1 Thessalonians 5:22
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul tells them to keep away from every kind of evil.
What Does 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Mean?
Paul completes the thought: having held fast to what is good, 'abstain from all appearance of evil.' Where the good is to be gripped tightly, evil is to be avoided in every form it takes. The believer is to keep clear of evil wherever it shows itself, holding nothing of it.
This is the natural other half of holding fast to the good. A heart that clings to what is good will pull away from what is evil, and Paul asks for that withdrawal to be thorough, from 'all' appearance or kind of it. There is a wholeness to the Christian life here: embrace the good with both hands, and let go of evil entirely. Such carefulness is not anxious scrupulosity but the simple instinct of those who love what is good and therefore shun its opposite. Paul wants his people to be people of clean lives, examining what they encounter, holding the good fast, and keeping themselves free from evil in every shape it might take. This is how the children of light walk.