Blog Status
It is interesting how much I miss reading blogs and writing to my own blog. I have been really busy and have not been able to either post to my blog or read my favorite blogs.
Unfortunately for me, I’m not going to be able to return to reading or posting to my blog until, hopefully, the first part of next month.
I am drawing closer to a deadline in my personal life that is keeping me so busy. I am anxiously looking forward to getting back to a normal pace and resuming reading my favorite blogs and posting to my own blog.
Be blessed!
Image: Mike Baird Photostream
No Arms and No Legs
Appearance of Evil – OOPS
In October of 2009, I posted an article titled Appearance of Evil. For a variety of reasons, I have taken another look at this subject. I was wrong in my understanding and I would like to make a correction here.
This mistake is the very reason why it is critical that we look at scripture in context of the text and understand the word usage. This can be accomplished by the many available resources such as Bible dictionaries. I made the same mistake by taking a scripture and not reading it in context.
The King James Version translates 1 Thessalonians 5:22 as “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Most other English word for word translations such as ESV, NASB, ASV, RV, MRC, LITV, ALT, EMTV as well as the Amplified Bible, translate the word “appearance” as “form.”
The Greek word that is translated as “appearance” is “eídos.” This Greek word, though a very common Greek word, is only used six times in the New Testament (Luke 3:22, 9:29, John 5:37, 20:8, 2 Corinthians 5:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:22).
Like most people when quoting this verse, I revert to the KJV “abstain from all appearance of evil” even though my Bible of choice is either the NASB or the ESV. I never really paid attention to the difference in the translation of this verse. In any language including English, the most used meaning of a word does not mean that it must always be used. The context determines the which meaning is used. Greek is no different.
