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My son Reese is learning to talk. His favorite word is mama, followed closely by bird, dog, Chuck (the name of our Yorkshire Terrier), please, and fish. He throws out dada every now and then, although it’s humbling to think that birds outrank me in my son’s lexicon. Lately, Reese has even been using a two-word phrase at the end of meals: all done.

Reese doesn’t always use these words properly, however. He sometimes calls other dogs Chuck, for example, using our dog’s name for members of the canine family generally. Recently, while walking with me through Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Reese called every stuffed raccoon, squirrel, bobcat, and skunk a dog. And he seems to think please is a command, not a request.

Reese is a toddler, so his use and misuse of words is a byproduct of his cognitive development. Twenty years from now, if he’s still calling Springfield’s four-legged taxidermy dog, I’ll be worried. But for now, I’m happy with every word and phrase he uses, not to mention all the chirps, giggles, and squeaks.

Like Reese, the Corinthians had a burgeoning vocabulary. One of their favorite words was wisdom. Another was spiritual. They considered themselves wise and spiritual people. Unfortunately, just as my son Reese misused words, so the Corinthians misused them. The only difference? The Corinthians didn’t know they were toddlers, spiritually speaking.

Consider what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8:

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

In this passage, Paul employs the Corinthians’ words, but with the correct meanings.

The Corinthians evidently considered themselves both wise and spiritually mature. But as we have seen from 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, their so-called “wisdom” and “maturity” made them ashamed of the cross rather than boastful of the divine power that effected their salvation through it. The Corinthians liked nice speeches that used highfalutin’ philosophical concepts. Paul’s preaching lacked both. So, they considered him foolish and immature by comparison to themselves.

In response, Paul spoke of a “secret wisdom” that only the “mature” can understand. Even “the rulers of this age” did not understand this message. If I were a Corinthian Christian, I’d be interested in what Paul had to say. Who wouldn’t want to be in on the secret that excluded even the high and mighty? So as the Corinthians drew closer to hear Paul’s secret, he talked about…the crucified Lord of glory.

Spirituality must always come back to Jesus Christ crucified. He is God’s wisdom and power for salvation. Any spirituality that doesn’t begin and end with that humbling truth is a toddler’s misuse of words.