1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

“Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.”

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul gives the Thessalonian church a few dos and don’ts. The selection of this text is at the very end of the book, just before Paul’s closing benediction. Therefore, Paul has already conveyed his love to the church and his concern for them as they suffer persecution. He explains why he sent Timothy to go to them so he may encourage and exhort them on their journey. He tells the church that he is pleased with Timothy’s report and they also love and look forward to the Apostle’s visit. Then, Paul gives them encouragement as he teaches the Thessalonians about the “return of Jesus” and the “Day of the Lord”. In the light of these two lessons, Paul tells the church what the will of God is for them: to become like Jesus and to remain joyful, prayerful, and thankful.

Finally, now, Paul has a few more things the believers in Thessalonica need to hear. All of these statements are imperatives; Paul himself is speaking with apostolic authority. These commands may be suggestions from Timothy’s report. Maybe Paul already knew some of their struggles because he was with them just a few months earlier. Upon reading these imperatives, we as Christians see that they are applicable to us all. So maybe Paul is underscoring appropriate guidelines for all believers, whether they be young Christians or mature in their faith. We all need to meditate and heed these commands from God’s Holy Work in complete obedience by faith.

The first command is to not quench the Spirit. This statement alone is broad and could be left up for interpretation. What is most important is the object of the command, which is the Spirit. This indicates the Spirit is a person. Like the situation in Acts 5, when Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:4), who is God, and they dropped dead right at the feet of Peter. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:30 in the midst of commands for godly behavior, “And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.” So from our verse, we see that the Holy Spirit can be quenched, lied to, and grieved; He is the third person of the Godhead. Quenching and grieving are ways that hinder His work, especially when pointing others to come to Jesus. Therefore, in an application, we also must never hinder or block the work of the Spirit in the lives of the saved and unsaved. In the saved, He teaches and guides in their sanctification. In the unsaved, He convicts them of sin, and points and brings them to Jesus for salvation.

The second command is to not despise prophecy. Matthew Henry said in his commentary on this passage, “By prophesyings here we are to understand the preaching of the word, the interpreting and applying of the scriptures; and this we must not despise, but should prize and value, because it is the ordinance of God, appointed of him for our furtherance and increase in knowledge and grace, in holiness and comfort.” It is appropriate that Paul places this command to heed Scripture immediately after the command to not quench the Spirit. This established the priority of our faith and practice: God is first along with obeying the Holy Scriptures of God. This command is essential to our faith in Christ and this cannot be neglected. Even today, we are faced with the same problems in many churches. For example, 2 Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” Because of our belief and passion in the “Sole Scriptura,” we must never allow someone to come into our church who despises prophecy, the words of God!

The third command is to test everything. In particular, we must be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, “The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” To test everything is to study the Scriptures and make sure that what is said lines up with Scripture. The Holy Spirit will teach and apply the message of truth from the Scriptures to our lives. Therefore, we must test everything according to the Word of God!

The final two commands are basically one of the same: to do good and abstain from every form of evil. While one may think these commands are too broad and general to be heeded, nevertheless, we do have the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, which we must never quench, while He is doing His work of sanctification in our lives. Additionally, we have God’s Holy Word and His law that is sweeter than honey and a means to make wise the simple. These two commands are deemed most appropriate so one may never be tempted to pursue legalism as a way to holy living and pleasing God. We are to pursue God, in the midst of suffering and sorrow, walking by faith. We do not need a detailed checklist of dos and don’ts to be holy. We need to read, meditate, and study what God is teaching us in Hebrews 11. One man of faith was Abraham. It says in Hebrews 11:8-10, “By faith Abraham when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” In the same way, we do not know where we are going today, but we know Jesus by faith, and we know He holds our hands. Therefore, we live by faith in accordance with the Word of God and the leading of the Spirit.

Christian Hymn: Open My Eyes That I May See, by Clara H. Scott in 1895