The "Helps" - Who Are They?

"And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues." (I Cor. 12: 28 ESV)

"Gift of helping" ("helps" KJV).

Got Questions web page says (here - emphasis mine):

"The spiritual gift of helps is found in one of the spiritual gifts lists in the Bible. The Greek word translated “helps” in 1 Corinthians 12:28 is found only there in the New Testament; therefore, the exact meaning of the gift of helps is somewhat obscure. The word translated “helps” means literally “to relieve, succor, participate in, and/or support.” Those with the gift of helps are those who can aid or render assistance to others in the church with compassion and grace. This gift has a broad range of applications, from helping individuals with daily chores to assisting in the administration of the affairs of the church."

I agree with this. Though the word may "have a broad range of applications," yet it no doubt refers to some special gift. 

The article continues:

"Helping in the body of Christ can take a variety of forms. Some see the gift of helps as given to those who are willing to “lend a hand” and do even the most mundane and disagreeable tasks with a spirit of humility and grace. Helpers are often those who volunteer to work regularly around church buildings and grounds, often laboring in obscurity. Others see helping as assisting the widows and elderly or families to accomplish daily tasks, coming alongside to render assistance in those areas where help is needed. These helpers render a gift of service in the broadest sense, assisting and supporting the body of Christ."

Oh the importance of such helps to the church! Yet, it includes helping outside of the corporate context, to each helper do so daily, and not only in his relationship to believers but to his neighbors in general.

The article continues:

"But there is perhaps a deeper meaning to the spiritual gift of helps. Since it is one of the spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, all of which are given for the building up of the body of Christ, the spiritual aspect of the gift of helps is perhaps even more important than the practical aspect. Those with the spiritual gift of helps have been given the unique ability to identify those who are struggling with doubt, fears, and other spiritual battles. They move toward those in spiritual need with a kind word, an understanding and compassionate demeanor, and the unique ability to speak scriptural truth in convicting and loving fashion. Their words are “like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11) to the spiritually weak and weary. These helpful Christians can quell anxiety in the downtrodden heart with cheerful and confidently spoken words of truth and joy.pp Praise God that He knows us so well. He knows all our needs and challenges and has given the gift of helps to special individuals who can come alongside others in mercy, grace, and love. These precious saints can lift the heart by helping carry a variety of burdens that we cannot, and should not, carry alone."

Wrote Albert Barnes:

"Helps - (ἀντιλήμψεις antilēmpseis). This word occurs no where else in the New Testament. It is derived from ἀντιλαμβάνω antilambanō, and denotes properly, "aid, assistance, help;" and then those who render aid, assistance, or help; helpers. Who they were is not known. They might have been those to whom was entrusted the care of the poor, and the sick, and strangers, widows, and orphans, etc.; that is, those who performed the office of deacons. Or they may have been those who attended on the apostles to aid them in their work, such as Paul refers to in Romans 16:3. "Greet Priscilla, and Aquilla, my "helpers" in Christ Jesus;" and in 1 Corinthians 12:9," Salute Urbane our helper in Christ;" see note on Romans 16:3. It is not possible, perhaps, to determine the precise meaning of the word, or the nature of the office which they discharged; but the word means, in general, those who in any way aided or rendered assistance in the church, and may refer to the temporal affairs of the church, to the care of the poor, the distribution of charity and alms, or to the instruction of the ignorant, or to aid rendered directly to the apostles. There is no evidence that it refers to a distinct and "permanent" office in the church; but may refer to aid rendered by any class in any way. Probably many persons were profitably and usefully employed in various ways as aids in promoting the temporal or spiritual welfare of the church."

The word literally means "to take hold of" so as to help, to “grab them, strongly lay hold of, to hold them up.” It is “helping, bringing relief, giving assistance.” Grabbers? Perhaps so and would include the idea of "taking" advantage of opportunities to be a help to others. (See Gal. 6: 10; Phil. 4: 10) They are people who "seize the day" or seize the opportunity, so to speak.

It is a serving gift. It no doubt relates to hospitality, to manifesting goodness and showing kindness. 

Perhaps "helps" is a general category of various kinds of helps. There are, after all, many areas where people need help. They need spiritual help. They need help with moral guidance, with finding wisdom and knowledge. They need emotional support. So, we may speak of ministerial helps, deacons, financial helps, etc. In fact some see the idea of "support" in the Greek word so that the helpers are supporters. They are like pillars. 

All believers have "faith" but only some have "faith" in abundance, as a supernatural gift. (I Cor. 12: 9) So, likewise, do all believers have a duty to be helpful, but all do not have a special gift for it. All believers are called to be "helpers" to others, especially to other believers, as well as to the poor, and to the lost. But, in the above text, "helpers" is more than the common gift of helping that comes with being a possessor of the Spirit of Christ. 

We might look at "helpers" as "walk ins," people who God sends into our lives to help us (as he does the angels who come to us as strangers, Heb. 13: 2), or who simply enter or walk into our paths (from out of nowhere we might say) and who become a help and deliverer. In the old testament the Lord often sent judges and saviors and as such they are indeed helpers.

"According to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies." (Neh. 9: 27 nkjv)

It is true that it is difficult to comprehend the precise nature of the supernatural gift of helps, or what the spiritual gift of "helpers" entails. Yet, it is put into a list of other gifts that are not meager, such as prophets, apostles, teachers, miracle workers, healers, etc. This gift must be of the same lofty class of spiritual gifts. 

Certainly Christian philanthropists are viewed as a gift of God by Paul. In Romans 12 Paul speaks of God's gifts to the church, to believers, calling them "differing gifts," and then lists some of them. One of those gifts are those people who are "givers." (vs. 8) So, there are spiritually gifted people who bear the descriptive title of "helper" and "giver." "He who gives" and "he who helps" or "the helper" and "the giver" seem similar.

The giving person is God's gift to people, especially to his people. Paul says that "God loves a cheerful giver." (II Cor. 9: 7) The Greek word for "giver" (dotes) means one who imparts and this idea is involved in the word "helper." 

Helpers are givers and deliverers. They are grabbers, people who take advantage of opportunities to do good, to help others. They are described by Jude as they who "have compassion" for others who are in need, and yet who "make a distinction" between those who are in need and deserve help and those who do not. Those judged worthy of being helped or saved ("others") are "saved with fear," involving "pulling them out of the fire." (Jude 1: 22-23) Helpers are spiritual firefighters, emergency personnel.