A gift of the Spirit

The Gift of the Word of Wisdom

The nine gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 · 1 Corinthians 12:8

The word of wisdom is a Spirit given ability to bring God's own wisdom to bear on a real situation, so that the church knows not just what is true but what to do. It is the first gift Paul names in his great list, and like all the gifts it is given for the common good of the body, never for the standing of the one who has it.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;1 Corinthians 12:8 (KJV)

What the gift is

When Paul opens his list of the manifestations of the Spirit in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians, the very first he names is the word of wisdom. Scripture does not define the phrase with a formula, but its shape is clear from the whole of the Bible. Wisdom in Scripture is not raw intelligence or cleverness; it is the skill of living rightly before God, seeing a situation as He sees it and knowing the good and faithful way through it. The word of wisdom, then, is a moment when the Spirit gives one member of the body exactly that: the right word, the wise counsel, the way forward that honors God, spoken into a real need.

It is a gift, not a possession to boast in. Paul is careful to say that all these things are worked by one and the same Spirit, who divides to every man severally as He will. The wisdom is God's; the believer is only the channel. It is close kin to the wisdom James tells us to ask for, promising that God gives to all men liberally, and to the wisdom that is from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy.

How it appears in the New Testament

We see this gift in action long before Paul names it. When the early church faced its first hard dispute over the Gentiles, it was a wise and Spirit led word from the council at Jerusalem that found the way through. When men came to trap Jesus with questions designed to ruin Him, He answered with a wisdom so complete that they marvelled and dared not ask Him any more questions. Stephen spoke with such wisdom that his opponents were not able to resist it.

In Corinth itself, a young church tangled in quarrels, lawsuits, and confusion about marriage and worship, the need for this gift is obvious. Paul does not want clever speech; he says he came not with excellency of wisdom of men but preaching Christ crucified, which is the wisdom of God. The word of wisdom serves that same Christ, applying the mind of God to the tangled questions a church actually faces.

How it builds up the body of Christ

The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, Paul says, and the word of wisdom profits the whole body by keeping it on the good path. A congregation facing a painful decision, a family in crisis, a believer at a crossroads: into such moments this gift speaks a settled, God fearing wisdom that steadies everyone. It does not draw a crowd around the wise one; it quietly protects and guides the flock.

Because it is wisdom from above, it can be tested by its fruit. It is peaceable and gentle, not proud or divisive. A word that flatters the speaker, or splits the church, or ignores the plain teaching of Scripture, is not this gift, whatever it claims. True wisdom builds up; it does not tear down.

How to recognize and use it

Those who carry this gift are often the people others instinctively go to when they do not know what to do, and who, after prayer, can name the wise and faithful way with a clarity that turns out to be from God rather than from themselves. If that describes you, hold the gift humbly. Soak in the Scriptures, for the Spirit gives wisdom in harmony with the Word He inspired, never against it. Pray before you speak, ask God for wisdom as James invites, and offer your counsel gently, as a servant of the body and not its master.

And whether or not this is your particular gift, remember that God offers wisdom to all who ask. The word of wisdom in the assembly does not excuse anyone from seeking the wisdom of God for themselves.

How this gift points to Christ

This gift points beyond itself to Jesus, who is made unto us wisdom from God, and in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Every true word of wisdom is a small share in His, the wisdom of God once hidden and now revealed in Christ crucified, which is wiser than men. The gift never sets up a wise one for the church to admire; it hands the church back to its true wisdom, the Lord Jesus Himself, in whom the humblest believer may find more than the wise of this age ever grasped. To honor this gift rightly is to be led by it straight to Him, and to ask, as James invites, of the God who gives wisdom liberally to all who seek it in His Son.

The more excellent way

Whatever place the gift of the Word of Wisdom holds, Paul sets one thing above every gift. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, he says, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal; and though I have all knowledge, and all faith, and have not charity, I am nothing. The gifts will one day pass away, but now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; and the greatest of these is charity.

So this gift, like all the rest, is given by one Spirit for the common good, to build up the one body of Christ, and it is nothing at all apart from love. The gifts are not for our standing but for our serving, and they all belong to Him whose body the church is. Use whatever you have been given to love one another, and to point every eye to Jesus, from whom every good gift comes and to whom every gift returns its praise.

The Giver calls you

Every gift of the Spirit comes from the risen Christ and points back to Him. The same Lord who pours out gifts on His church calls you by name to know Him, to be filled with His Spirit, and to take your place in His body. Read the Word, pray, and gather with the family of God on The Living Bread. Free, with no ads, for all people.

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Questions people ask

Is the word of wisdom the same as being smart?

No. In Scripture wisdom is the God given skill of living rightly and seeing a situation as God sees it. The word of wisdom is a Spirit prompted moment of that wisdom spoken for the good of the church, not a measure of natural intelligence.

Where is the word of wisdom in the Bible?

Paul names it first among the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8. Its character is drawn from the whole of Scripture, especially James 1:5 and James 3:17, where wisdom is asked of God and shown to be pure, peaceable, and gentle.

How do I know a word of wisdom is truly from God?

Test it by Scripture and by its fruit. True wisdom from above agrees with God's Word and is peaceable, gentle, and merciful. A word that exalts the speaker, divides the church, or contradicts Scripture is not this gift.