Words of Wisdom, Knowledge and Spiritual Discernment  1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-11

In these verses Paul mentions three gifts of knowing

•  THE WORD OF WISDOM  (see below)

•  THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

•  THE DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

THE WORD OF WISDOM: supernatural insight to solve a seemingly intractable problem.

Old Testament Example:

1 KINGS 3:1-28   After praying for wisdom, Solomon is given supernatural wisdom to solve a seemingly impossible problem.

The Problem:

Two prostitutes each had a baby. One day they woke to find one baby dead. Each woman claimed the surviving baby was hers.

The Word of Wisdom: The Holy Spirit prompts Solomon to say: "Bring me a sword! and divide the surviving infant between the two women.

The Outcome:

The real mother is horrified by the idea and tells Solomon to give the child to the other woman, who is adamant he should go ahead and divide the child between them. The outcome is evident. Everyone in the crowd is amazed at Solomon's wisdom.

New Testament Example:

In JOHN 4:1-24 Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well in the village of Sychar.

The Problem: God wants the woman to be real and to heal her of her desperate search for love.

The Word of Wisdom:  Jesus says to the woman: "Go and fetch your man!" She replies: "I don't have one." This unlocks the woman's real problem: serial relationships in a desperate search for love.

The Outcome:    Her desperate search for real love is revealed and she comes to realise Jesus is the Saviour she has been looking for.
(You can read about this episode in full in the unit headed DESPERATE FOR LOVE.)