Do
not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
We need to be careful who we
associate with. Again, I do not mean that we should never be around anyone who
ever does anything wrong, but we need to limit our time around those who do not
pursue godliness. The people we are around will influence us to be like them,
and it is far more likely for the “bad” to influence the “good” than the other
way around. We also need to be careful that this does not lead us into
judgment. Some may take this as license to put others down or reject them
because they don’t live up to certain standards. First, we must judge people
based on God’s word, not on our own standards. Second, we must not judge those
who are not saved. We cannot expect those who do not believe in Jesus to live
like Jesus. That being said, unbelievers should not be our best friends, for
this reason. The Bible says elsewhere not to be unequally yoked. (2 Cor 6:14)
Sure we can be friends, otherwise we would have no way to introduce them to
God, but we need to be careful of how much we are influenced by them. Third, we should
not put people down saying they aren’t good enough, or that we are better. The
right kind of judging looks at their actions and compares them to the Bible.
The wrong kind looks at the person and compares them to self. We need to have
grace with others and accept that no one is perfect. We should rather look at
lifestyles and compare them to Christ. The people we should be closest to
should live like Christ. It should be evident to all that Christ is more
important to them than anything so that they live lives of godliness and
integrity. When the first part of the verse says not to be deceived, it is a
staunch warning. It is so easy to think that we can keep ourselves from being
influenced by others, or that what they do isn’t that bad (i.e. fools). But
that is deception. God knows our hearts and our natures. We become like those
we listen to, this includes what we
listen to (music, radio, tv, books etc.) If we want to be godly Christians,
then we need to have godly Christians as our greatest influence. We need to
listen to godly music and most importantly read the Bible regularly. We cannot
have God’s wisdom, guidance or influence if we are not spending time with Him,
in the same way that we cannot become super athletes if we eat junk food and
sit on the couch all day. It just doesn’t work. Ask God to help you in your
relationships, if you are committed to living in godliness, ask Him to surround
you with godly people. If you have friends that are not a good influence on
you, ask Him to help you in that situation. You can’t just say “I won’t be
friends anymore.” Ask Him for wisdom, grace and guidance. Above all, be the
kind of friend you want to have.
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