God is good. He does not need to give a detailed list of things to avoid. He tells us what evil is and what good is. In Genesis 2 God gave Adam instructions for living in the Garden of Eden. He was not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam chose to disobey God. He ate of the fruit of that tree. Some people say that was an apple tree.
Apple computers have a symbol of an apple with a bite out of it on the cover of its computers and other items. It is interesting since the founder of Apple was not a Bible believer. He was a Buddhist. I suppose he used the symbol of a partly eaten apple to mock God. He knows better since his death. Sadly it is too late for him.
God’s children do not live by a list of do’s and don’ts. We live by faith. We have been changed from the inside and that change needs to be reflected in our actions. It is impossible to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ if we want to identify with evil.
The evil spoken of here is that which is wrong and sinful. It covers a broad spectrum of things that Christians cannot be involved in. The Holy Spirit indwells the true child of God and He shows God’s child how to enjoy His blessings. We know that every Christian will commit evil at times. That cannot be the norm for the true child of God. It is something that must be confessed as sin and forsaken.
We are commanded here to abstain. To abstain means “to hold oneself off or refrain". The Christian life is a life of discipline. It is not self-discipline. That would lead to sin. It is discipline under God’s direction. The born again Christian has a new heart and nature. He is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reminds the saint of the truth. The more the child of God memorizes God’s Word, the closer he or she will walk with the Lord. As we memorize God’s Word, we have a compass and a guide to keep us from falling.
Notice here that we are to abstain from all “appearance” of evil. There are no grey areas in the Bible. God’s Word is black and white. We can know what is evil and we can know what is good. God shows us that it is evil to disobey Him. The consequences of Adam’s disobedience were catastrophic.
We know as well that Cain’s disobedience to God was disastrous. Cain had an evil heart and thus he did not want to bring an acceptable sacrifice to God. He wanted to modify God’s holiness. God said no. Cain chose to add to his sin and he murdered his brother. He dug his hole deeper. He then lied to God and then accused God of being unjust. Cain was definitely evil.
Noah lived in a time of great evil. The wickedness was so great that God told Noah to prepare for the destruction of all living things. Noah obeyed God and he and his family were spared. After the flood, God warned Noah and his family that the imaginations of man’s heart from his youth are evil.
God knows this but He does not accept evil. God provided the way to deal properly with evil. God sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross, shedding His blood to provide the only way to deal with evil. The heart of man must be changed in order to abstain from all appearance of evil.
Man cannot change his own heart. His heart is wicked. Only God can change that wicked heart. The only way that God can change that wicked heart is through the New birth. God has limited Himself to that way.
We live in a time when evil has been redefined by most religious groups. We now teach that professing Christians may be crippled by sin for the rest of their lives. Paul stated:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Paul was not led to lie when he wrote that. God told him to write that. It is a true statement. Any time a Christian sins, he defies God’s law. He tries to bring down the righteousness of Christ. That is the law of the born again Christian. It is not law keeping. It is living under the righteousness of Christ. Jesus Christ never sinned. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. The born again Christian can please God. He can abstain from all appearance of evil. Thus it is not just not consuming alcoholic beverages, but it also not purchasing them. It is not giving the impression that there is any agreement with those who want to consume this poison. It also means we need to refine our language to avoid the many slang words that were designed to disguise the more crude curse words of the world. A good dictionary will help you to know what those slang words are. The born again Christian needs to remove them from his vocabulary. It also refers to the increasing immodesty in clothing. Suggestive clothing is not acceptable to God. Christians are not trying to seduce others with their clothing. They want to glorify God.
The born again Christian is constantly examining his words and his actions. As Paul stated:

II Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.