1 Corinthians 14:20

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1 Corinthians 14:18–22 · Berean Standard Bible

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

19 But in the church, I would rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

21 It is written in the Law: “By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.”

22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.

Greek words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

1 Corinthians 3:1

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:2

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.

Psalms 119:99

I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.

Isaiah 11:3

And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear,

Romans 16:19

Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

Ephesians 4:14

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

Ephesians 4:15

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

Philippians 1:9

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

Hebrews 5:12

Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

Hebrews 5:13

For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.

Hebrews 6:1

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,

Hebrews 6:2

instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrews 6:3

And this we will do, if God permits.

2 Peter 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.

Psalms 131:1

My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty 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.

Matthew 11:25

At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Matthew 18:3

“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:4

Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

Mark 10:15

Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

1 Peter 2:2

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

1 Corinthians 2:6

Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

Philippians 3:15

All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.