5:19-22
There continues a series of quick fire commands. “Do not quench the Spirit”. Lack of joy, prayer and thanksgiving are sure ways to quench the Spirit, to nullify His effect on our lives. Prophecy is to be treated seriously. This means we do not reject things without thinking, and we do not accept anything without thinking. For charismatics the latter danger is the greater risk, but for cessationists the former is a real danger. Arguing that now we have the New testament we don’t need prophecy is an argument that really does not hold water, and can only be argued from Scripture by eisegesis, not by exegesis. The Biblical command is to test prophecy, and to hold on to what is good. And the Bible is a primary tool in testing anything. We are to reject what is evil.
5:23
“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through”. There are a few things to note here. One is that it is God Himself who sanctifies us, and He does this through the Holy Spirit. But we should also note the instructions in the preceding verse, and in every other chapter in the Bible! It is God who sanctifies us, but that does not mean we are passive. And the sanctification is to be “through and through”. It is not a minor improvement, but a complete transformation. “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of Christ”. Again emphasising the completeness of the work of salvation, and the high expectations.
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