1 Corinthians 2:6 Commentary and Bible Study

This is a verse that requires a little explanation. ‘Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect.’ Now reading that, we might think that what the apostle means is, ‘We speak simply to the unconverted, but we speak spiritual wisdom among those who are mature in the faith.’ That is what the word ‘perfect’ means: complete, mature. They are saved, in other words. They have spiritual understanding, and among them we speak all the wisdom of God. But the apostle is not actually saying that. We need to read the phrase more carefully. ‘Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are saved’ – actually what he means is this: we speak wisdom in the estimation of the saved. After all he has said about the nature of his preaching and how careful he is to avoid human wisdom, and to stick to the gospel which is the wisdom of God, he does not now say that what he preachers to the unconverted is something less than wisdom. The gospel is itself wisdom. He does not mean that to the lost he speaks simply, but to the saved he can be more complicated. No, the gospel is also the wisdom of God. It is still wiser than man. The apostle has said so in the previous chapter. The gospel preached to the lost is the wisdom of God, and what he speaks to the saved is also the wisdom of God. What he is saying here is that it is wisdom in the estimation of the saved. They know this is wise. As we preach the gospel people may think our message is foolishness, but the saved know that it is all the wisdom of God.