1 Corinthians 12:8–11 (NET):

“For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. It is one and the same Spirit distributing as He decides to each person, who produces all these things.”

And one of the things I said yesterday was that Paul did not give us any definition here. So whatever anybody is going to say—including me—is going to be our best estimation of what we think Paul means.

I also started talking about the prevailing frame in some circles: to think that “message of knowledge” (or “word of knowledge”) means knowing hidden facts about somebody. I am saying no—that is prophecy.

It is a function of the prophetic to know something that is not publicly available. But “knowledge” here is different. Knowledge is like food for the soul of the people. God said, “I will give you shepherds who will be faithful to Me. They will give you knowledge and insight” (Jeremiah 3:15).

When a minister comes and is inspired by the Spirit to deliver a message, that is, in my estimation, a message of knowledge coming, because it is giving us insight. It is unveiling the truth to us, opening the Word of God to us in a particularly inspired fashion.

So that is my understanding of message of knowledge: it is actually knowledge. It is not just information about a person. It is spiritual truth being unveiled, explained, expounded—being able to articulate spiritual truth in a particularly powerful way. That is “message of knowledge.”

Paul, in another place, said we need “spiritual language” to explain spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:13). That is knowledge—plain knowledge of the truth—Word of God that people need for their souls, that they should be engaged with.

What about wisdom?

“Message of wisdom”—when you look at wisdom, you know that wisdom always has to do with solving problems. So when a message comes and gives a solution to a problem, that is a message of wisdom.

It is a message that gives a solution to a problem; you hear it and you know, “This is powerful—this is solving something.”

Look at Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman in John 4. You see many operations of gifts there:

That is a solution‑focused message, not just a knowledge‑focused message.

And in the same message you can have a mixture of knowledge and wisdom. Remember, I am using my best estimation of what Paul could be meaning here, because he did not define these terms.

I think a way we can begin to appreciate what Paul wrote is to pull away from the understanding many of us already have: when we see “word of knowledge” we think only of a spectacular moment where someone’s details are read out. I think that is an operation of the gift of prophecy.

The reason I conclude that is 1 Corinthians 14: if everyone prophesies and an unbeliever comes in, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and he falls down and worships God, declaring that God is truly among you (1 Corinthians 14:24–25). That tells me that having something secret exposed is in the prophetic zone, not what Paul here calls “message of knowledge.”

Knowledge is actually a message. The message of wisdom is a message that gives a solution—often including action to take.

In that same John 4 story, Jesus says, “If you had known who is speaking to you, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” That is wisdom—“ask Him,” and here is the outcome.

God bless you. I’ll continue later.