²⁰ Brothers, ^(A)do not be children in your thinking. ^(B)Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be ^(C)mature.

^2 (A)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(B)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

¹⁹ For ^(A)your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you ^(B)to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you ^(A)turn and ^(B)become like children, you ^(C)will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, ^(A)tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ^(B)deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, ^(C)speaking the truth in love, we are to ^(D)grow up in every way into him who is ^(E)the head, into Christ,

Wisdom from the Spirit

⁶ Yet among ^(A)the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not ^(B)a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, ^(C)who are doomed to pass away.

¹⁸ But ^(A)grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^(B)To him be the glory both now and to the day of ^(C)eternity. Amen.

⁹ And it is my prayer that ^(A)your love may abound more and more, ^(B)with knowledge and all discernment,

^15 (A)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(B)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”