1 Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)

Passage

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 5:20 Despise not prophesyings.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

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

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "abstain", "appearance", and "evil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "abstain" and "appearance", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Prove all things hold fast that which..." into verse 23's "And the very God of peace sanctify...", so "abstain" and "appearance" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "abstain" and "appearance" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.