Our Scripture for today is 1 Corinthians 15:33.
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought…”
I admit that the phrase “Come back to your senses” actually goes with the next verse but seems appropriate here also. The meaning of this verse for us is that we need to use good judgment about who we choose as friends because they will shape our character.
Many years ago, I discussed this with a teenage boy. I talked to him through a thick piece of glass. He was the son of a former member of the congregation where I ministered. We had glass between us because he was in jail awaiting a trial. He and three of his friends broke into a house in order to steal. They got away, and he got caught. He was penitent and vowed that his life would be different after this was over. His friends had a history of this kind of activity, and so I gave him this advice. “After you get out,” I said, “you need to choose different friends.”
Immediately, he responded, “No. I need to stay with them so that I can be a good influence on them.” Does anyone want to know how this worked out? He kept his friends, and he kept on getting into trouble.
Did his friends influence him for bad, or did he influence them for bad? Certainly, it was a little of both.
All I really know is that “Bad company corrupts good character.”
I like the way one modern translation puts it: “Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.” If you don’t believe that, then you need to pay attention to the first four words of this verse: “Do not be misled.” Then read that final exhortation, “Come back to your senses.”
Lonnie Davis