Recently, a group of pastor friends of mine had a discussion about the “Appearance of evil” that is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
This is one of the most misinterpreted and abused scriptures in the Bible. First of all the King James Version of “The Appearance of Evil” is a terrible translation of the true meaning of the text. In many other translations of the original language the text reads “Avoid every form of evil”.
When the word “Appearance” is allowed in the text, it leaves open a door of interpretation that is purely subjective. If you think or believe something is evil then it is evil just because it appears evil to you.
At the beginning of this year a Christian friend came to visit me from New York. I allowed her to stay in my 3,000 square foot four bedroom home, in which I lived alone, as a guest. Now of course, both of us love the Lord and desire to honor Him as the first priority in our life, but we also understand that He sees what really happens in our heart and judges us righteously always.
Several of my close Christian friends wrote email messages informing me that they highly disapproved of me allowing a single woman to visit me in my home because it “just looked really bad”. They then informed me that they could no longer fellowship with me in my church because of my decision to allow this woman to be a guest in my home.
What was simply an act of Christian hospitality and friendship became in the minds of those who viewed it, an evil ungodly act of two Christian people. Even our unsaved friends did not believe that anything evil was happening when we explained that we were not going to dishonor the Lord in any way. Why is it that fellow believers are so judgmental and unloving to each other yet the unsaved have faith and trust in the determination of committed Christians?
David Padfield writes in his own article on the appearance of evil: “Maybe by now you can see the problem. It is hard to imagine anything that doesn’t “appear” evil to someone! Worshipping God on the first day of the week “appears” to be evil to the Seventh Day Adventists. Referring to Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Messiah “appears” to be evil to the Jews. Our disregard for the “Pope” appears to be evil to Catholics. Saluting the flag “appears” to be evil to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Preaching on the consequences of adultery “appears” to be evil to several “heretic finders” in the brotherhood.”
My group of Senior pastor friends rightly observed that a young man exiting the home of his finance’s parents of whom he has been living, “appears to be doing evil” to those who see him enter and exit the home. A man exiting a pornographic bookstore who has been witnessing the owner of the bookstore “appears to be doing evil”. The list of suppose evil that appears to be occurring is endless when the interpretation of evil is left up to the subjective view of fallen human beings.
I have been a Christian, pastor and Bible teacher for more than 35 years, yet two years ago my two closest and dearest friends no longer desired to be my friend because they “believed” that I was appearing to be doing something unbiblical in their minds, even though there was absolutely no proof that anything unbiblical had occurred. I later understood that these two supposed friends were never really friends at all, for if they had been true friends they would have always believed the best and waited to see the outcome before they determined evil had occurred.
These two then spread their entire belief in the appearance of evil, all over the small town in which I live and destroyed my reputation as a man of God, all for a supposed belief in something that never happened.
Perhaps it is because we are living in the last days that Jesus spoke of, in which the hearts of men will grow cold, and that even what is Holy will be imagined to be unholy by those whose minds are themselves clouded with impure thoughts.
John wrote in the Book of Revelation that to the Pure all things are pure but to those whose minds are defiled, all things are unholy and corrupted.
The idea that something or someone is committing evil because it “looks like evil” to them is not only unbiblical but is also not pictured or taught anywhere in the New Testament by Jesus, Paul or any other writer of the New Testament Scriptures.
The text of Philippians chapter 4 and 1 Corinthians chapter 13 reveal what the true thought and intent of the Christian towards each other should be. A believer in Jesus Christ should first determine that other believers themselves desire to honor and please the Lord in all their behavior and should be given the benefit of any doubt. We must avoid the judgment of the appearance of evil and believe the best about each other even when accusations are brought to us by those who claim to follow Jesus.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
1 Corinthians 13:6-7 Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
It is the lowest level of Christian maturity and the height of Biblical legalism to suppose, imagine or speak that one believes evil is occurring just because of outward appearance. Let us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ refrain from judging by outward appearance, but instead believe the best, and pray for the rest, committing all things to the Lord who will judge the truth of everything when He comes.
John 7:24 Jesus said: Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
2Corinthians 10:7 Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?
