0529 THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

 

Paul spends this entire chapter exploring and defending the efficacy of the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection is powerful in its application because it implies and promises for us eternal life. If Christ is raised from the dead, then what he says about life after death must be true. Which, in turn, affects what kind of lives we should be living while we are on this earth.

 

On the other hand, if there is no resurrection, why would we choose to live self-controlled lives in imitation of Jesus? If there is no resurrection, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. (Here Paul quotes Isaiah 22:13)

 

The next sentence is especially intriguing for a couple of reasons, and that’s where I’d like to spend most of our time today. Paul writes,

 

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.””

 

As a kind of side note, I’d like to point out that Paul here is quoting someone. But it is not from the Bible, like his earlier quote. It is actually from a Greek poet, Menander. Paul did not use outside sources too often, so it is rather rare, but it’s good to note that he was not beyond using some secular source to illustrate with a commonly-recognized source. (Paul had done the same in Acts 17 when he was speaking to the Athenians, for what it’s worth to you.)

 

But the center of his point is the main focus for us today. If you have good character, having been born again and filled with the Spirit, meditating on God’s Word and filled with his love, but you hang out with the wrong kind of people, you will find your good character being corrupted.

 

So, Paul is saying, be careful who you spend time with. Your constant companions will change your culture, no matter how good your intentions may be.

 

All of us are called to love people and to care for their souls. That involves at least some degree of non-judgmental acceptance of them as a person, without trying to change them. But when that person becomes “company,” it can be that the one who is being changed is you, not them. I think that’s because, as strong as we may think we are, we also crave acceptance. And when we are trying to befriend someone and they say Opinion A about something, we want to share that opinion, for the sake of our friendship. So we find ourselves nodding in agreement, and being silent rather than to cause an argument or tension. The other person reads our silence as agreement, and they continue down that road, thinking they have found a kindred spirit. Now we find ourselves in a bind. It is becoming more awkward to bring up our differences, now that our relationship has gone this far. (Or am I the only one who has this experience?)

 

Eventually, our seeming agreement with our friend leads to actual agreement. We see life from their perspective, and we just might share some of their views. 

 

So Paul says, “Don’t be deceived.” The peace and friendship we have begins to become more important than our own pursuit of holiness, or our very faith. And we discover too late that “bad company corrupts good character.”

 

I have heard the illustration before that you “are” your best five friends. Do you want to know about someone? Ask who their five best friends are. Do you want to know what kind of person you yourself are? Make an unbiased list of the five people you would most want to be with in any given week. Now make a list of the five people you actually HAVE spent the most time with in the last week. Like it or not, this is who you are at a very deep level, or at least it is who you are becoming. How do you feel about them and their influence on you?

 

Let’s pray about this:

Lord, teach us to be leaders and not followers. Turn our eyes only to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. And let us surround ourselves with those who are helping our spiritual growth and character. Ready us for your return. Amen.