Prophetic messages and the gift of prophecy are not to be despised, dismissed, rejected, or treated with contempt. Prophesying is a genuine fruit and work of the Spirit, so to despise it is to quench the Spirit and resist the warning and messages God sends by His Spirit. The command stands together with not quenching the Spirit, proving or testing everything, holding fast what is good, and abstaining from every form of evil, requiring respect for prophetic messages without abandoning discernment. Prophetic claims and manifestations are therefore to be proved and carefully examined by the standards and tests God has given in His word, not rejected wholesale, so that the false can be distinguished from the true and what is good and from God can be held fast. This matters especially where spiritual deceptions, false prophecies, and false prophets and teachers abound, because false and counterfeit prophets have made people distrust supernatural gifts and tempted them to indiscriminate contempt instead of discernment.
Command and Context
The command is not to despise, dismiss, reject, or treat prophetic messages and the gift of prophecy with contempt. It is one of three important practical duties given to those watching for the day of the Lord. Prophesying is a legitimate fruit and work of the Spirit, so to despise prophecy is to quench the Spirit. God sends warning by His Spirit, and despising prophesyings resists the warning and the messages He sends by His Spirit and refuses them.
The command belongs inseparably with the surrounding commands not to quench the Spirit, to prove or test everything, to hold fast what is good, and to abstain from every form of evil. Prophetic manifestations are therefore to be tested rather than rejected wholesale, so that false manifestations can be distinguished from true and what is good and from the Spirit of God can be held fast. This calls for respect for prophetic messages without abandoning discernment. The warning is placed among instructions given in view of the day of the Lord and Christ's coming, to be taken seriously by the church as it awaits the Lord, and it applies especially to believers living when that day comes.
In its original setting some Thessalonian believers wrongly rejected this gift and exalted the other spiritual gifts above it. The verse stands in the closing directions for how believers acted when they met, where brethren greeted brethren with a holy kiss and sisters greeted sisters with a holy kiss.
Testing and Receiving Prophecy
Prophetic manifestations and claims are not to be rejected wholesale but to be proved and carefully examined by the standards and tests God has given in His word, so that false prophecies can be distinguished from true and what is good and from the Spirit of God can be held fast. Candid consideration is to be given to claims of divine guidance rather than dismissing them out of hand. The command not to despise prophesyings belongs together with the commands not to quench the Spirit, to prove all things, to hold fast what is good, and to abstain from evil, calling for careful discernment between true and false while rejecting evil. The warning has particular relevance where spiritual deceptions, false prophecies, and false prophets and teachers abound. False and counterfeit prophets have made people distrust supernatural gifts and tempted them to indiscriminate contempt instead of discernment.
Doctrine is to be examined with prayer and a spirit shaped by Christ, not dismissed merely because it conflicts with cherished ideas, and resistance to messages sent by God and the work of the Spirit is forbidden. Claims of revelation require great care, with watching and prayer for those making them, and new matters should be considered together rather than judged or publicly presented on the authority of one person alone. Making light of the messages God gives through His messenger is to reject the Saviour Himself, not merely the human bearer, and to insult the One who gave the messages. The messenger who has faithfully borne them has nothing to retract and nothing to regret, and has still more decided messages to bear.
God's visions and reproofs are means of correction, and rejecting them because of resentment toward the messenger leads to spiritual darkness and loss of discernment between right and wrong. God sends warning by His Spirit that must not be quenched, despised, or refused, but the prophesyings are to be proved and what is good held fast. Heeding them means cooperating with heavenly intelligences, bringing firmness and determination to correcting defects of character, and resisting the enemy. The Author of salvation will then raise up a standard for defense and enable thorough work for eternity. The Lord sends messages of prophecy to save people, so they should be received rather than made a cause of contention, since rejecting them contributes to disunion instead of unity in Christ.
Prophetic messages and the gift of prophecy are not to be despised, dismissed, rejected, or treated with contempt. Prophesying is a genuine fruit and work of the Spirit, so to despise it is to quench the Spirit and resist the warning and messages God sends by His Spirit. The command stands together with not quenching the Spirit, proving or testing everything, holding fast what is good, and abstaining from every form of evil, requiring respect for prophetic messages without abandoning discernment. Prophetic claims and manifestations are therefore to be proved and carefully examined by the standards and tests God has given in His word, not rejected wholesale, so that the false can be distinguished from the true and what is good and from God can be held fast. This matters especially where spiritual deceptions, false prophecies, and false prophets and teachers abound, because false and counterfeit prophets have made people distrust supernatural gifts and tempted them to indiscriminate contempt instead of discernment.
Command and Context
The command is not to despise, dismiss, reject, or treat prophetic messages and the gift of prophecy with contempt. It is one of three important practical duties given to those watching for the day of the Lord. Prophesying is a legitimate fruit and work of the Spirit, so to despise prophecy is to quench the Spirit. God sends warning by His Spirit, and despising prophesyings resists the warning and the messages He sends by His Spirit and refuses them.
The command belongs inseparably with the surrounding commands not to quench the Spirit, to prove or test everything, to hold fast what is good, and to abstain from every form of evil. Prophetic manifestations are therefore to be tested rather than rejected wholesale, so that false manifestations can be distinguished from true and what is good and from the Spirit of God can be held fast. This calls for respect for prophetic messages without abandoning discernment. The warning is placed among instructions given in view of the day of the Lord and Christ's coming, to be taken seriously by the church as it awaits the Lord, and it applies especially to believers living when that day comes.
In its original setting some Thessalonian believers wrongly rejected this gift and exalted the other spiritual gifts above it. The verse stands in the closing directions for how believers acted when they met, where brethren greeted brethren with a holy kiss and sisters greeted sisters with a holy kiss.
Testing and Receiving Prophecy
Prophetic manifestations and claims are not to be rejected wholesale but to be proved and carefully examined by the standards and tests God has given in His word, so that false prophecies can be distinguished from true and what is good and from the Spirit of God can be held fast. Candid consideration is to be given to claims of divine guidance rather than dismissing them out of hand. The command not to despise prophesyings belongs together with the commands not to quench the Spirit, to prove all things, to hold fast what is good, and to abstain from evil, calling for careful discernment between true and false while rejecting evil. The warning has particular relevance where spiritual deceptions, false prophecies, and false prophets and teachers abound. False and counterfeit prophets have made people distrust supernatural gifts and tempted them to indiscriminate contempt instead of discernment.
Doctrine is to be examined with prayer and a spirit shaped by Christ, not dismissed merely because it conflicts with cherished ideas, and resistance to messages sent by God and the work of the Spirit is forbidden. Claims of revelation require great care, with watching and prayer for those making them, and new matters should be considered together rather than judged or publicly presented on the authority of one person alone. Making light of the messages God gives through His messenger is to reject the Saviour Himself, not merely the human bearer, and to insult the One who gave the messages. The messenger who has faithfully borne them has nothing to retract and nothing to regret, and has still more decided messages to bear.
God's visions and reproofs are means of correction, and rejecting them because of resentment toward the messenger leads to spiritual darkness and loss of discernment between right and wrong. God sends warning by His Spirit that must not be quenched, despised, or refused, but the prophesyings are to be proved and what is good held fast. Heeding them means cooperating with heavenly intelligences, bringing firmness and determination to correcting defects of character, and resisting the enemy. The Author of salvation will then raise up a standard for defense and enable thorough work for eternity. The Lord sends messages of prophecy to save people, so they should be received rather than made a cause of contention, since rejecting them contributes to disunion instead of unity in Christ.