THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
A kind of dense gloom, darkness, and mist is spread over the whole earth. Pointing to this, the Apostle said, “You were once darkness,” and again, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief” (Eph 5:8; 1 Thess 5:4).
Since it is now night, as it were a moonless night, and we walk in the midst of this night, God has given us a bright lamp. He has kindled in our souls the grace of the Holy Spirit.
After receiving this light, some made it brighter and clearer, such as Paul, Peter, and all the saints. Others quenched it, such as the five virgins, those who suffered shipwreck in the faith, the Corinthian fornicator, and the fallen Galatians.
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Therefore Paul now says, “Do not quench the Spirit,” that is, the gift. For he is accustomed to call the gift of the Holy Spirit by this name. An impure life quenches it.
When a man pours water on the light in a lamp, or throws earth on it, or even only pours out its oil, he extinguishes the light. So it is also with the gift of grace.
If you have brought in earthly things, if you have surrendered yourself to cares over passing affairs, you have already quenched the Spirit.
Or even if you have done nothing of the kind, a temptation may come from outside and rush violently upon you, like a kind of wind.
If the flame in you was not burning strongly, or if there was not much oil for it, or if you did not close the lamp’s opening or shut the doors, then everything is lost.
What is this opening? As in a lamp, so also in us there is an opening. It is the eye and the ear. Do not allow the violent spirit of wickedness to rush through these openings, lest it extinguish the lamp.
Guard them with the fear of God. The doors are our lips. Close and bar them, so that the light may pass through them and they may repel the attack from outside.
For example, if someone has wronged you or insulted you with words, close your mouth. If you open it, you will raise a storm.
Do you not see what happens in houses? When two opposite doors stand directly across from one another and a strong wind rises, close one door, and there will be no draft. The wind will do nothing, but will lose much of its force.
So it is here. There are two doors: your mouth and the mouth of the one who insults and slanders you. If you close your mouth and do not open a free course to the air from the opposite side, you destroy all the force of the wind.
But if you open it, the wind becomes uncontrollable. Therefore let us not quench Him. Yet it often happens that this flame is extinguished without any external cause.
When oil is lacking, when we do not give alms, the Spirit is quenched. Since He Himself came to you by the mercy of God, when He does not find this fruit in you, He flies away from you.
For He does not remain in a merciless soul. What happens after the Spirit is quenched is known to those among you who have walked on a moonless night.
If it is difficult to walk at night along a road leading from one earthly place to another, how can one safely walk the path leading from earth to heaven?
Do you not know how many demons are along this distance, how many beasts, how many spirits of wickedness? But if we have that light within ourselves, they will not be able to harm us.
If we extinguish it, they will immediately seize us and at once take everything from us. Robbers also first extinguish the lamp, and only then plunder. They see in that darkness because they do the works of darkness.
But we are not accustomed to such light. Therefore let us not quench it. Every evil deed quenches this light: slander, insult, and every sin you may name.
As with fire, everything alien to it destroys it, and everything akin to it strengthens it. So also with this light. Whatever is dry, warm, and fiery strengthens the spiritual flame.
Therefore let us bring to it nothing cold and nothing wet. Such things destroy it.
There is, however, another explanation of this passage from the epistle. In those times many prophesied, some truly and others falsely. The Apostle mentions this also in the epistle to the Corinthians.
He says that for this reason God gave the discernment of spirits (1 Cor 12:10). The devil, being crafty, wished through this gift of prophecy to overthrow everything in the Church.
Because of this, both foretold the future: the demon and the Spirit. The first spoke falsely, the second truly. There was no sign available by which one could distinguish one from the other.
For both kinds of prophets taught without giving an account, like Jeremiah or Ezekiel. But in time the false prophets were exposed, and the ability to discern spirits was given.
Therefore, since many among the Thessalonians were prophesying at that time, the Apostle hints at this elsewhere. He says, “Do not be quickly shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come” (2 Thess 2:2).
Having said, “Do not quench the Spirit,” he aptly added the following words: “Do not despise prophecies.”