1 Corinthians 2:13 Meaning and Explanation
“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Words matter when we speak about God, because they can either serve what God has revealed or replace it with our own display of wisdom. Paul has explained that the Spirit reveals God's deep things and enables believers to know God's freely given gifts. This verse shows how that revealed truth was then spoken and carefully related to spiritual reality.
Paul says that apostolic teaching about God's gifts is shaped by the Holy Ghost, who gives spiritual understanding and fitting expression for truths revealed through the Spirit.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 2:13
Verses 6 through 9 describe God's hidden wisdom and the things he prepared for those who love him. Verses 10 and 11 explain that the Spirit searches God's deep things and knows them as a person's own spirit knows inward thoughts. In verse 12, Paul says believers have received the Spirit from God so they may know his freely given gifts. Verse 13 continues with "which things also we speak." Verse 14 then explains why the natural person does not receive the things of God's Spirit, while verses 15 and 16 describe spiritual discernment and the mind of Christ.
What Does 1 Corinthians 2:13 Mean?
"Which things" refers to the gifts and realities God has revealed through the Spirit in the preceding verses. Paul says, "we speak," identifying the public teaching by which these truths are communicated. He contrasts words taught by human wisdom with words taught by the Holy Ghost. The concern is not bare vocabulary, as though every useful human expression were excluded. Paul has written a sustained letter using reason, quotation, rebuke, and pastoral appeal. His claim concerns the governing source of apostolic teaching. The Spirit who reveals God's gifts also teaches the way those gifts are expressed. Christian speech about God therefore calls for attentiveness, humility, and faithfulness to what God has made known.
The final phrase, "comparing spiritual things with spiritual," is compact and has been understood in more than one way. It may describe relating spiritual truths to spiritual words, or explaining spiritual realities to those who receive the Spirit's discernment. The immediate context supports both concerns: Paul has spoken of Spirit-given revelation and will next speak of spiritual discernment. We need not force the phrase into a narrower sense than Paul gives it. His larger point is clear. The truth God reveals belongs together, and the Spirit enables its faithful communication and reception. This guards against isolating a preferred phrase from the chapter's message about Christ crucified, God's wisdom, and God's freely given gifts.
This verse is fulfilled in the chapter's movement toward "the mind of Christ." The Holy Ghost brings God's wisdom to expression so that Christ's people may know what God has given. Jesus himself promised that the Spirit would teach his disciples and bring his words to their remembrance. That promise provides a strong canonical setting for Paul's confidence about Spirit-taught apostolic speech. The result is reverent hearing rather than dependence on human cleverness. It also invites careful reading. Since God's wisdom is disclosed through the Spirit, we listen for the chapter's whole witness, receive its correction, and seek a life shaped by the crucified and risen Christ.
Bible Verses Related to 1 Corinthians 2:13
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:12
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:16
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
- John 14:26
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
- 2 Peter 1:21
Where 1 Corinthians 2:13 Echoes in Scripture
John 14:26 is an especially strong echo. Jesus promises that the Holy Ghost will teach his disciples all things and bring his words to their remembrance. Paul describes a closely related work: the Spirit gives the teaching through which revealed gifts are spoken. The connection supports careful attention to apostolic instruction as Spirit-shaped witness to Christ and his gifts.
How to Apply 1 Corinthians 2:13 Today
This verse encourages a patient, prayerful way of reading and speaking Scripture. We can slow down enough to notice context, let one passage illuminate another, and avoid making a single phrase carry more than its setting allows. In conversations about faith, honesty about what we know and what remains uncertain can honor the Spirit's teaching. Teachers and learners alike can ask for words that serve God's truth rather than personal reputation. When a difficult passage confronts us, we can return to Christ, seek wise counsel, and remain open to the Spirit's work of understanding.
Reflection & Prayer
How might our speech about God become more faithful, careful, and receptive to the Spirit? Consider a passage or conversation that needs patient attention. Pray: "Holy Ghost, teach us to receive God's gifts with humility, to speak truthfully, and to grow in the mind of Christ."