WORD OF WISDOM & WORD OF KNOWLEDGE (PART I)

“What Did Paul Actually Mean?”

By Akin Ojumu

In his first letter to the Corinthians, where he addresses the abuse, misuse, disorder, and counterfeiting surrounding spiritual gifts, the Apostle Paul provides one of the New Testament’s most extensive discussions of the manifestations and ministries of the Holy Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians 12–14, Paul identifies nine primary manifestations of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 and later expands the discussion to include additional ministries and appointments.

The familiar nine are:

1. Utterance [Word] of Wisdom

2. Utterance [Word] of Knowledge

3. Faith

4. Gifts of Healing

5. Working of Miracles

6. Prophecy

7. Discerning of Spirits

8. Kinds of Tongues

9. Interpretation of Tongues

Later, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul repeats several of these but also mentions: 

1. Apostleship

2, Teaching

3. Helps

4. Administration.

When Paul’s other gift lists in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4 are brought into the discussion, the New Testament presents an even broader range of spiritual gifts, functions, and leadership ministries.

But this commentary is not an attempt to provide a complete exposition of spiritual gifts. That would require far more space.

Instead, I want to concentrate on two expressions that have become enormously important in modern Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity:

“The Word of Wisdom and the Word of Knowledge.”

This commentary was prompted by a sincere question asked by a commenter under a recent YouTube video published by The True Christian Faith Ministry titled:

“Gnosticism: Knowledge of ‘God’ Outside of the Written Words in the Bible.”

The commenter asked:

“Sir, please how do you explain 1st Corinthians 12:8, if you say there is no Word of Knowledge. I am asking from a genuine heart because I have prayed to God for so long not to be deceived and I have been consuming your content since I stumbled upon your channel about 3 weeks ago now. I will be grateful if you can do an exposition on the Gift of the Spirit as taught in 1st Corinthians 12, because this is the scripture there will always point to.”

That is a fair question.

And this commentary is a good faith attempt to answer it.

Paul writes:

1 Corinthians 12:8

“For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance [word] of wisdom, and to another the utterance [word] of knowledge according to the same Spirit.”

The first thing we must admit is something that is often overlooked in modern discussions:

Paul names these gifts, but he does not stop to define them.

That fact should immediately make us cautious.

Whenever Scripture gives us a phrase without providing an elaborate technical definition, we should be extremely careful about constructing an elaborate theology around it and then speaking as though our theological construction were Paul’s own dictionary definition.

1. THE “WORD OF WISDOM”

The Greek expression is logos sophias—literally, a “word,” “message,” or “utterance of wisdom.”

The most natural sense is a Spirit-enabled capacity to communicate divine truth wisely, particularly in a manner that brings spiritual understanding and proper application to a particular situation.

The word logos points toward speech, utterance, or communication. 

And throughout the New Testament, wisdom is repeatedly connected with understanding God’s truth and skillfully applying that truth.

Consider Jesus:

Matthew 13:54

“And coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?’”

Consider Stephen:

Acts 6:8–10

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people… But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

And consider Paul:

2 Peter 3:15

“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him.”

In each case, wisdom is not presented as God whispering secret biographical information about strangers into somebody’s ear. It concerns the ability to understand, communicate, and handle divine truth wisely.

Thus, the “Word of Wisdom” most naturally refers to a Spirit-given ability to communicate or apply God’s truth with wisdom.

2. THE “WORD OF KNOWLEDGE”

The Greek expression is logos gnōseōs—a “word,” “message,” or “utterance of knowledge.”

Again, the emphasis is on communication.

This appears to refer to a Spirit-enabled ability to understand and communicate divine truth.

In the apostolic era, such knowledge could certainly involve revelation, because the New Testament itself was still being given and the mysteries of the Gospel were being revealed through Christ’s Apostles and Prophets.

Paul repeatedly speaks this way.

Romans 16:25–26

“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed…”

Ephesians 3:1–3

“For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles… how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.”

Colossians 1:24–26

“…to make the Word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.”

Knowledge, therefore, concerns the understanding and communication of truth. Wisdom concerns the wise application of that truth.

Put simply:

Knowledge understands what is true. Wisdom understands what should be done with what is true.

Or stated another way:

Word of Knowledge: Spirit-enabled understanding and communication of divine truth.

Word of Wisdom: Spirit-enabled wisdom in explaining, applying, or directing according to divine truth.

Suppose, for example, that a difficult pastoral problem arises. 

Understanding the biblical principles relevant to that problem concerns knowledge.

Knowing how those principles should wisely be applied to the particular circumstances concerns wisdom.

That distinction is modest. It fits the language Paul actually uses. And, most importantly, it does not pretend that Paul gave us definitions that he never gave.

BUT IS THAT HOW MODERN CHARISMATICS DEFINE THEM?

No.

And this is precisely where the controversy begins.

In large sections of modern Pentecostal, Charismatic, Word of Faith, and New Apostolic Reformation Christianity, the expressions “Word of Knowledge” and “Word of Wisdom” have acquired highly technical meanings.

A Word of Knowledge is frequently said to be supernatural revelation concerning somebody’s past or present.

A Word of Wisdom is then described as supernatural revelation concerning the future.

These definitions have become so familiar that many Christians assume they are simply reading Paul’s words.

But are they? Does Paul actually say:

Knowledge = supernatural revelation concerning the past or present?

Does Paul say:

Wisdom = supernatural revelation concerning the future?

Or have later theological systems supplied definitions that the biblical text itself never gives?

That is the question we will examine in Part II.