To comprehend in a biblical sense is to understand who God really is and the mystery of Christ—a Spirit-given understanding that starts with salvation and grows through learning.
Les draws a clear line: we cannot comprehend the things of God from the natural man; a person must first have a salvation experience, then the Holy Spirit enlightens him and the Scriptures open up (Clip 2). Even then, believers like the Corinthians can remain babes in Christ and lack the full comprehension of who God is (Clip 1). The goal is to grow into the kind of understanding Paul had when he spoke of the mystery of Christ (Clip 7, Ephesians 3:4-5).
Ephesians 3:4 — Paul says his readers may understand his knowledge in the mystery of Christ, tying comprehension to the revealed mystery.
Ephesians 3:5 — This verse explains that the mystery Paul comprehended was not made known to previous generations but is now revealed by the Spirit.
Paul makes the point most clearly in Ephesians 3:4-5: "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ). Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." So Scripture itself does not define comprehension as a general human capacity. It presents comprehension as an understanding of "the mystery of Christ"—knowledge that had been hidden for ages and was now being revealed by the Spirit. The Bible connects the ability to "understand" directly with the revelation of a mystery, rather than with a person's natural intelligence.
Les explains that many believers have no comprehension of who God really is. He uses the Corinthian believers as an example: they were saved but still babes in Christ and lacked full comprehension of God (Clip 1). He is also blunt that the natural man cannot comprehend these things; a person must first have a salvation experience, and then the Holy Spirit begins to enlighten him and the Scriptures open up (Clip 2). Once someone becomes a child of God, Les says God expects that person to learn, grow, and get a graphic understanding of all that God has done on his behalf (Clip 6). He describes Ephesians as a deeper level or higher ground of Christian experience, where Paul brings out things not found even in Romans, Galatians, or Corinthians (Clip 5). The deepest comprehension, Les says, concerns the mystery of Christ—something hidden in past ages but now revealed through Paul, which believers can understand when they read (Clip 7).
Les uses the Corinthian believers as an example. He says even though they were believers, they were still babes in Christ and did not have the full comprehension of who and what God really is. He says the same is true of many believers today—they are saved but have no comprehension of who God really is.
Les is blunt: we cannot comprehend these things from the natural man. A salvation experience must come first, then the Holy Spirit enlightens us and the Scriptures begin to open up. People who cannot get anything out of the Word usually know nothing of salvation and are still living under the old Adam.
Les says God does not expect a newly saved person to know deep doctrinal things to be saved. But once someone becomes a child of God, God expects that person to learn and grow and get a graphic understanding of all He has done. Les also calls Ephesians a deeper level or higher ground of Christian experience, where Paul brings out deeper truths.
Why Paul Said "I Die Daily" — 1 Corinthians 15:31 Explained
alone as you are. And the same way with believers. Don't ever just be like Elijah. Lord, just go ahead and take my life. I'm the only one left. No, you're not. You know, wherever you go, there are believers who look at it like we do. And so, neglect not then the assembling of yourselves together because now back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and again verse 33, evil communications.
Saved Believers Can Lack Comprehension
Les uses the Corinthians to show that a person can be genuinely saved yet still lack full comprehension of who God is.
Natural Man Cannot Comprehend Scripture
Les says comprehension of the Scriptures is impossible for those still in the natural man; salvation and the Holy Spirit's enlightenment are prerequisites.
Why Grace Is Not a License to Sin — Romans 6 Explained
And then when we speak of something else as having been baptized, it's again meaning that we're totally engulfed by it. For example, right here, when we were baptized into the body of Christ, we were totally engulfed We weren't just set up on the edge someplace. We were engulfed in all this. Turn with me, I think I'm through here.
No Condemnation: What It Really Means to Be "In Christ"
See, how that like a husband and wife come together and become one. So Christ and this body of believers become one. We are just totally integrated. Alright, let me take you back to 1 Corinthians for a moment. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And again, here we have the other direction. Not only are we in Christ, but He is in us. Now the world knows nothing of this.
Ephesians as Deeper Ground
Les explains that biblical comprehension is not static—Paul describes Ephesians as higher ground and deeper water, where deeper truths are revealed.
God Expects Believers to Grow
Les explains that after salvation God expects believers to learn and grow in understanding, not remain ignorant of deep doctrine.
Understanding the Revealed Mystery
Les points to Paul's complete understanding in the mystery of Christ—a mystery hidden in past ages but now revealed, which believers can comprehend by reading Paul's words.
Ephesians 3:4: Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Paul explicitly connects reading with understanding his knowledge in the mystery of Christ.
Ephesians 3:5: Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
This verse shows that the comprehension Paul speaks of was hidden for generations and is now revealed by the Holy Spirit.
According to Les, yes. The natural man cannot comprehend the things of God. A person must first have a salvation experience, and then the Holy Spirit enlightens him so the Scriptures begin to open up.
Les says yes. The Corinthian believers were saved but still babes in Christ and did not have full comprehension of who God is. He says the same is true of many believers today.
Les connects it to Paul's complete understanding in the mystery of Christ. That mystery had not been made known in other generations, but it is now revealed, and when believers read Paul's words they can understand it.
Watch the Teaching: Why Paul Said "I Die Daily" — 1 Corinthians 15:31 Explained