1Th 5:20-21 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Thess 5:20-21: 5:20-21 Prophecy, meant to build up the church (1 Cor 14:1-4 ), should not be rejected. Instead, the Thessalonians should test the prophecies (1 Cor 12:10 ; 14:29 ) to discern their origin, to check their agreement with the teaching of the apostles (2 Thes 2:2 ; 1 Jn 4:1-3 ), and to gauge the character of those who utter them (Matt 7:15-20 ). Early Christian teaching said, “Not everyone who speaks about spiritual things is a prophet, but only if the person’s conduct is like the Lord” ( Didache 11:8). They should hold on to what is good —namely, prophecies that have been tested and found to be genuine.

a5:20-21►

b1 Cor 14:1-4►

c1 Cor 12:10►

e2 Thes 2:2►

f1 Jn 4:1-3►

gMatt 7:15-20►

‏ 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

Summary for 1Thess 5:20-21: 5:20-21 ^a Prophecy, meant to build up the church (1 Cor 14:1-4 ^b), should not be rejected. Instead, the Thessalonians should test the prophecies (1 Cor 12:10 ^c; 14:29 ^d) to discern their origin, to check their agreement with the teaching of the apostles (2 Thes 2:2 ^e; 1 Jn 4:1-3 ^f), and to gauge the character of those who utter them (Matt 7:15-20 ^g). Early Christian teaching said, “Not everyone who speaks about spiritual things is a prophet, but only if the person’s conduct is like the Lord” (Didache 11:8). They should hold on to what is good—namely, prophecies that have been tested and found to be genuine.