Gifts of the Spirit: Words of Wisdom
We are taking a lot at the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible. We’ve looked at teachers and pastors and interpreting tongues and dreams.
Today, we are going to take a look at words of wisdom and understanding.
1 Corinthians 12:8 says, “For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit.”
But, this is not the only passage related to wisdom and knowledge. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 11:2 says, “And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah.”
Word of Wisdom—An utterance or message of wisdom supernaturally granted to an
individual. For Paul, wisdom refers to “the knowledge of the great Christian mysteries: the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ, and the indwelling in the believer of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2; Ephesians 1:17)”. Wisdom is described as “It is the capacity to love spiritual things more than material ones; it also means the want to understand God. It is the perfection of the theological virtue of faith.”
Counsel—Counsel means to give advice to someone. The Catechism describes this as “With the gift of counsel/right judgment, we know the difference between right and wrong, and we choose to do what is right. A person with right judgment avoids sin and lives out the values taught by Jesus Christ. It is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence.”
Whoever speaks—1 Peter 4:11 says, “if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles
of God”. Barnes Notes on the New Testament says, “As the oracles of God speak; to wit, in accordance with the truth which God has revealed, and with an impressive sense of the responsibility of delivering a message from him. The word rendered oracles, means, properly, something spoken or uttered; then anything uttered by God-a Divine communication-a revelation.”
Word of Knowledge—“The knowledge referred to is often said to relate to understanding Christian doctrine or scriptural truth. It is sometimes said to be connected with the ministry of teachers… With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God. The distinction between wisdom and knowledge is that wisdom gives the desire to know the things of God, whereas knowledge is the actual power by which such things are known. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts, it also helps us to choose the right path through life.”
We are told that in the end days there will be many false prophets. One way to use a
word of knowledge, is to seek God about any teacher, preacher, or evangelists and discern if they are speaking on God’s behalf or not.
Understanding— The word understanding is defined as the ability to understand something or comprehend. The Catechism describes this as “With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God. The distinction between wisdom and knowledge is that wisdom gives the desire to know the things of God, whereas knowledge is the actual power by which such things are known. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts, it also helps us to choose the right path through life.”
Today’s gifts of the spirit relate to understanding and comprehending the word of God, speaking and counseling wisely and as God leads.
Do any of these spiritual gifts relate to you?
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