Word of Wisdom

Biblical Text

The "word of wisdom" is the first item Paul names when listing the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the Spirit distributes in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11. First Corinthians 12:8 reads, "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit." The list continues with faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. The expression occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and Paul does not explain its content.

Background

The original Greek is logos sophias, meaning "word (logos) of wisdom (sophia)." Corinth was a Greek city that prized rhetoric (the art of effective speaking) and philosophy, and the Corinthian church itself appears to have been inclined to boast of wisdom and eloquence. Early in the letter Paul observes that "the Greeks seek after wisdom" and contrasts the wisdom of the world with Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:22–25). He also states that his preaching was "not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Corinthians 2:4–5). In light of this line of argument, many commentators hold that the "word of wisdom" in chapter 12 emphasizes something given by the Holy Spirit rather than human verbal skill.

Meaning in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament wisdom literature, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) and is portrayed as a gift received by asking God. A representative example is the account of Solomon asking for "an understanding heart" (1 Kings 3). The New Testament continues this theme, calling Christ "the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24) and urging those who lack wisdom to ask of God (James 1:5–6). Paul states that the gifts are given "to profit withal" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Accordingly, the "word of wisdom" is understood as a gift in which God's wisdom is expressed in speech for the building up of the church.

Interpretations and Issues

Because the text offers no definition, interpretations differ.

• Pentecostal and charismatic: The Pentecostal and charismatic traditions regard this gift as supernatural insight into God's will or into the solution to a particular situation, which the recipient then communicates. It is often explained together with the word of knowledge. The nine gifts are sometimes divided into revelation, power, and utterance gifts, with this gift placed among the revelation gifts; this classification, however, is not found in the biblical text but was devised by later teachers.
• Reformed and others: A number of Reformed and evangelical commentators read this gift in connection with the "wisdom of God" described in 1 Corinthians 2—that is, the ability to understand, teach, and apply to life the gospel of the cross. Some of them hold that it was a revelatory gift of the apostolic age that has since ceased, while others hold that it continues today in the form of teaching. This debate is treated in detail in Cessationism and Continuationism.
• Distinguishing wisdom and knowledge: It is unclear how Paul distinguished the "word of wisdom" from the "word of knowledge." Some scholars suggest that Paul took terms favored by the Corinthians and redefined them as gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Pentecostal churches and charismatic gatherings, this gift is taught as one of the nine spiritual gifts. In everyday church usage, however, "word of wisdom" is also used broadly to refer to passages of Scripture that contain wisdom, such as those in Proverbs. This usage differs from the concept of the gift in 1 Corinthians 12.