Bad Company Will Corrupt You, Part 1

June, 2002

by: Jack Hughes

• Spiritual Growth

In I Cor. 15:33, Paul gives a warning and says, “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals.” Who we spend our time with is a subject that comes up frequently in the ministry. Sometimes a person wants to date or marry an unbeliever. Other times a Christian wants to have friends who don't know the Lord. Others have questions about having business partners who don't know Christ. What does Paul mean when he says, bad company corrupts good morals? How are we to apply this text? What does the Bible say about you and your relationships with unbelievers? These are important questions, questions that need to be answered in order to obey God, and save ourselves much grief.

The context of I Corinthians 15 is the resurrection. Paul spends the entire chapter addressing issues related to the resurrection. He discusses the importance of the resurrection, the ramifications of not believing in the resurrection, the order of the resurrection, the nature of resurrected bodies, and the resurrection as it relates to the rapture. Yet in the middle of this chapter in vss. 33-34 Paul writes something that seems at first glance out of place when he says:

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Become soberminded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Why does Paul insert these two verses in the middle of a chapter speaking on the resurrection? It is to reveal the source of the problems about the resurrection and that source was bad company. They were most likely hanging around those who were influenced by Greek thought and believed there was no resurrection. The consequences of such a view are staggering. If there is no resurrection then there is no judgment after death, no accounting before God, and no consequences for sins committed in this life. The Greeks would be those who subscribed to the beer commercial theology, “Grab for all the gusto you can for you only go around once in life.”

False doctrine always produces wicked behavior and in this case denying the resurrection freed up their consciences to sin without any future thought of judgment or accountability to God. The source of their false views of the resurrection came from those that Paul described in two different ways, bad company or those who have no knowledge of God. This tells us that, “Those who are bad company are those who have no knowledge of God,” or put the other way, “Those who have no knowledge of God are bad company.”

We must remember that the Scriptures tell us that all unbelievers are of their father the Devil. They are spiritually dead, and do the deeds of Satan (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:1-3). Unbelievers live in darkness, are blinded from the truth, and have no ability to either understand God's Word or give God glory (Rom. 8:5-9; I Cor. 2:14). This is why they make bad company.

Usually, when you talk to someone about their relationships with bad company or those who have no knowledge of God, they are quick to run to one of two different texts to justify their behavior. First, they would point out that, “Jesus ate with tax–gatherers and sinners.” Their reasoning is simple, “because Jesus did these things then we can too.” It is true that the Scriptures teach that Jesus ate with tax–gatherers and sinners (Mt. 9:11; 11:19; Mk. 2:16; Lk. 5:30; 7:34; 15:2). Yet, he did so in order to preach the gospel to them, not to participate in their evil deeds of darkness. When the Pharisees asked why Jesus ate with godless sinners, Jesus said in Lk. 5:31-32 “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus' answer was simple and to the point. I eat with sinners because I am wanting to share the gospel with them and call them to repentance. This is a far cry from hanging around with unbelievers to enjoy their sinful or worldly life style. Jesus hated sin and he hated worldliness. He put up with the sinfulness of men in order to call sinners to repentance.

Secondly, people try to excuse their relationships with bad company by overstating the principle. You might hear them say, “Well, what am I to do, hide in my house all day and not come out?” This is a common and erroneous way to discount the truth. You take a valid principle and push it to its extreme, show how ridiculous the extreme is, and then discount the valid principle by association. Paul addresses this very issue earlier on in the book, in I Cor. 5. There was a man who was living a sexually immoral life style and the Corinthians were boasting about their tolerance of his wicked life style. They thought they were “loving” him by not “judging” him.

So Paul explains in I Cor. 5 that the church is not to allow anyone living in any unrepentant sin to fellowship with the saints. He illustrates the folly of allowing unrepentant professing believers to remain in the church by quoting a popular proverb, “a little leaven, leavens the whole lump.” His point is bad company corrupts good morals. Paul said in vss. 9-13:

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so–called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?

Paul does say in vs. 10, “I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with covetous and swindlers, or idolators, for then you would have to go out of the world.” Some want to take this verse out of context and say, “See, you can have close relationships with godless sinners.” But Paul's statement has to be taken in its context. He is saying because we live in the world we cannot take ourselves out of the world, but we can take those who are worldly out of the church. Sure we will talk to, work with, do business with, and have contact with unbelievers, but in this context Paul is talking about separation from sinners within the context of the church not the context of the world. We live in the world and in the process of living in the world will have contact with godless people. We can even cultivate relationships with the godless for the purpose of calling sinners to repentance and evangelizing them, but never to enjoy their sin or sinful life style. Paul said this to the Ephesians in Eph. 5:3-8:

But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.

Paul addressed the same issue in II Cor. 6:14-17 when he says:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.”

Paul's teaching about this issue is clear. In I Cor. 15:33-34 he even gives a three fold solution to the problem: 1) He says, “Do not be deceived.” The word translated deceived means to be lured away from the truth. He is saying quit being deceived, deluded, or tricked into having relationships with unbelievers. 2) He says “become sober minded.” The word means to awake from a drunken fit or state of intoxication. Paul's point is that we must sober up and quit lying to ourselves about the dangers of spending time with godless people. We must force ourselves to think clearly. 3) He says stop sinning. The solution is to keep yourself from being deceived, to become sober minded, and finally put an end to any close relationships you have with the ungodly.

Do you have relationships with bad company? Do you have close relationships with those who have no knowledge of God? Listen to what the Word of God is telling you. Don't be deceived; bad company does corrupt good morals. Be sober minded and stop sinning.

(Next Review we will examine other Scriptures related to our relationships with unbelievers. For a copy of a sermon by Jack Hughes preached at the Master's College on this subject contact the church office and ask for the tape “Do Not Be Deceived”).