Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

1 Corinthians 15:33

Some within the church at Corinth did not believe that the dead would be resurrected at the end of time (15:12).  While correcting this mistaken view, Paul points out that Christ has been resurrected from the dead, never to die again, and will be followed by the rest of us at the end of time (15:1-11, 13-28).  As we saw in last week’s article, he then basically asked what the point of baptism would be if there is no resurrection of the dead at the end of time (15:29).

The apostle carries on in this vein by asking similar questions, starting with, “Why are we in danger every hour?” (15:30).  While Paul was proud of the Corinthians for having the courage to obey the gospel and become Christians and thus risk persecution for themselves and their families (15:31a), he still felt the need to “protest” against those in their number who would deny that we all would be raised from the dead on the last day by stating, “I day every day!” (15:31b), figuratively emphasizing the constant great danger he was in because of his Christian faith.

If there was no resurrection of the dead, then what would Paul “gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus?” (15:32a).  The insertion of “humanly speaking” implies that Paul is probably speaking metaphorically here in a way most human beings would understand and therefore did not actually fight wild animals as a form of suffering persecution for his Christianity while he was at Ephesus, especially since there is no record in the New Testament of him doing so at any point in his life.  His point, figuratively speaking, is likely this:  “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then what was the point of me contending for the faith in Ephesus against persecutors who acted like beasts towards me due to their hatred of the gospel?”

Citing both Isaiah 22:13 (15:32b) and a secular source (perhaps the Greek poet Menander) which was probably commonly known in the culture of the day (15:33), the apostle then says, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’  Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”  This is noteworthy because it gives the likely reason for why some in Corinth were trying to convince their brethren that they would not be resurrected after they died.  If there is no resurrection of the dead at the end of time, then it follows that there would be no eternal reward of heaven or eternal punishment of hell.  That being the case, then this life would be all that there is…so why not go ahead and do whatever you want while you can, before death takes you?

Recognizing the spiritual danger within this line of thinking, Paul exhorts the church at Corinth to “not be deceived” and to remember that those among them who were promoting this sinful worldview were indeed “bad company” who would certain “ruin” their “good morals.”  Accordingly, he directed them to “wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning.  For some have no knowledge of God.  I say this to your shame” (15:34).  Giving false teachers who have no knowledge of God and his will a listening ear not only leads to good morals turning bad (cf. Jude 3-4ff).  It is also the spiritual equivalent of drunkenly losing all sense of awareness of what is true or false, right or wrong.  All it leads to is more sin.

Jon