{
  "id": "dict_006065",
  "term": "word of wisdom",
  "slug": "word-of-wisdom",
  "letter": "W",
  "entry_type": "doctrine",
  "entry_family": "doctrine",
  "tier": 2,
  "aliases": [],
  "short_definition": "word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.",
  "simple_one_line": "In Christian theology, word of wisdom means a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical doctrine or theological term.",
  "lede_intro": "Word of wisdom is a doctrinal category that should be defined from the passages that establish it, located within the biblical storyline, and stated with clear theological limits.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. This doctrine should be read from the passages that establish it and kept distinct from nearby theological claims.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Word of wisdom should be defined from the biblical texts that establish it rather than from slogan-level shorthand alone.",
    "It belongs within the larger witness of Scripture and the history of redemption, so related doctrines must be distinguished carefully.",
    "A sound account states what this doctrine affirms, what it does not require, and why it matters for the church's teaching, worship, and discipleship."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. As a doctrine, it should be stated from the passages that establish it and distinguished carefully from adjacent theological claims.",
  "description_academic_full": "Word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. This doctrine should be defined from the passages that establish it, located within the larger storyline of Scripture, and stated with care in relation to nearby doctrines. Responsible use clarifies what the term affirms, what limits belong to it, and why it matters for the church's teaching, worship, and discipleship.",
  "background_biblical_context": "word of wisdom belongs to Scripture's witness to the Holy Spirit and should be read within that biblical setting rather than as an isolated experience-term. Its background lies in the Spirit's work in creation, empowerment, prophecy, and new-covenant fulfillment, coming to fuller light in the New Testament through Pentecost, indwelling, sanctification, and gifted service in the church.",
  "background_historical_context": "Historically, discussion of word of wisdom was carried forward through exegesis, preaching, controversy, and dogmatic reflection as Christian interpreters tried to locate the term within the biblical storyline and the church's confession. Patristic writers, medieval scholastics, Reformation divines, and modern theologians all gave the category different emphasis, which is why its historical use is broader than any one school or controversy.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": null,
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Rom. 12:3-8",
    "1 Cor. 12:4-11",
    "1 Cor. 12:27-31",
    "Eph. 4:11-13",
    "1 Pet. 4:10-11"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Acts 2:17-18",
    "Acts 19:6",
    "1 Cor. 13:1-13",
    "1 Cor. 14:1-5"
  ],
  "original_language_note": null,
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "theological_significance": "word of wisdom matters because doctrinal precision in this area protects the church’s speech about God, the gospel, the church, or the last things and helps prevent distortions that spill into neighboring doctrines.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Philosophically, Word of wisdom functions as a bridge between exegesis and dogmatic reasoning. Discussion usually turns on conceptual scope, doctrinal location, and the difference between helpful clarification and speculative overextension. Its philosophical value lies in making doctrinal reasoning more exact while keeping the underlying scriptural claims primary.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not define word of wisdom by polemical shorthand, confessional overreach, or a single disputed proof text. Read the doctrine through the church's scriptural and theological distinctions about divine unity, persons, attributes, and works, preserving mystery without turning revealed language into speculation or philosophical reduction. State the doctrine at the level of what Scripture and responsible historical theology can warrant, and name secondary disputes as secondary rather than turning them into tests the text itself does not impose.",
  "major_views_note": "Word of wisdom has a broadly shared doctrinal center, but traditions differ over its precise definition, theological location, and practical implications. The main points of disagreement concern sequence and emphasis: how the Spirit's work should be described in relation to regeneration, indwelling, filling, mission, and church ministry.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Word of wisdom should be defined by the scriptural burden it actually carries, not by a slogan, party marker, or imported philosophical abstraction. It must not be inflated beyond the texts that warrant it, but neither should it be thinned into a merely emotive or metaphorical label. The point is to let word of wisdom guard a real doctrinal boundary while still leaving room for legitimate intramural distinctions in explanation and emphasis.",
  "practical_significance": "Practically, the doctrine of word of wisdom should shape how the church worships, teaches, and lives before God. It teaches the church to depend on the Holy Spirit for illumination, holiness, witness, and power without confusing His work with mere emotion or technique.",
  "related_entries": [],
  "see_also": [],
  "meta_description": "Word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.",
  "jsonld_description": "Word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work. This doctrine should be defined from the passages that establish it, located within the larger storyline of Scripture, and stated with care in relation to nearby doctrines. Responsible use clarifies what the term affirms, what limits belong to it, and why it matters for the church's teaching, worship, and discipleship.",
  "source_basis": "scripture-led synthesis",
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