Do not despise prophecies.
Truth to Learn
Christians should only believe a preacher or teacher if their message is completely supported by what the Bible says.
Behind the Words
The word “despise” is translated from the Greek verb exoutheneō. It is made up of ek, used as an intensifier and the verb outheneō, meaning “to treat as nothing.” In general usage exoutheneō means “to despise” or “to treat something as if it has no value.” As in the previous verse, in the Greek text the word mē (not) precedes the verb which is in the present tense and the imperative mood. Therefore, the text means “stop despising prophecies” or “stop treating prophecies as if they have no value.”
“Prophecies” is transliterated (brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun prophēteia. It is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb phēmi, meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer either to foretelling (telling something before it happens) or forth-telling (declaring a message to others). In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.” Likewise, the word transliterated “prophecy” in the New Testament means “to speak by divine inspiration.”
Meaning Explained
There is much confusion in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future.
The Old Testament prophets were delivering messages that came from God to the people. Similarly, in the New Testament church the value of a prophetic message is that it is inspired by God. In the Old Testament, many of the messages of the prophets became part of the written word of God. Today, however, we have a completed Word of God (the Bible) and do not need any new revelation by prophets (such as predicting the future). For that reason, a New Testament prophet today is not a foreteller, only a forth-teller.
In the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets had to always be true. If their forth-telling was contrary to the written Word of God or if their foretelling was not 100% accurate 100% of the time, they were declared to be a false prophet and they were to be stoned to death. Likewise, in the church age, if the message of a prophet does not agree completely with the Bible, that prophet is a false prophet and none of his messages are to be believed.
In today’s verse Paul declares that we are to stop considering prophecies to be of no value. Certainly, if someone claiming to have the gift of prophecy contradicts the Bible, he is not to be believed. But someone who truly has the gift of prophecy today is declaring God’s word and should be listened to, not ignored.
Application
Whenever we are listening to a message from a preacher or learning something from a Bible teacher, we need to search the Scriptures to validate whether what they are saying is true or not. Don’t believe any message from a preacher or teacher unless it is fully supported by the Bible. Be like the Christians of Berea of whom it was said:
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved