There are those who say that this gift of the Spirit — the word of knowledge — refers to natural
knowledge. If that were true, then all the gifts of the Spirit would be natural, not supernatural. If
that were true, for example, then the gifts of healings would not be supernatural healing, but
simply healing through what people have learned and achieved through medical science.
We certainly believe in medical science and thank God for all it can do. But this passage of
Scripture is talking about gifts of the Holy Spirit — supernatural knowledge and supernatural
healing and so forth.
If these gifts of the Spirit were only natural gifts, divers kinds of tongues would simply refer to
speaking different languages that were learned naturally. Then folks who wouldn't even be
saved would have that gift.
However, we know that divers kinds of tongues are supernatural. Divers kinds of tongues is
the gift of the Spirit enabling one to speak in languages he has never learned, given by the
Holy Spirit.
It stands to reason that if some of the nine gifts are supernatural, then all of the nine gifts of the
Spirit are supernatural. Therefore, this gift of the word of knowledge is not natural knowledge,
but is supernatural knowledge. It is supernatural revelation of certain facts in the mind of God.
Confusing this gift with natural knowledge, some have said, "We don't need some of these
lesser gifts. We have the gift of knowledge." The knowledge that they were bragging about was
intellectual knowledge; knowledge they had gained themselves apart from the Holy Ghost and
apart from the Word of God. That is not what this scripture in First Corinthians 12:8 is talking
about at all. The word of knowledge is a supernatural gift.
The Word of Knowledge Is Not A Profound Knowledge of the Bible
Also, this gift of the word of knowledge is sometimes confused with a profound knowledge of
the Bible. A minister once tried to tell me that he had the word of knowledge because he had
studied the Bible so much.
It is certainly true that God will help us understand His Word, but that is not a supernatural gift.
The gift of the word of knowledge can work in connection with the Bible, however. For
example, God does reveal things in connection with His Word that we didn't know. But if that
were all there is to the word of knowledge, we wouldn't have to study because the word of
knowledge is supernatural revelation by the Holy Ghost of certain facts in the mind of God.
However, Paul told the young minister Timothy to study.
In his letter to Timothy, who was the pastor of a New Testament church, Paul said, "STUDY to
shew thyself approved ..." (2 Tim. 2:15). So that kind of knowledge — a profound knowledge of
the Bible — comes by studying, but the word of knowledge comes by a supernatural
revelation.
The Word of Knowledge Is Not Knowledge of God Through Close Communion With Him
Another mistaken idea about the gift of the word of knowledge is that the word of knowledge is
the knowledge that comes by walking closely with God. One does gain a real knowledge of
God by walking with Him, but that is different from a supernatural impartation of knowledge of
certain facts in the mind of God.