Giving the Appearance of Evil or Just Being Misjudged?

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV

A misunderstanding of this verse has crippled the success of many missionaries. A young student loses his parents, and his teacher is afraid to put her arm around his shoulder and comfort him for fear she might be accused of evil. A pastor is having studies with a bar tender in his home and needs to swing by the bar to pick up the umbrella he left at the bar tender’s home. What will people think if they see him walk into a bar? Is that giving the appearance of evil? No! It is just giving the appearance of walking into a bar!

My purpose here is not to lessen the accountability of gospel workers. My point is to help us, as missionaries, to be healthy and balanced. Yes we must be careful not to put ourselves in compromising positions, but at the same time we must realize, there are some unbalanced people out there who will misconstrue and misrepresent just about everything, and we can’t allow them to cripple our ministry. It reminds me of when, after 9-11, President George Bush told his fellow citizens to go on with their daily lives, regardless of terrorist threats, otherwise the terrorists win. Likewise, if Satan can cripple our ministry by making us over-analyze and stretch our imagination to see how each action and motive can be misconstrued into something evil, then Satan wins.

The truly converted soul is illuminated from on high, and Christ is in that soul “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” His words, his motives, his actions, may be misinterpreted and falsified; but he does not mind it because he has greater interests at stake. –Ellen White, Testimonies, Vol. 5, Page 569

There is a line between giving “the appearance of evil” and someone else judging us.

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Just because someone else judges us does not automatically mean we have given the appearance of evil. And by the way, just because someone claims to have the gift of discerning spirits does not mean they really have that gift. They may just have the gift of judging and causing dissension. Jesus’ own disciples were surprised when they saw Him talking to a woman at the well. The Pharisees judged Jesus for hanging out with prostitutes and publicans, but He never gave “the appearance of evil”! They were judging.

I have seen other gospel workers’ ministries become totally paralyzed by their understanding of what Paul said about not appearing evil. The NLT version of Paul’s earlier quote simply says,

Stay away from every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 NLT

A teacher can put her arms around a hurting child and still stay far from evil. A pastor can walk into a bar without it appearing to be evil, so long as he does not walk like he is drunk or make jokes about drinking. Joking about drinking or actually insinuating you are doing something evil is when you give the appearance of evil. Just because something can be misconstrued by someone with a dirty mind does not mean it is giving the appearance of evil. It simply means someone has a dirty mind.

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Titus 1:15 NLT

Satan will use unhealthy, unstable people to misconstrue and misjudge our every move. We cannot let God’s work be paralyzed by people with wild and dirty imaginations. The key, I believe, is to have a healthy understanding of where the line is between giving the appearance of actual evil, and someone else just judging according to their unhealthy imagination. We can’t let unhealthy imaginations dictate our mission. It’s a matter of healthy boundaries – knowing where our responsibility ends and others’ responsibility begins.

Joseph had his motives and actions misjudged and misconstrued but in the end Pharaoh himself said,

“Can we find anyone else like this man [Joseph] so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” Genesis 41:38 NLT

Obviously the prior accusations against Joseph did not mean anything to Pharaoh. He could see right through the false accusations and see that Joseph’s mission was filled with the spirit of God. So long as our mission is filled with the Spirit of God, balanced healthy people will see through any false insinuations, and God will make our mission successful just like He did for Joseph.

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Giving the Appearance of Evil or Just Being Misjudged? — 16 Comments

Sabina [Full Name Please ] on August 7, 2015 at 2:59 pm said:

I was in the midst of heated online exchange about being taken advantage of when I started reading this. It blessed me immensely, and confirmed that some decisions I have recently made were indeed in accordance to God's leading. Please pray for and with me that these situations I am involved with supporting are not attacked and destroyed by the enemy. Pray that God will be glorified and His greater interest that are stake will indeed be fully served, through the generations. Pray with and for me that these missions are filled with the Holy Spirit, so that God will make these missions I am involved with presently very successful just like He did for Joseph. In Jesus' Mighty Name I pray, Amen.

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Mwanga T James on August 7, 2015 at 10:45 pm said:

praise God, indeed in todays world we are alwayz misjudged, your seen toking to agirl they misjudge you, your seen talking to adrunkard you are. now should we stop associating with those fellow peaple? the ansa is No coz we see God standing with awoman on the side his misjudged that his associating with prosititutes but he doesnt care. he continues with the Good news for her. en so we are lets minister however much we are misjudged.Amen.

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Patrick Mpesi on August 8, 2015 at 1:27 am said:

There is a concept of a christian either being sin conscious or God conscious. Either of them is very important but I think we better be more of God conscious than sin conscious. A sin conscious person always looks at things in terms of sin. He cannot talk to an opposite sex for fear of sinning, cannot give a ride to the opposite sex because they might sin or be seen to engage in sin etc etc. This has really crippled the work of God and it is one of the weapons of the devil. It has an appearance of good but indeed it is one of the devil's devices.
Joseph was more of God conscious than sin conscious that's why he was able to work in a room where his Master's wife was and was all alone with her. He knew the God He was serving and knew that His eye was upon him. If he was more of sin conscious he would not even dare to do his household duties in the absence of his Master and everyone else. Being God conscious, when sin showed its dirty head, Joseph declared "how... can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?".
I therefore encourage the gospel workers to be more of God conscious than sin conscious. We should think MORE of what God will think of our actions than what people will think of our actions. Of course, let's not deliberately step into the devil's ground BUT let's not also withhold a good deed for fear of the devil..let's not allow the devil to win. As brother William has said it well, let's be 'a healthy and balanced' Christians.

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John H Nichols on August 8, 2015 at 6:30 am said:

ALL ways enjoy your blogs William ,its true we need to be careful not to judge. I cant count the times I have been wrong in my thoughts about others. I've learn all your enemies' are not your enemy, and all your so call friends are not your friends. But their is a friend that's closer than a brother I call him savior I call him Jesus.

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Bensheh Morgan on August 8, 2015 at 12:51 pm said:

So I've been thinking about this article a great deal and would like to share some thoughts. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the articles basic premise is "if you have no intention of doing evil then go wherever you please regardless of what people think". Now I do agree that our actions shouldn't be dictated by the opinions of others. But, I believe there's more to consider when it comes to avoiding the appearance of evil than just the possibility of being misjudged. Take for instance Paul's counsel against eating food offered to idols in 1 Corinthians 8. The Idol is nothing, so therefore eating food offered to it is not an act of worship toward something that doesn't exist in the first place. The stronger brother who has knowledge understands this and has no problem eating the food. But the weaker brother, presumably a gentile convert does not, and following the stronger brothers example he may do something he'll later regret, or worse fall back into idolatrous habits. Consideration for the weaknesses of others should factor into our avoidance of the appearance of evil. Some of us may be strong enough to retrieve a lost umbrella from a bar, boasting of our liberty and not caring what anyone thinks. But the recovering alcoholic may not. He may have the most innocent reason for going in there, and may reason that his pastor went in there and came out unscathed. But several drinks later may convince him otherwise, or he remonstrate himself for even going inside in the first place. Sure we who are stronger may believe we have the liberty to go where we want, or do what we want, that it's between us and God alone. "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak." 1 Corinthians 8:9. In our zeal to shun being misjudged we should be careful not to become judges ourselves. A brother or sister who is careful about where they go or how familiar they are with others may have more on their heart than fear of their actions being misjudged.

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- William Earnhardt on August 8, 2015 at 9:32 pm said:
  
  Thank you all for your comments, and thank you Bensheh, for letting me clarify. I think we are talking about two different things here. I said clearly in my post that we are accountable to each other. I said also that we need to have a healthy boundary of where my responsibility ends and another's begins. My point is not to do whatever you want even if it makes a brother stumble. While we should not make our brother stumble, we should also not allow ourselves to be held hostage by his threats and accusations which are unfounded. You are talking about making a brother stumble, and I am talking about a brother making accusations. Should I stop saying hello to women at church because my friend lusts after women? Did Jesus stop talking to the woman taken in adultery because other men lusted after her? While we need to be careful not to make our brother stumble we also cannot let the weakest brother or the most unhealthy and unstable sister set the protocol for our behavior, or determine where our boundaries are. If we do then we will have a very unhealthy and unstable church and society.
  
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Paul Blanke on August 8, 2015 at 5:35 pm said:

At risk of repeating myself, MOTIVE, is the question that must be answered. 1Cor 11:33. Are we really concerned about the affect that our actions have that might mislead someone, or cause them to stumble? Or are we more concerned about protecting our reputation? We live in a mistrusting, misjudging, backbiting, selfish society. One shouldn't go wading in a river full of crocodiles to cool off. There are limitless opportunities to do something to help save souls without putting your own at risk.

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Dianna Norwood on August 9, 2015 at 9:03 am said:

I am well aware that the appearance of evil can hinder you in your attempt to witness to a friend/ fellow coworker. You can find an accusing finger pointed your way quickly with no recourse, but to hang your head in shame. The Christian's daily choices are very important. Remember that you may never get the opportunity to justify your actions. Let us be careful that we do not cause someone else to stumble.
We have to be salt & light. We cannot blend into the world to the extent that we are no different. We have to be careful of the degree to which we make compromises. Salt that has lost its flavor is useless & must be thrown out. We have to make a difference. We must make a positive impact on the world. We have a great responsibility to be ambassadors for Christ so every word & deed must be carefully analyzed. We must ask, "What would Jesus do?" If Jesus would not do it or say it, then it must be wrong! I do live by this principle.

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- Dianna Norwood on August 9, 2015 at 9:40 am said:
  
  At times I still find myself the brunt of gossip of so-called Christians even though I have been obedient to God. It is at this time, that I realize that Satan, who is full of anger, is at work trying to hinder God's plans & destroy God's people. It is at this time that I stop & ask God what He would have me do to promote His work for His glory as it is not about me, but all about Him.
  
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  - Hurford Thomas on August 13, 2015 at 5:59 am said:
    
    Dianna, you are quite correct in identifying gossip and its drinking buddies, criticism, backbiting and evil speaking, as "the appearance of evil", which in fact are actually evil, but dressed in Church clothes have the cover of "appearance". Very good example of what the Apostle, in Holy Scriptures, meant by "abstain". We do this even with the Pastor's sermon at Sabbath meal. Even more interesting is the fact that we carry over the ugly human trait in describing Bible characters, including David, Jacob, Jonah, the Samaritan woman at the well, Mary Magdalene, etc, forgetting that God wiped away all their iniquities and covered them with righteousness.
    
    The method of God is so incredibly opposite of, and opposed to, bringing up someone's perceived faults and failures or someone's inadequacies or even lack of certain gifts (which is true of every human being). Gossip and criticism among Christians go along with injustices, inequities, prejudicial behaviors, unholy or questionable social and societal alignments, etc, as evidences of "appearance of evil". Paul is directing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that Church members completely distance themselves from what appears to be evil, because it just might in fact be evil.
    
    How we deal with gossip is the larger question. Jesus' Way: "Peace be still"; "Go to thy brother......"; to the gossipers? "Hang a rock around your neck and take a dive to the bottom of the sea". Paul: "Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations". Yes, we too are placed in temptation in how we respond to evil around us. It is in fact a great time to grow in grace and in the love of Jesus Christ. We don't even go to "Satan, full of anger", which God already described as expected "wrath". We "Count it all joy", in the name Jesus Christ (while we resist the Devil himself, in the name of Jesus Christ). Then we pray for our Father in Heaven to give us the wisdom, guidance and love to speak to the person or persons who gossip, sharing with them the pain they cause to a Sister in Christ. All the while, we keep on giving praise and thanks to God for deliverance. He does, for both. God bless all.
    
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- William Earnhardt on August 9, 2015 at 10:05 am said:
  
  True Dianna, but remember when asking what would Jesus do? That He often did things that caused Him to be judged and condemned by others.
  
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  - Dianna Norwood on August 9, 2015 at 11:23 am said:
    
    You are so right.
    Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman with a bad reputation at the well defying custom because this woman had a spiritual need only God could fill. She would also share her testimony with the other townspeople who would come out to see Jesus for themselves & believe. Jesus did not tell His own people openly at this time that He was the Messiah because it was early in His ministry & not the right time.
    Jesus ate with tax collectors which were viewed as the worst sinners while on a mission to establish a relationship so He could share the gospel. Jesus was laughed at & made fun of by the Jewish religious leaders while eating at the home of ,Simon, the leper. These Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus' rising popularity & were out to destroy him.
    Jesus was accused of blasphemy, working on the Sabbath,& healing on the Sabbath.
    Jesus allowed Mary, a former prostitute, to anoint His feet with oil to prepare for His burial because He loved her & had forgiven her sins.
    Jesus was condemned by Judas for allowing Mary's act of worship because of his own greed.
    Jesus' mission was to seek & to save the lost. He loved all of mankind. Jesus was careful to keep the 10 commandments, but he defied the traditions of men which were burdensome & kept the people from coming to God. He was the perfect sinless sacrifice who died in compliance with the Father's will.
    When we are absolutely sure that we are in God's will, we just have to stand strong in the faith despite character assassination which is sure to come.
    
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- Hurford Thomas on August 12, 2015 at 6:37 pm said:
  
  Dianna, beautiful statement about being authentic Christ-like Christians. No appearance of evil in following Jesus Christ. You are correct in citing compromises, etc., as the "appearance of evil".
  
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Hurford Thomas on August 12, 2015 at 6:19 pm said:

Dianna, Very well spoken.

Presenting the Gospel is not about entering safe places. Jesus Christ came where he would be rejected, scorned, mistreated, misjudged, maligned, plotted against, His works and Words distorted, and finally convicted in an unlawful, unjust, evil intentioned courtroom, then murdered - murdered though given an authentic official governmental judgment of "innocent". He would never do anything that appears to be evil, and was not concerned about being misjudged. He instructed us to expect to be hated like He was, and treated the way He was treated. So we enter the evil world of satanic lies, deceit, destruction, knowing that sometimes we may be blamed, accused, and convicted for those demonic lies, deceit and destruction; but we stretch our hands out on the cross, allow our feet to be nailed, crucified with Jesus Christ in the midst. Being misjudged has nothing to do with the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Paul strongly confronts that Christians must not play with the edges of evil, including injustices, inequities, dishonesty in our dealings, spending money in constructing images/toys for self-glorification while neglecting directives targeting the poor, widows, fatherless, sick and imprisoned. Christians must never compromise, not take God's name in vain, not distort in hypocrisy. All those are the appearance of evil. It is hardly to be expected that one who lives "the appearance of evil" will be the one who will enter the world of demonic dragon to rescue the sin sick, to snatch the expiring from the mouths of death, whether in bars, dark street corners or other pits of evil. May God truly bless those who have the courage of Jesus Christ to enter an evil world that will hate Him to the utmost, even convict Him on false testimony, then finally kill Him.

The Gospel is the power of grace unto salvation. It is clear, distinct, and has no resemblance to "darkness". "I AM crucified with Christ" is a standard that "lives" the Life of Jesus Christ on earth, and it in no way can be misjudged as looking like darkness, evil, demonic meanderings that present an assumed duplicate of Christ. Jesus is the Light, and Light dispels darkness. Light dispels evil and its appearances.

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Debra Brown on August 13, 2015 at 11:28 am said:

Remember sometimes you can get more help from a bar than a church. Just because someone is in a bar does not mean that they are not Christian. We are not to judge any one. No matter what their life is like. I get at fault sometime and do judge and I have to ask Jesus to for give me. Who know what the Lord gives them? Do not judge You Don't know what Storm I've asked her to walk through

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Hurford Thomas on August 14, 2015 at 12:14 am said:

Debra, I sense that you have a very strong message, probably growing out of what you have seen or experienced. I hope you will take time to develop your themes a little further; probably differentiating the varied points so I can wrap my mind around your concerns and message(s).
We may have similar or diverse agendas, which offers a great environment for growth and learning. So please.

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