1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

There appears to have been a tendency in the Thessalonian church to despise prophetic utterances (i.e., the announcing of some word from God; cf. 1 Corinthians 14:1). Paul warned against regarding these words from God as only words from men. However, he also counseled that his readers should test these utterances. They could do this by comparing what the speaker said with the standard of previously given divine revelation (cf. Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Deuteronomy 18:20; 1 John 4:1-3). Their neighbors, the Bereans, set them a good example in this respect (cf. Acts 17:11). They should retain everything that passed the test. What did not they should reject along with all other kinds of evil. The problem was discerning true prophecies and true prophets from false prophecies and false prophets (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:15), not discerning the true elements from the false elements in a true prophet’s prophecy. [Note: See R. Fowler White, "Does God Speak Today Apart from the Bible? in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, p. 85.]