1 Thessalonians 5:19

Text (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

19 Quench not the Spirit;

Translation and Paraphrase

19.

Do not quench (and put out the fire of) the (Holy) Spirit, (for he both brings conviction to you, and endows you with gifts and miracles).

Notes (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

1.

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was first poured out upon all flesh, the Spirit came with the appearance and likeness of fire. Acts 2:1-3; Acts 2:16-17. The Holy Spirit caused men to prophesy, see visions, work miracles, and do many other wondrous things. Acts 2:17. These miraculous works of the Spirit continued throughout the early generations of the church.

2.

In this verse Paul compares the Spirit to a fire which can be quenched.

3.

The statement about not quenching the Spirit refers primarily to not quenching the miraculous gift and powers that the Spirit empowered men to do. The Thessalonians were to give free expression to the prophesying, speaking in tongues, etc., that the Holy Spirit might perform in them. For a list of the gifts and workings of the Spirit, see 1 Corinthians 12:7-10.

4.

The fact that the Thessalonians could quench the Spirit harmonizes with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:32: The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Unlike what happens in most modern cases of speaking in tongues (so-called), when people exercise these gifts in a state of uncontrollable ecstasy, the people in New Testament times who had these gifts were in perfect control of what they said, and could even suppress the revelations entirely.

5.

Numerous other Scripture references contain similar exhortations about not quenching or suppressing the workings of the Spirit. See Numbers 11:28-29; 1 Corinthians 14:39; Luke 9:50.

6.

Should we in our time permit and encourage a free exercise of speaking in tongues and such gifts? We will not say No to anything that God's Spirit does. But in view of the plain Scriptural predictions that miraculous works of the spirit, such as tongues, prophesying, etc., were to cease (1 Corinthians 13:8; Zechariah 13:1-3), and in view of the fact that these gifts were given by the laying on of the apostles-' hands (See Romans 1:11; Acts 8:17-19), we do not expect to see such things as speaking in tongues and prophesying in our own time. (For further discussion of this matter, see the notes on 1 Thessalonians 5:20, and the notes on Ephesians 4:13 in THE GLORIOUS CHURCH, by the author of this book.)

7.

Even if we do not have miraculous workings by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is still very definitely at work within us. See Philippians 2:3. The Spirit stirs us to do things for the Lord, brings conviction of sin to us, and many other things. When you may think of a job you ought to do for the Lord because His word commands it, go do it; don-'t quench the Spirit. If we suppress the Holy Spirit's message to our conscience, we shall soon lose our fire, become lukewarm, and then cold and formal.

8.

But remember, in all matters, the Spirit leads us by the word of God, and if any spirit leads us otherwise, it is not the Spirit of truth, but the spirit of error. 1 John 4:6.

9.

The Scripture speaks of resisting the Spirit (Acts 7:51) and grieving the spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and doing despite unto the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29). Sinners may resist the spirit by rejecting the message which is preached. See Genesis 6:3. But only believers can quench or grieve the Spirit.

Christians can quench the Spirit by disobeying the word of God, by living sensual lives, by ignoring their consciences, and by disregarding the counsel of those who are led by the Spirit.