1 Cor 15:33 “Do not be deceived~~: Bad company corrupts good morals.”
It is so easy to be deceived into believing what is not true or thinking something is harmless when it is dangerous. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul had already warned the Corinthians twice about being deceived…
(1) by the wisdom of this world, which makes a person think he knows better than God about how to live and think (3:18)
(2) by thinking that how we live is irrelevant to God (6:9–-10). It seems apparent that the Corinthians were being deceived, and the command was to “stop being deceived,” or “seduced and led astray.”
Continuous “bad company,” or “bad associations,” tends to cause “good morals” or “positive habits and customs” to become “corrupt” or “perverse, depraved, or morally ruined.” Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 15 to refute the false notion that there was no resurrection, and he ended with this command to stop being deceived by the lies of those who contradicted the Scripture.
If there is no resurrection, then life is hopeless, purposeless, and meaningless. The only thing that matters is the moment, and the only pleasure is sensual, esthetic, or prideful gratification. Paul quoted Isaiah 22:13: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” which was a widespread slogan of his day (and all time).
By eliminating the hope of resurrection with a living God, there is little reason to avoid a life of selfish, corrupt pleasure seeking. The only basis for morality in a secular, naturalistic world is for the sake of societal conveniences, legal license, and relativistic values. In such a world, individuals are left to their intuition and inclinations for self–gratification within these limits, resulting in a society that lives for whatever they can get away with.
Even believers will eventually be corrupted if they spend most of their time with folks who believe there is no afterlife, no resurrection, and no personal judgment.
Our primary friends (by choice) must be Bible followers who seek to practice the commands and follow the teachings of God’s word while living in anticipation of seeing Jesus face to face the moment they pass from this earthly life. What are you doing to cultivate godly friends?
“Lord, my heart yearns to walk in Your ways and to have Your attitudes at all times. Please give me friends that know and practice Your word.”