Knowledge
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Gnōsis means knowledge, recognition, or understanding. The New Testament values knowledge of salvation and of Christ, yet repeatedly refuses to separate knowing from love, holiness, and faithful reception.
Reader summary
Full entry for γνῶσις (G1108) · Open the biblical lexicon
Gnōsis means knowledge, recognition, or understanding. The New Testament values knowledge of salvation and of Christ, yet repeatedly refuses to separate knowing from love, holiness, and faithful reception.
The BSB source-word alignment has 29 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include knowledge (19), in knowledge (2), of knowledge (2), [the] knowledge (1), [there is] knowledge (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 1:77. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (10), 2 Corinthians (6), 2 Peter (3), Romans (3).
Gnōsis means knowledge, recognition, or understanding. The New Testament values knowledge of salvation and of Christ, yet repeatedly refuses to separate knowing from love, holiness, and faithful reception. Luke links knowledge of salvation with forgiveness of sins. First Corinthians warns that not every believer possesses the same understanding about idols and that knowledge can become destructive when wielded without love.
Paul pictures the knowledge of Christ spreading like fragrance through gospel ministry. Philippians counts all rival grounds of confidence as loss beside knowing Christ. Second Peter commands growth in grace and knowledge together. The noun does not make information saving or maturity automatic. Its worth depends on its object, its truth, and the life it produces.
Gnōsis ranges from saving knowledge announced by John, through disputed understanding in Corinth, to the surpassing knowledge of Christ and continued growth in Him. Scripture honors true knowledge while subordinating prideful claims to love, conscience, grace, and personal allegiance to Christ.
To give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
Luke 1:77 says John will give God's people knowledge of salvation in the forgiveness of their sins. The knowledge is covenantal and redemptive, not merely awareness of religious facts.
But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
First Corinthians 8:7 reminds the "knowledgeable" that not everyone shares their settled understanding about idols. A weak conscience can be wounded when truth is exercised without loving regard.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
Second Corinthians 2:14 describes God spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ through Paul's ministry. The image includes both life-giving and judicial effects as the gospel is proclaimed.
More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:8 calls the knowledge of Christ Jesus surpassing. Paul abandons status-based confidence to gain Christ, showing that this knowledge is relational allegiance grounded in faith.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Second Peter 3:18 commands believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Knowledge is lifelong formation under Christ's lordship, paired with grace and ending in doxology.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Knowledge of spiritual truth and God's revelation, distinct from mere intellectual wisdom or practical understanding.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 29 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
knowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseknowledge, doctrine, wisdom
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 29 lexical occurrence verses.
γνῶσις is built from this root:
So-called knowledge can become a rival authority over revealed truth.1 Timothy 6:20-21
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Gnōsis is not a biblical endorsement of ignorance, nor is it a certificate of maturity for the well-informed. John prepares people to know salvation through forgiven sins. Paul gladly spreads the knowledge of Christ and regards knowing Him as worth more than inherited privilege. Yet Corinth shows how a true conclusion can be handled falsely. A believer who understands the emptiness of idols can still sin against a brother or sister by ignoring conscience and love.
Second Peter therefore joins growth in knowledge with growth in grace. Faithful teaching should aim at informed devotion: minds persuaded by God's truth, hearts humbled before Christ, consciences treated patiently, and lives increasingly conformed to what is known. Knowledge serves the church when it leads to worship, love, holiness, and courageous witness. Detached from those ends, even accurate information can become an instrument of pride.
Phil.3.8
Gnōsis is a noun from ginōskō, "to know." It may denote knowledge possessed, recognition, or the content known. The genitive or surrounding argument often names its object and shows whether the knowledge is commended, limited, or misused.
The Old Testament joins knowledge of God with covenant faithfulness, justice, and mercy, while the prophets condemn people who lack such knowledge despite religious privilege. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord rather than autonomous mastery.