Despising prophecies? A closer look at 1 Thess 5:20

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thess 5:16-21)

The pressing question facing us in this text is simply this: what is Paul referring to exactly when he talks about prophecy? Prophecy is a term that carries baggage with it – imagery, confusion, fear – but its exact definition is often a bit hazy for people. Whenever we come across a term like this in scripture we should strive to understand what the author’s intent is and what the context can tell us about the term’s meaning, rather than simply operating from what we’ve always thought or felt it meant.

The first thing we need to realize here is that Paul makes a distinction between the word of God and prophecy.

The inspired words of the OT Prophets and NT Apostles have been collected as Scripture, God’s inerrant communication to his people. Though written through human authors, they are to be accepted as God’s very words, 1 to 1. (more on that topic here) Prophecy, though also inspired by the Holy Spirit, is subject to the authority of the scriptures and is not to be taken as the very words of God. So, for example, an individual can receive revelation from The Lord, but that revelation can never contradict scripture, trump scripture, or add to scripture.

Where do we see this distinction in the context? In 1 Thess 1:6 and 2:13 Paul commends the believers in how they fully embraced the inspired words of the OT Prophets and NT Apostles – including himself – with the joy of the Holy Spirit as the very words of God. In 5:16-21, he encourages them to not despise prophecy. It would make no sense if in the course of one relatively short letter Paul encouraged the believers – more than once – for receiving a gift with gladness and then commanded them to not despise that gift. It’s clear that when speaking about the word of God and prophecy, Paul speaks about two different things.

When it comes to the authority of prophecy, as Paul describes it, in comparison to the authority of Scripture, Wayne Grudem makes an excellent point in his Systematic Theology. Similar to 1 Thess 5:16-21, in 1 Cor 14:29 Paul calls upon the believers to weigh or test any prophecy that is spoken. He commands them to test the validity of the alleged prophecy to determine if it is in fact from the Lord. Grudem states, “We cannot imagine that an Old Testament prophet like Isaiah would have said, ‘Listen to what I say and weigh what is said – sort the good from the bad, what you accept from what you should not accept’!” Isaiah said, “Thus says the Lord…” – 36 times to be exact – and it was to be received as the very word of God. Not so with the prophecy Paul is speaking of here. Grudem adds “[Paul] implies that prophecies contain some things that are good and some things that are not good when he encourages them to ‘hold fast to what is good.’ This is something that could never have been said of the words of an Old Testament prophet, or the authoritative teachings of a New Testament apostle.”

So prophecy, as Paul describes it, is to be tested and weighed. Just as it is right for us to test any teaching that we receive, any story that we here, and supernatural act that we witness, we must also test the words that people speak to us in the name of the Lord. We do this, very simply, because we want to make sure that they are in fact from the Lord. Anyone can say they have a word from the Lord, there are plenty of persuasive teachers, and in our day some pretty miraculous things can be conjured. Add to this the spiritual forces opposed to Christ working in influential, supernatural ways, and we must be careful to assure that we are holding fast to what is good and rejecting what is false.

Now, I hope you have made it this far in the post because this next point is critical. The main thrust of Paul’s communication to the Thessalonians is not that they should be skeptical and cynical, but that they should willingly embrace prophecy that is found to be from the Lord. We should not be gullible and tossed by every manipulative force, but we must realize that the Holy Spirit will continue to reveal and apply truth to our lives, sometimes through the words of other people. That is a grace of God. Scripture alone is sufficient for you and your ability to gain salvation and honor God with your life. But God’s word was not specifically written to address the nuances of your dating relationship, job scenario, or parenting challenges. The inspired words of other believers can offer targeted application of truth that gives us hope, perspective, conviction, and wisdom.

Do not despise the inspired words of believers who care for you. Test them, and if they are in accordance with Scripture, receive them with joy, even when they bring conviction of your sin.

I’ll leave you with this. In their book Doctrine, Driscoll and Breshears offer a helpful grid through which we can test such words. Ask yourself these questions.

1. Is the speaker/writer loyal to the LORD?
2. Is their word consistent with the Bible?
3. Is what they describe or predict accurate?
4. Is their character Christlike?
5. Does their word build up and encourage the church in truth?
6. Do the church elders affirm their word?

I would simply add this to their list. Does the alleged prophecy point to Jesus as Savior and King? Does it reinforce the sufficiency of his death and resurrection to save you unto eternal life? Does it glorify the Lord, you, or the speaker?

Test everything. Hold fast to what is good.

Please note: Redemption Church considers the issue of spiritual gifts to be an open-handed issue. This means that while individuals within our leadership and church may have convictions about the subject, we consider it a secondary issue where freedom should be given within our church to believe differently as long as the beliefs remain within the spectrum of biblical Christianity. This post is meant to supplement our study of 1 Thessalonians and in no way represents a full treatment of the subject.