Bad company corrupts good character
1 Corinthians 15:33 - Who we choose to associate with can have negative consequences for eternity.
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“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.””
1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV
This verse from the first letter of Paul to the church in Corinth is a bit unusual… Just about all quotes used in the New Testament have their roots in Scripture or in the sayings of Jesus, but here Paul is using another source.
The phrase “Bad company corrupts good character” comes from the Greek poet Menander, who lived in the period between 341 and 290 BC. It’s thought that this was a popular saying from Menander’s play Thais, and that it isn’t an original saying! It is believed that Menander “borrowed” the line from the earlier Athenian playwright Euripides (480 - 406 BC). As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “there is nothing new under the sun.”
Regardless of the source of the saying, it is quite true and that’s the point that Paul is trying to make. Paul was trying to correct the misconception of the Corinthian Christians that Jesus had not been resurrected, his primary goal in writing 1 Corinthians 15.
As true as the saying was in the early days of the church, it still rings true in our time. How many of you had the same experience as I did growing up, when my parents told me not to hang out with certain kids because they were “bad company”. More often than not, they were entirely correct in their advice as those kids were more apt to be the ones who dropped out of school, ended up in jail, or became addicted to something that ruined their life.
Getting back to Paul’s epistle, where did the members of the church get their incorrect ideas about the resurrection (or lack thereof)? It was probably from their associations with the pagan Greeks who believed more in obscure philosophy than in the idea of resurrection. This attitude was quite common, especially among the Athenian Greeks. In Acts 17:32, we see what happens when Paul preached the Gospel to a group in Athens: “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.””
The other skeptics may have been or known Jews who did not believe in the resurrection (Sadducees, for example). Whether the newly-hatched Christians were associating with Greek pagans or Sadducees isn’t relevant; they were being affected by those friendships to the point that the core belief in resurrection was being corrupted. Paul knew that they could also be swayed through these associations to change their thinking in many other ways.
By keeping bad company, the Corinthians were also afflicted with a number of other moral problems that Paul writes about in this epistle: immoral behavior, pride, selfishness, envy, a lack of reverence, greed, envy, and a tendency to create divisions in the church.
In Romans 12:2, Paul writes of the solution to all of these problems:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Who we choose to associate with can have negative consequences for eternity. Renewing our minds through thoughtful and continued study of God’s Word gives us the discernment to escape the snares of outside influences.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
God, I know that You wish for Your people to be light in this world, bringing the teachings of Your Son Jesus Christ to life through our interactions with others. Sadly, outside influences can sway our thoughts and beliefs if we do not remain vigilant. I ask for Your grace to be poured out upon me as I traverse the web of media influences, relationships, and conversations that surrounds me. I ask for the Holy Spirit to give me discernment to recognize messages that could lead my heart in the wrong direction, and seek Your teaching to speak Your truth in every situation. AMEN.