serve them with all their heart. So they stood over the saints to serve them, but they had appointed themselves to it; and Paul asks the saints to obey them.

They devoted themselves in an orderly way to the saints for service. It was their regular work, not something taken up half-heartedly now and then. Some dare to mock this as self-appointment. Yet the apostle upholds and commends it in the name of the Lord — as surely as a call from a patron or from a congregation to the ministry of the word is completely unscriptural.

The household of Stephanas had "devoted themselves to the service of the saints." They laid themselves out to serve the saints. They knew that in this way they would be serving Christ in His members on earth. There might be a lot that was commonplace and humdrum in such work, but they rendered it to Christ. Such service is not very common, we fear. It receives mention and commendation in verse 16. It illustrates, we judge, what is meant by "helps," mentioned among the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28.

They had no special call, and, as far as we can see, no marked gift. Only the love of Christ moved them. They boldly took the path that love invited them to, and their work met with prompt acceptance — and that was not for their sakes only. The Lord has volunteers as well as slaves.

He begged them to be subject to such, and to everyone working together and labouring. This is all the more striking, since we never hear of elders in the two letters to the Corinthians. If there had been any, they would have come in for special blame. Elders needed appointment by those who had discernment and full authority. Apart from them there were also labourers, and the saints owed subjection to these too. We find the same in other letters. This fact is of the greatest importance for the church as things now stand.

There is a moral action on the souls of those who make up the assembly. It works when official rule does not exist... All this can be practised where there is no official appointment. That would need apostolic authority, and it does not exist... This rests on the action of the word in the conscience of those who have to submit. If someone comes to me as an official elder, he has no scriptural authority to make good his claim.

Certain among them, seeing the need, set about and did the work, though no one had formally appointed them. Such were to be recognised... No one was to put them down, or brush them aside as irregular because no apostle had appointed them. The saints were to accept them with thanks, value them in love, and submit to them.

In general, the saints should submit themselves to such leaders, those who voluntarily, as led of God, do the work of God. Of course, in cases of abuse of leadership, it is a different matter. Diotrephes, who loved to have the pre-eminence, was not to be followed (3 John 9-11).