Gifts of the Spirit · Manifestation (1 Cor 12) · Word of Knowledge
logos gnōseōs · a word of knowledge · γνῶσις, knowing
a fragment of knowing, given by the Spirit — for the moment, not your storehouse
One phrase · a word of knowledge
Paul calls it λόγος γνώσεως — a word of knowledge. The noun λόγος matters: it is a fragment, a single piece God reveals — not a download of all facts. γνῶσις is knowledge in the plain sense: information, a fact about a person or situation that the Spirit makes known when there was no natural way to know it.
It is the partner of the word of wisdom (see the companion study): knowledge reveals what is; wisdom shows what to do. Both flow from Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3) — and both come “in part” (1 Cor 13:9), so the gift carries humility in its very design.
A word, not a library; Jesus reading the hidden; the prophets and apostles; its purpose to open hearts; and the humility and love that must carry it.
We know in part; God reveals a piece.
ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν
ek merous gar ginōskomen …
for we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
The gift is a word of knowledge, not all knowledge. God hands over one piece for one purpose. That “in part” builds humility right into the gift — no one who carries it can claim to know everything, or to be beyond being weighed.
He knew what no one had told Him.
… πέντε ἄνδρας ἔσχες, καὶ νῦν ὃν ἔχεις οὐκ ἔστιν σου ἀνήρ
… pente andras esches …
…you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.
No one had told Him; the Spirit revealed it. The same with Nathanael under the fig tree (John 1:48), for “He knew what was in man” (John 2:25). A single revealed fact can crack a heart wide open to God.
God shows His servants what is hidden.
Ἁνανία, διὰ τί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ Σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου ψεύσασθαί σε …;
… pseusasthai se …
Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie …?
Elisha knew the Syrian king’s bedroom plans (2 Kings 6:12) and Gehazi’s secret greed (5:26); Peter knew Ananias’s hidden deceit (Acts 5:3); the Lord told Ananias of Damascus that Saul “is praying” at that moment (Acts 9:11). God reveals the hidden to serve His purpose.
Revealed to redeem, not to expose for sport.
δεῦτε ἴδετε ἄνθρωπον ὃς εἶπέν μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα
… eipen moi panta …
come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.
The word of knowledge about her past did not shame the woman into hiding — it led her to worship and brought a whole town to Christ (4:29, 39). That is the aim: a key to open a heart to Jesus, to confirm His care, to direct a healing — never to embarrass or to show off.
Knowledge puffs up; love builds up.
ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ
hē gnōsis physioi, hē de agapē oikodomei
knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
This gift, more than most, can feed pride — so Paul’s rule governs it: without love, even knowing “all mysteries and all knowledge” is nothing (13:2). Hold the word humbly, share it gently, and let love decide how and whether to speak it.
This gift has a forgery and an abuse. The forgery is the “knowing” of the fortune-teller, the medium, the cold-reader — knowledge from a forbidden source (Deut 18:10–12; Acts 16). The abuse is taking a real word from God and using it to impress, to expose, to control — “the Lord showed me about you” wielded as a weapon. Both betray the gift’s purpose.
… καὶ εἰδῶ … πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν … ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδέν εἰμι
… pasan tēn gnōsin … agapēn de mē echō, ouden eimi
…and know all knowledge … but have not love, I am nothing.
A true word from God, spoken without love or to elevate the speaker, profits nothing. And knowledge from a forbidden source is to be refused outright, however accurate. The test is the same as for prophecy: its source, its love, and whether it points to Jesus.
If the Spirit gives you a word of knowledge, treat it as He intends — a key for opening a heart, not a spotlight for exposing one. Hold it humbly, knowing you see only in part. Share it gently and in love, weighing it as you would any revelation. And let its whole aim be the one the well taught us: to bring a soul, astonished and known, straight to the feet of Jesus.
JOHN 4:29 · WHAT IT IS FOR
δεῦτε ἴδετε ἄνθρωπον ὃς εἶπέν μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα
Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did — could this be the Christ?
We know in part (1 Cor 13:9), and knowledge puffs up while love builds up (8:1). So carry the fragment humbly, and let love decide how to give it.
Believers differ on whether this gift operates today; this study expects it still. Whatever your view, hold its design firmly: it comes “in part” (1 Cor 13:9), so it is never infallible omniscience and is always to be weighed — like prophecy — by Scripture, by love, and by whether it exalts Jesus. A genuine word from God will never contradict His Word.
A serious pastoral caution: “the Lord told me about you” is one of the most easily abused phrases in the church. A real word of knowledge is given to bless, heal, and draw to Christ — never to manipulate, frighten, expose, or control. If a “word” leaves someone shamed, fearful, or pressured, something has gone wrong with the handling, even if the fact was true. Share gently, privately where possible, and always in love.
The single most freeing thing to know is that this is a word — one fragment — of knowledge, not a claim to know everything. “We know in part” (1 Cor 13:9). So a word of knowledge is one piece God reveals for one purpose; it does not make its carrier all-knowing or beyond correction. That built-in humility guards the gift from pride and keeps it open to being weighed.
The pattern at the well sets the purpose: the word about the woman’s five husbands did not humiliate her into hiding — it convinced her she was known and loved, and she ran to fetch her whole town (John 4:29, 39). Used in love, a word of knowledge unlocks a heart toward Jesus, confirms His care, or directs a healing. Used in the flesh, it shames and controls. Same fact, opposite spirit — and love decides which it becomes.
| Theme | Key texts |
|---|---|
| A word, in part | 1 Cor 12:8; 13:9; Col 2:3 |
| Jesus reading the hidden | John 4:16–19, 29; 1:47–48; 2:24–25 |
| Shown to His servants | 2 Kings 5:26; 6:12; Acts 5:3; 9:11 |
| To open hearts | John 4:29, 39; 1 Cor 14:24–25 |
| Humility & love | 1 Cor 8:1; 13:2; Deut 18:10–12 |