Ministry of Grace Church

These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Truth to Learn

The Bible is the inspired Word of God. Believe it!

Behind the Words

“Speak” is translated from the verb laleō. This word refers to the use of words in speech or writing. It is a reference to the ability to communicate rather than the quality of it.

“Words” is from the Greek noun logos, which refers to a word itself or an expression of intelligent thought.

Sugkrinō is the verb translated “comparing.” It is made up of sun, meaning “together” and krinō, which means “to judge, distinguish, or separate.” Sugkrinō originally meant “to combine,” then later it meant “to separate” or “to distinguish,” and then “to compare” or “to explain.”

The words “spiritual things” and “spiritual” are both from the Greek adjective pneumatikos. The first usage of the word here is structured as a neuter direct object (the object of the verb “comparing”). As a result, it refers to “spiritual things.” The other use of pneumatikos here is structured as an indirect object which is normally translated with the added prepositions “in,” “to,” “by,” or “with.” Here it has the form of either a neuter indirect object (spiritual things) or a masculine indirect object, since they both have the same form. The gender of the indirect object indicates what it is referring to. If neuter, it has to refer to a neuter noun. If masculine, however, it has to refer to a masculine noun.

Meaning Explained

The first part of this verse is fairly clear. You will recall that Paul has compared the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God and in doing so has compared his own preaching style with the obscure style of the philosophers, sophists, and rabbis. He clearly states that in conveying these formerly secret truths to us, the apostles did not use words of their own choosing or words dictated by man's wisdom. Rather, they used the very words which the Holy Spirit taught them to use. This is a clear statement that not only the subject matter of Biblical teaching is inspired, but that even the very words used by the writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is why we take so much time and care in these studies to look at the very words used.

The second half of this verse is difficult to translate into English because of the words sugkrinō and pneumatikos, as explained above. As a result, there are numerous differing translations. The two translations that seem to make the most sense, given what Paul has been talking about, are: “Explaining spiritual things to spiritual men” and “comparing spiritual things with spiritual things (or words).” In the first and second century the church leaders believed that Paul’s meaning was, “comparing the things which were written by the Spirit of the Old Testament with what is now revealed to us by the same Spirit, and confirming doctrine by them.” Given what Paul has been talking about, this seems to make good sense.

Application

Even though the Bible was penned by human writers, it is the Word of God. As such, it is inspired and without error in the original documents. Therefore, we can believe what it teaches us and we can base our earthly lives and eternal future on what it teaches. God’s Word is truth!