1 Corinthians 14:20 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
1 Corinthians 14:20 kjv
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
1 Corinthians 14:20 nkjv
Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
1 Corinthians 14:20 niv
Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
1 Corinthians 14:20 esv
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
1 Corinthians 14:20 nlt
Dear brothers and sisters, don't be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.
1 Corinthians 14 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eph 4:14 | so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning... | Avoiding spiritual immaturity and instability in doctrine. |
| Heb 5:12-14 | For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles... For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature... | Contrast between spiritual immaturity (milk) and maturity (solid food). |
| Rom 16:19 | For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. | Echoes the command to be innocent concerning evil. |
| 1 Cor 13:11 | When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. | The progression from childish to mature thinking and behavior. |
| Mt 18:3 | "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." | Child-likeness in humility and faith, not in thinking. |
| Mk 10:15 | "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." | Emphasizes the receptiveness and dependence of a child. |
| 2 Cor 11:3 | But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. | Importance of keeping one's thoughts pure and undivided. |
| Phil 1:9-10 | And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ... | Praying for discernment and mature judgment. |
| Col 1:9 | ...we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding... | Emphasizes spiritual wisdom and understanding. |
| Jas 1:5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. | Direct call for wisdom, essential for mature thinking. |
| 2 Tim 3:7 | always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. | Describes those lacking mature understanding of truth. |
| Tit 2:2-8 | Older men are to be sober-minded... Older women... likewise... Urge the younger men... to be self-controlled. | Instructions for maturity and self-control across age groups. |
| Ps 119:97-100 | Oh how I love your law! ... Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me... I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. | Wisdom comes from God's law, surpassing natural age. |
| Prov 1:7 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | Foundation of true wisdom and understanding. |
| Rom 12:2 | Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. | Renewal of the mind leads to discernment and mature understanding of God's will. |
| Eph 4:23-24 | and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. | Renewal of mind for righteous living. |
| 2 Pet 3:18 | 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. | Continuous spiritual growth in knowledge. |
| 1 Pet 2:2 | Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— | Child-like longing for truth, but for growth into salvation, not staying immature. |
| Mt 10:16 | "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." | A practical application of wisdom and innocence in a hostile world. |
| 1 Thes 5:21 | but test everything; hold fast what is good. | Encourages critical discernment, a mark of maturity. |
| 2 Tim 2:15 | Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. | Rightly handling truth requires diligent, mature understanding. |
| Rom 15:14 | I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. | Fullness of knowledge and ability to instruct signifies maturity. |
1 Corinthians 14 verses
1 Corinthians 14 20 meaning
The apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthian believers to demonstrate spiritual maturity, particularly in their discernment and understanding concerning the use of spiritual gifts within the church. He admonishes them not to be "children in their thinking," implying a lack of sound judgment, instability, and susceptibility to being swayed by immature or unedifying practices. Conversely, he encourages them to maintain a child-like innocence or naivety concerning "evil" or malice, actively avoiding participation in or knowledge of moral corruption. This dual instruction culminates in the command to be "mature in their thinking," meaning to cultivate adult, reasoned, and wise understanding, especially in spiritual matters, to correctly evaluate and apply divine truths for the building up of the community.
1 Corinthians 14 20 Context
1 Corinthians chapter 14 directly addresses the proper ordering of spiritual gifts within the communal worship of the church in Corinth. Paul has just completed chapter 13, the "love chapter," asserting that even the most spectacular gifts are useless without love. In chapter 14, he directly compares prophecy and tongues, arguing that prophecy is superior because it builds up the church, whereas uninterpreted tongues do not. The Corinthian church appeared to prioritize tongues, perhaps viewing it as a sign of spiritual status or a more impressive display. This led to chaotic worship where multiple individuals spoke in tongues without interpretation, resulting in confusion and a lack of edification for believers and a negative impression on outsiders (1 Cor 14:23). This verse, 14:20, serves as a pivotal ethical and intellectual appeal, calling the Corinthians away from their current childish, self-centered understanding and use of gifts, and towards a mature, selfless, and orderly practice guided by discernment and a desire for the common good.
1 Corinthians 14 20 Word analysis
- Ἀδελφοί (Adelphoi): "Brothers" or "Brothers and sisters." This term of address, common for Paul, establishes a tone of affectionate instruction and shared Christian identity, even when delivering a rebuke. It softens the sternness of his upcoming command, reminding them they are family.
- μή (mē): "Not," a prohibitive particle used with the present imperative to indicate cessation of an action already underway or prevention of an action. It emphasizes a halt to their current childish behavior in thinking.
- παιδία (paidia): "Children" or "infants." Here, it signifies intellectual or spiritual immaturity, a lack of judgment and reasoned understanding, rather than merely physical age. In other contexts, it can be a term of endearment, but here it carries a critical tone, indicating that their approach to worship is underdeveloped and lacking the wisdom expected of adults in Christ.
- γίνεσθε (ginesthe): "Be" or "become" (present imperative of ginomai). It's a command to not continue to be childish. It implies a dynamic state, urging them to change their current posture.
- ταῖς φρεσίν (tais phresin): "in your thinking" or "in your minds/understanding." Phrēn (plural phrenes) refers to the faculty of the mind involved in perception, understanding, and judgment. It encompasses one's reason, intellectual activity, and moral perception. Paul specifically targets their lack of sound judgment regarding spiritual matters.
- ἀλλά (alla): "But," a strong adversative conjunction, introducing a contrast to the preceding statement. It marks a sharp turn in the command.
- τῇ κακίᾳ (tē kakia): "in evil" or "in malice/wickedness." Kakia refers to moral badness, ill-will, vice, or depravity. This is where Paul advocates for child-like innocence—an absence of active engagement with, or experience of, corrupting moral influence.
- νηπιάζετε (nēpiazete): "be infants" or "be childish" (present imperative of nēpiazō). This verb is derived from nēpios (infant/child, specifically a suckling baby). Here, it's used positively, commanding them to have the pure, guileless, and uncorrupted state of an infant concerning wickedness.
- ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν (tais de phresin): "but in your thinking" or "but in your minds/understanding." The de ("but/and") signals a conjunction, linking back to "phresin" but setting it against "kakia." It re-emphasizes the faculty of judgment.
- τέλειοι (teleioi): "mature," "perfect," "complete." This term signifies having reached an intended end, full growth, or ripeness. In this context, it refers to spiritual maturity, possessing full moral and spiritual understanding, capable of sound discernment and exercising spiritual gifts in an edifying and orderly manner. It contrasts sharply with "paidia" (children).
- "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking": This opening phrase is a gentle yet firm reproof. It highlights their intellectual and spiritual immaturity regarding their practices. They were behaving like toddlers playing with complex tools, not understanding their purpose or proper use.
- "Be infants in evil": This is a powerful, nuanced command. It's not a call to ignorance in general, but a specific command for purity of heart and innocence when it comes to moral wickedness. It means to remain untouched and untainted by the corrupting influences and malicious intents that characterize worldly living.
- "but in your thinking be mature": This concludes the command, urging them towards discernment, wisdom, and full understanding. This maturity is necessary to properly evaluate spiritual phenomena, distinguish genuine from counterfeit, and ensure that all practices contribute to order and edification, aligning with the love principle of chapter 13. The contrast between being an "infant in evil" and "mature in thinking" is crucial for a balanced Christian life.
1 Corinthians 14 20 Bonus section
The juxtaposition of paidia (children, lacking developed understanding) and nēpios (infants, implying moral innocence or lack of experience with sin) in this verse is key. While "children" often denote disciples in a positive light elsewhere in the NT, here paidia carries a negative connotation of immaturity, particularly when paired with phresin (thinking). Nēpios, on the other hand, is positively employed when associated with kakia (evil). This careful word choice demonstrates Paul's precise theological argument: do not let your intellectual or spiritual understanding of God's ways remain in an undeveloped state, easily swayed or led astray, as is typical of children. Yet, concerning moral corruption and wickedness, maintain an unblemished and naive stance, similar to an infant who is unaware of vice. This distinction underscores that spiritual growth requires a sharpened intellect, not an absence of it, but one that is shielded from the pollutions of the world.
1 Corinthians 14 20 Commentary
In 1 Corinthians 14:20, Paul offers a balanced, incisive call for spiritual maturity, addressing the Corinthians' misguided enthusiasm for spiritual gifts, especially tongues. Their unrestrained and unintelligible use of tongues reflected a "childish thinking"—a superficial fascination with impressive displays over genuine edification. Paul is not against child-likeness in faith or humility, but he distinguishes it from childishness in judgment. While Christians are to maintain the pristine moral innocence of an "infant in evil," actively avoiding entanglement with the corrupting influence of the world, they must simultaneously develop a robust and "mature thinking" in spiritual matters. This maturity involves sober judgment, understanding, and the ability to discern how best to apply truth for the good of the entire community, prioritizing order and spiritual building over individualistic, chaotic expressions of gifts. It is a challenge to grow up in Christ, blending moral purity with profound wisdom.