Avoiding “The Appearance Of Evil”

Biblegems #296

Image: Natural Law by Jeff ArrowoodHaiku Deck‪1024 × 768‪Search by image Do Good, Avoid Evil

Question: What is meant in the Bible by the instruction to “avoid even the appearance of evil?”

The question refers to 1 Thessalonians 5:22, from the King James Version: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

        

It’s a good question, because living that out in the real world would seem to require either an impossible effort at “people pleasing,” or else the undesirable prospect of living in perpetual fear of doing the least little thing wrong. The first grants permission for every person to act as our judge, and the second turns us into Pharisees!

To avoid either unpleasant option, the way the verse is typically approached is to treat it more like a proverb than a specific instruction.  Understood this way, “avoid even the appearance of evil” becomes a general admonition similar to “be above reproach” (1Tim. 3:2), or “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers” (Ps. 1:1).

While such an interpretation will not steer a person wrong, it does miss the very specific instruction the apostle Paul intended. So what’s the answer?

The answer lies in the translation of the word Greek word “eidous,” and in the context of the passage.

The word “eidous” in English means “form,” or “kind,” and can be used either literally (i.e., “shape,” “form” or  “kind”) or figuratively (i.e., “appearance,” or “impression”).

Even the English words can have either a literal or figurative meaning, depending on the context. We can say, for example, “Joe Schmo suddenly appeared,” or “everyone at the party appeared to enjoy themselves.” The first is literal—Joe came into view; the second is figurative: “appeared” means, “gave the impression.” If in the King James Version “appearance” is intended to be understood literally rather than figuratively, the meaning is to “abstain from every kind of evil.” That’s quite a bit different than abstaining from everything that might look like evil—which is how we usually treat the verse!

So what does the context tell us?

The beginning of the paragraph, 1 Thessalonians 5:19, instructs us not to “quench the Spirit.” Then verses 20-22 give specific bullet points on how to avoid quenching the Spirit:

• “Do not treat prophecies with contempt” (20)

• “Test them all” (21a)

• “Hold on to what is good” (21b)

• “Abstain from every kind (eidous) of evil” (22)

Clearly, edous indicates that evil (literally) is to be avoided. In fact, “avoided” is too mild a term. The Greek word is in the imperative form and means “get far away from”! The NIV (2011) accurately translates it this way: “reject every kind of evil.”

Pass this on, and save a lot of people the anguish of tortured explanations the next time someone asks, “What does it mean to avoid the appearance of evil”? Because what the text actually says and means is “Get far away from every kind of evil!”   

Has The Bible Been Tampered With?

Biblegems #295

Question: Jeremiah 8:8 says that the scribes who copied God’s Word sometimes falsified it. If this is true, how can the Bible be trusted at all if it can’t be trusted in part?

Here’s the text:

         Jer. 8:8  How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

To understand this verse, two questions need to be addressed: (1) Who were these “scribes;” and (2) what is meant by the phrase, “the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely”?

The Scribes

The scribes of the Bible were typically chosen from the tribe of Levi.

         2Chr. 34:12b-13  …The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments—had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and gatekeepers.

Their task was to study, teach, and explain the meaning and application of “the Law of the Lord” —meaning the first five books of the Bible, plus all of the commands, teachings, rules and regulations found elsewhere in God’s Word. They were Bible scholars, the Bible experts who advised how to apply God’s “law” to everyday life. Ezra is a classic example of a good and godly scribe.

Another responsibility of the scribe was to provide accurate copies of God’s Word. In that capacity, they were the equivalent of today’s copy machines. They worked in teams, copying biblical text onto a new surface, such as vellum or papyri, checking and correcting each other’s work. This highly respected and trusted role in the community continued on into New Testament times and beyond.

The “Lying Pen”

God accused certain specific scribes of misinterpreting the law of the Lord in such a way that would make some unacceptable, sinful behaviors appear to be acceptable to God. God did not condemn the scribes as a whole, but specifically those who abused their responsibilities.

Were these irresponsible scribes actually changing the text of Scripture as they copied the old to new? Not likely. For one thing, others carefully edited each scribe’s work in order to ensure against copying errors—intentional or otherwise. Several sets of eyes helped to insure the incredible accuracy of the Scriptures.

“The lying pen” refers to the written interpretations of the Scriptures the scribes compiled to suit their own opinions. In the Gospel of Matthew (20:41-44), for example, Jesus challenges the teaching of the scribes on Psalm 101:1 as a misinterpretation. He then warns His disciples:

         Matt. 20:45-47a  “Beware of the teachers of the law [i.e., “scribes”]. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.”

If anything, Jeremiah 8:8 proves how trustworthy the Bible is, for God does not ignore those who seek to abuse it, change it, or misrepresent it. As Jesus concluded in Matthew 20:47b, “These men will be punished most severely.”