“Avoid Every Appearance of Evil!” Toppling a Faulty Moral Pillar
1 Thessalonians 5:22:
“Abstain from all appearances of evil” (KJV)
“Abstain from every form of evil” (ESV)
I confess that whenever I encounter this verse, I picture old, withered saints shaking their bony fingers in younger believers’ faces and exhorting them about some questionable behavior. In this recurring scenario, the godly, mature Christians find it necessary to exhort the younger saints, not because they have done something that is evil, but simply because they behaved in a manner that could have the appearance of being evil.
This understanding of 1 Thessalonians 5:22 can be traced back to the King James Version of 1611. The KJV chose the word “appearance” for the Greek word eidos, which means visible form, outward appearance or kind, sort. Since this translation appeared, well-intentioned Christians have focused on the outward appearance aspect and concluded that we are not only to avoid evil, but we are also to avoid anything that could outwardly appear to be evil. Hence, the genesis of the widely-used ethical dictum, “Avoid every appearance of evil.”
I have good news and bad news for you about this understanding of 1 Thessalonians 5:22. The bad news is you may have been following a moral dictum that is not supported by either its own biblical context or broader biblical ethics. The good news is that you are now freer than you realized to minister to the hurting people of planet earth. Please allow me to undergird these extravagant claims.
1 Thessalonians is the Apostle Paul’s letter to a group of new Christians who have been persecuted by their fellow citizens in northern Greece for most of their six months in Christ. It is an adversarial context for the church, so Paul spends much of his time defending his church-planting team’s integrity and actions in chapters 1-3. In chapters 4-5 (“the moral exhortation” section), he addresses five successive threats to the life of this body. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 is the fifth and final significant issue facing this fledgling church.
This last issue in vv. 12-22 deals broadly with the concerns that arise when the church gathers for her weekly assembly. Paul gives instructions about how to foster healthy body life in this context by rightly esteeming leaders (vv. 12-13), dealing sensitively with the varying needs of the saints (vv. 14-15), establishing a joyful assembly (vv. 16-18), and not quenching the ministry of the Holy Spirit in prophetic utterances (vv. 19-22).
Given the broader context, we are now ready to look at the immediate context for v. 22. Notice the logical flow of the argument about prophetic utterances in vv. 19-22:
“Do not quench the Spirit” (v. 19) (the general exhortation);
“Do not despise prophetic utterances (v. 20) (the specific negative aspect of the
exhortation).
“But examine everything carefully” (v. 21) (the contrasting positive aspect of the exhortation);
“hold fast to that which is good” (v. 22) (what to do with good prophecies after examining);
“abstain from every form of evil” or “every evil form of utterance” (v. 23) (what to do with the evil prophetic utterances).
As is generally the case with Scripture, God and the human authors are very specific in their discussions. They seldom sprinkle broad moral sayings in free-standing fashion. By contrast, they usually speak in a closely-argued style, especially in the New Testament letters. Such is the case with 1 Thessalonians 5:22. By removing v. 22 from its very specific context, we abstract the language from its tightly reasoned moorings and create a much more general, vague concept.
Moreover, did Jesus “avoid every appearance of evil”? I think not! One of His constant criticisms at the hands of religious people was that He spent time with “defiling people” like tax gatherers, swindlers, irreligious people (“sinners”), and probably even prostitutes. By their standards, He seemed regularly to have the appearance of evil. But perhaps this is the accusation we must bear along with Jesus, rather than inappropriately withdrawing from the sin-scarred people in our lives. Perhaps this is also part of the rebuke many receive at the hands of those who don’t read 1 Thessalonians 5:22 in context. My advice? Topple this faulty moral pillar!
Comments
Andy Draycott May. 13, 2011 at 11:50 AM
Thanks, Walt. You reminded me of Walter Moberly's treatment of Paul in his 'Prophecy and Discernment' where he explores the ethical parameters of assessments of prophecy in several OT settings, in John as well as Paul from the NT, concluding with a chapter relating to today. If true or false prophecy requires discernment so too do claims about good or evil living - that is, appearance (of either good or evil) is not self-evidently self-authenticating to punctual observation. Freedom from judgmentalism is here in this exhortation to discernment.
Rodd Umlauf May. 14, 2011 at 11:43 AM
This was a great article and a must in consideration for those who have a separatist mentality as if the world is going to corrupt us, therefore we must disassosiate with the ungodly.
In the Old Covenant the community of God had to separate itself from the pagans because they did not have the spiritual power to resist the contaminating forces of evil. But now, when Jesus touches the unclean, He is not contaminated but He purifies the unclean. Instead of becoming unclean by touching the lepers and the dead, His touch cleanses and brings healing. We, who now have the same Spirit that Christ has, can now touch sinners and make them clean with the Gospel. We are called to be salt and light, actively engage the culture of death, and bring life to it through the New Covenant's spiritual power which is far superior to the Old.
But, a firm and strong faith, and the full armor of God must equip the believer who is called touch the sinner and remain clean.
Ken Way May. 16, 2011 at 7:21 PM
Great word, Walt! Thanks for cutting through the common "Christianese" and getting back to the text!
Eric Twisselmann May. 17, 2011 at 4:35 PM
This is my first visit to this blog, and what a liberating bit of exegesis to stumble across! I can't tell you how often I heard this verse quoted to me in my childhood—usually to impose a feeling of guilt and shame for doing something that a more "mature" (i.e., legalistic) Christian simply didn't think I should be doing.
Thank you, Walt!
Chris Lankford May. 17, 2011 at 9:09 PM
Thanks for a great reminder of how important the context of a passage is in our understanding of specific guidelines like this one. Have always appreciated your dedication to holy living and good hermeneutics. Both shine here...
Jim Laney May. 23, 2011 at 3:06 AM
I pray that people will only use this freedom to serve God, not as an excuse for the behavior that has been pricking their conscience.
We seem so prone to misusing our freedoms, don't we? Perhaps that is also one reason people felt the need for the dictim; "Avoid the appearance of evil".
Toni Allen May. 28, 2011 at 1:45 PM
Thank you so much Professor Russell, for your consistent and helpful exposition of difficult passages of scripture. Please blog more often!!
E. Werner Reschke Jun. 23, 2011 at 1:21 AM
Mr. Russell,
Thanks for a great example to the axiom, "Never read a bible verse" (Greg Koukl's way of putting it). This is a fantastic example of how God's Word must be taken seriously,... it's not just a bunch of “do's and don'ts”.
Thank you for following the hermeneutical principle of context, context, context. It reminds me of language and how it can not be separated from its culture. This is why we need biblical scholars who understand Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic in order to understand the true meaning of scripture. There are some things that English (and other modern languages) just fail to translate in a straightforward manner.
I look forward to your next commentary/exegesis.
God's speed,
-Werner
April Aug. 18, 2011 at 7:24 AM
"Thank you for following the hermeneutical principle of context, context, context. It reminds me of language and how it can not be separated from its culture. This is why we need biblical scholars who understand Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic in order to understand the true meaning of scripture. There are some things that English (and other modern languages) just fail to translate in a straightforward manner. "
We need to depend on the Holy Spirit and his wisdom. Which is why we do not need biblical scholars and should realize that all languages are basically the same. For God made languages and will not set us up for failure, neither will he have us to depend on languages or culture to understand his word. We have the Holy Spirit to help teach and guide us,
and give us understanding and wisdom.
People should not read verses without consulting the Holy Spirit first. Once people go to him alone for wisdom and understanding of verses and passages, then he will give them the ability to understand with no need of scholars and such. Paul was a Pharisee was a scholar. There's a reason why he counted his knowledge as dung, besides anything that denies Christ.
The Christians of Paul's day had the languages and culture spoken of, yet they had to be corrected. Jesus' disciples were corrected numerous times by him, including for not understanding. Not to mention the people of the Old Testament days and their foolishness. Dependence on carnal things like languages, cultures and humans achieves nothing. Plus, doing so is what causes people to believe things that aren't true or to lack faith in God.