1 Thessalonians 5:21 - Exposition

Prove all things. This exhortation is closely connected with the preceding. "Prove all things," namely, whatever was advanced by the prophets in their inspired discourses. "Prove" here means to test, as metals are tested in the fire; and hence the word frequently denotes the favorable result of the testing, or approval. There was a special gift of discerning spirits in the primitive Church ( 1 Corinthians 12:10 ; 1 Corinthians 14:29 ). But although the words primarily refer to the testing of prophetic utterances, yet they have a general application. We should not rest our faith on the authority of others. The right of private judgment is the characteristic and privilege of Protestantism. We ought thoroughly to examine all doctrines by the test of Scripture, and then, discerning their reasons, we shall be able to take a firmer hold of them. At the same time, the fundamental principle of rationalism, that reason as such is the judge of the doctrines of revelation, is not contained in these words, and cannot be inferred from them. Hold fast ; retain. That which is good ; the good, the beautiful, the honorable; a different word from that rendered "good" in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 . We are to retain whatever is good in those "all things" which we are to prove or test, namely, in the prophesyings.