I Corinthians 14:20 · Bible study
1 Corinthians 14:20 Commentary: Childlike Innocence, Mature Faith
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul calls believers to be infants in malice yet mature in understanding.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Stop being spiritually immature; be completely innocent of evil, but full-grown in your ability to think and discern.
- Key words: paidia (school-age children) vs. nēpiazete (be infants); phrēn (reflective mind, only here in NT); kakia (malice, ill-will); teleioi (mature, full-grown).
- Main debate: Minimal. Some debate whether 'children in understanding' refers specifically to tongues or to a broader spiritual immaturity. Most agree it's primarily about their fascination with tongues, but carries wider application.
- Theological theme: The paradox of Christian maturity, innocence in evil, sharpness in understanding, modeled after Christ.
- Best use: A corrective for churches that prize emotional experience or spectacular gifts over thoughtful, edifying teaching. Also a comfort: growth takes time, but the goal is real maturity, not just more information.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.
KJV King James Version 1769
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Brethren, become not children in the understanding, but in the evil be ye babes, and in the understanding become ye perfect;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Brethren, be not children in [your] minds, but in malice be babes; but in [your] minds be grown [men].
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Brethren, do not become children in sense. But in malice be children: and in sense be perfect.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Hermanos, no seáis niños en el sentido, sino sed niños en la malicia: empero perfectos en el sentido.
Irmãos, não sejais meninos no entendimento, mas sede meninos na malícia, e adultos no entendimento.
Frères, ne soyez pas des enfants sous le rapport du jugement; mais pour la malice, soyez enfants, et, à l’égard du jugement, soyez des hommes faits.
Liebe Brüder, werdet nicht Kinder an dem Verständnis; sondern an der Bosheit seid Kinder, an dem Verständnis aber seid vollkommen.
Broeders, wordt geen kinderen in het verstand, maar zijt kinderen in de boosheid, en wordt in het verstand volwassen.
Fratelli, non siate fanciulli per senno; siate pur bambini quanto a malizia, ma quanto a senno, siate uomini fatti.
Bracia! nie bądźcie dziećmi wyrozumieniem, ale bądźcie dziećmi złością, a wyrozumieniem dorosłymi bądźcie.
Братия! не будьте дети умом: на злое будьте младенцы, а по уму будьте совершеннолетни.
弟兄們，在心志 上不 要作 小孩子。然而，在惡事 上要作嬰孩， 在心志 上總要作 大人。
My brothers, do not be children in mind: in evil be as little children, but in mind be of full growth.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Corinthians 14:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Paul draws a sharp line between two kinds of childlikeness. Adam Clarke notes the lexical distinction: paidia (children old enough for school) refers to being immature in judgment, while nēpiazete (be infants) describes total innocence in evil. Barnes calls this 'one of Paul's most happy turns of expression', the Corinthians prized speaking in tongues, a gift that without love is childish noise (1 Cor 13:11). Paul rebukes that immaturity, yet immediately pivots: in malice, be infants, not just children. Calvin sees the verse as a reproof for eagerly pursuing what God sends as a judgment. Gill and Wesley agree that the Corinthians' pride in spectacular gifts was beneath the dignity of believers who have the mind of Christ. The shared point: Christian growth means leaving behind childish spiritual judgment while guarding a childlike innocence toward evil.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Paul commands believers to grow in understanding while remaining innocent of evil — this paradox is not in dispute.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'children in understanding' | Christians should pursue mature, well-formed thinking about spiritual matters, not remain childish in their judgment. | Some see this as a specific rebuke of the Corinthians' zeal for tongues; others read it as a broader principle against any form of spiritual immaturity. |
| Nature of 'innocence in malice' | Believers should be completely free from ill-will, guile, and desire to harm others, a state compared to infants. | Traditions differ on whether this means Christians should be entirely passive in the face of evil (e.g., nonresistance) or whether it permits righteous anger and confrontation when done without malice. |
| The relationship between understanding and innocence | Spiritual maturity involves both: deep understanding without loss of childlike trust and purity. | Some Christian traditions emphasize rational study and doctrinal precision (e.g., Reformed), while others stress simple faith and heart-purity (e.g., Anabaptist, Pietist). Paul commands both. |
Historical & Cultural Context
First Corinthians 14 addresses disorder in worship at Corinth. The congregation prized ecstatic speech (tongues) as a mark of spiritual power, but Paul argues that prophecy, speech that builds up, encourages, and comforts the church, is far greater. In verses 16-19 he explains that tongues without interpretation edify only the speaker; the rest of the assembly cannot say 'Amen.' The result is confusion, not maturity.
Verse 20 caps this argument with a call to grow up. In the ancient world, children were seen as lacking developed reason, easily impressed by noise and novelty. Paul charges the Corinthians with that exact fault: they were dazzled by the spectacular. But he quickly adds that children also embody an innocence worth imitating. Psalm 131 captures this: a weaned child quieted before God, free from ambition and malice. Jesus himself said the kingdom belongs to such (Matt 18:3; Mark 10:15). Paul balances both truths, do not be childish in your spiritual judgment, but be childlike in your freedom from evil.
The surrounding context (v. 21-25) quotes Isaiah 28:11-12, where God says he will speak through foreign tongues as a sign of judgment. Paul applies this: tongues are a sign for unbelievers, but prophecy builds up believers. The Corinthians' fascination with tongues was not just a preference, it risked making them look mad to outsiders (v. 23). Paul's call to mature thinking is urgent: the church's witness depends on it.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for 1 Corinthians 14:20. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts. The key interpretive question concerns the meaning of the words rather than any scribal differences.
Reception History
This verse has been widely cited in discussions of Christian maturity. Early church writers like Clement of Alexandria used it to argue that Christian gnosis (knowledge) must be paired with moral innocence. In the Reformation, commentators such as Calvin and the Geneva Bible emphasized its warning against pride in spiritual gifts. Methodist writers like Adam Clarke and Wesley drew on it to encourage plain, edifying worship over ecstatic display. The verse has also appeared in hymns about childlike faith and in catechisms that distinguish between childishness and childlikeness. Its paradox continues to challenge believers: we are to think deeply while remaining innocent of evil.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The danger of childish thinking. The Corinthians were like children dazzled by bright, noisy things, they prized tongues above prophecy. Paul says: stop it. Mature faith values substance over spectacle (1 Cor 14:19).
- The call to childlike innocence. In malice, be infants. Not merely children, but speechless babes who do not scheme, envy, or seek revenge. Kakia (malice) covers every form of ill-will. Paul dares the Corinthians, and us, to become utterly naive about doing harm.
- The mandate for mature thinking. Teleioi means full-grown, mature. Paul does not despise the intellect; he commands its full development. The goal is a faith that thinks clearly, discerns wisely, and builds up the church (Eph 4:13-14).
Five-point outline
- Context: Corinthians obsessed with tongues. Paul has argued for edification over ecstasy (vv. 1-19). Verse 20 is the turning point.
- The lexical hinge. Paidion (school-age child) vs. nēpios (infant). Paul uses the stronger term for innocence. Understanding (phrēn) appears only here in the NT, it means the reflective, reasoning faculty.
- The paradox. Be infants in malice, mature in understanding. Both are commanded; both require intentional growth.
- Scriptural foundation. Paul anchors this in Isaiah 28: judgment comes when people refuse mature teaching. Tongues can become a sign of judgment, not blessing (v. 21-22).
- The goal: edification. Mature understanding serves others. It asks not 'What impresses me?' but 'What builds the church?' (v. 12, 26).
Illustration hooks
- A toddler with a shiny object. A child will ignore a meaningful conversation to play with a noisy toy. The Corinthians did the same with tongues.
- A child who refuses to gossip. Some children genuinely cannot conceive of spreading a hurtful rumor. Paul wants that kind of innocence toward evil.
- An adult who keeps learning. Maturity is not about being done growing. It means using all your faculties, mind, will, experience, to serve God’s people well.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does 'be infants in malice' mean we should never get angry? What about righteous anger?
- How do we pursue deeper Bible knowledge without becoming proud or critical of others?
- Is it possible to be both innocent and wise in a world full of evil? Paul seems to think so.
Leading a Discussion
Paul tells the Corinthians to stop being childish in their spiritual judgment, yet to become like infants in their attitude toward evil. It is a surprising twist, the same word 'children' carries opposite evaluations. What does real maturity look like? How do we keep innocence without naivety, and knowledge without arrogance? This passage invites groups to examine their own values: what we admire, what we avoid, and what we are growing toward.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Corinthians 14:20. What do you think the Corinthians were doing that Paul calls 'childish'? (Look at vv. 1-19 for clues.)
- Paul uses two different Greek words for 'child.' Why does he choose 'infants' (nēpiazete) for malice, but 'children' (paidia) for understanding? What's the difference?
- How can a church value spectacular gifts (like tongues, healings, powerful preaching) more than ordinary gifts (like teaching, encouragement, service)? Where do you see that tension in your own congregation?
- What does 'malice' (kakia) include besides obvious evil? Consider envy, gossip, cynicism, or holding grudges. How might being 'infants' in those areas change your daily interactions?
- Paul says 'in understanding be mature' (teleioi: full-grown). How does a Christian grow in understanding? What role do Scripture, community, and experience play?
- Jesus said we must become like children to enter the kingdom (Matt 18:3). Paul says don't be children in thinking. How do you hold these two commands together?
- Think of one area where you are tempted to be childish in your spiritual judgment (e.g., dismissing a teaching because it's not flashy). What would it look like to become mature there, while remaining innocent in malice?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 119:99 | I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. |
| Psalms 131:1 | A Song of Ascents. By David. Yahweh, my heart isn’t arrogant, nor my eyes lofty; nor do I concern myself with great matters, or things too wonderful for me. |
| Psalms 131:2 | Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. |
| Isaiah 11:3 | His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; |
| Matthew 11:25 | At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants. |
| Matthew 18:3 | and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. |
| Matthew 19:4 | He answered, “Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, |
| Mark 10:15 | Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws a careful distinction between three Greek words for children. He says Paul means: do not be like school-age children in understanding, but be like speechless infants when it comes to wickedness. In understanding, you are to be fully grown adults with mature minds.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes spotlights Paul's rhetorical skill in rebuking the Corinthians: their fascination with speaking foreign languages is as childish as boys at play, yet he immediately adds they should imitate infants in being free from malice. The apostle deliberately switches from one Greek word for child to a stronger one meaning infant, making the contrast sharper.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the irony that the Corinthians eagerly seek the very thing God sends as a severe punishment: obscure tongues that leave people untaught. Drawing on Isaiah, he shows that speaking in foreign languages is not a blessing when it becomes a sign of judgment rather than a means of instruction.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This note explains why Paul adds the instruction to be children in malice. The Apostle was careful not to contradict his Master's teaching about becoming like children. The point is that Christians should be childlike only in their freedom from vice, not in their understanding.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes draw a sharp contrast between two kinds of childhood. Believers should be innocent and harmless like children when it comes to malice, but they must not remain childish in their spiritual understanding. Instead, they should grow into full maturity in discernment and knowledge.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the Corinthians' eager pursuit of speaking in tongues revealed a childish vanity, since they prized an ostentatious gift over more edifying ones. True spiritual maturity, he insists, lies not in showy displays but in growing in knowledge and understanding of divine truths, a comparative perfection believers should actively pursue.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws a sharp contrast between being childlike and being childish. The Corinthians, by preferring showy gifts that did not build others up, were behaving as children in understanding. Paul urges them instead to be fully grown in discernment, while remaining innocent in evil.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange distinguishes tongues as an ecstatic form of worship where the speaker's spirit prays but the understanding remains unfruitful, producing mysteries unintelligible without interpretation. Prophecy, by contrast, directly edifies the church through intelligible speech that builds faith, stirs love, and brings comfort. For Lange, the value of any spiritual gift is measured by its ability to strengthen the whole congregation.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry insists that public worship must be intelligible to all present. Even when praying or singing under spiritual inspiration, believers must do so with understanding so that the unlearned can genuinely join in, as shown by their ability to say Amen meaningfully.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to the specific Greek words Paul uses here. The term for understanding appears only once in the New Testament and originally described the physical diaphragm, pointing to reflective reasoning as distinct from ecstatic experience. Paul carefully distinguishes being children in malice, where believers are to be very babes, from being mature in understanding.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that Paul skillfully humbles the Corinthians by labeling their prized cleverness as mere childishness. True Christian maturity, Wesley argues, is not about abandoning reason but about innocence in evil and fully grown understanding, since faith elevates rather than destroys our natural faculties.