Evil communications corrupt good manners: Can we use this in a different context from Paul’s?

1 Corinthians 15:33(KJV)

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Paul the Apostle addressed a certain grave issue in 1 Corinthians 15—some folks had come around to infiltrate the church with a strange doctrine, that there was no such thing as resurrection from the dead. Paul responded to this by giving a defence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus by emphasizing the witness of scriptures to it (3–4); the fact the there were eyewitnesses (5–7); that he himself saw Jesus (8), referring to his conversion experience on the road to Damascus; a series of seven if-then statements; and other arguments (reductio ad absurdum).

In the 33rd verse, he stressed, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners,” to warn these Corinthian Christian folk that maintaining a relationship with such people, who were perverting the true message, would eventually influence them negatively and they would end up being led astray.

This is the context of Paul’s admonition—the Corinthian Christians should avoid those perverting the message of Jesus’ resurrection.

Now, a major rule of Bible interpretation is: Never lift a text out of its context, i.e., never use a text to explain or buttress an argument that has an entirely different context. For example, in John 11, when Jesus instructed the people concerning Lazarus, “Loose him and let him go,” it has nothing to do with deliverance from chains of poverty, barrenness, retrogression, or failure, as this is a completely literal context. He simply meant that they should extricate him from the graveclothes with which he was bound.

So, does this rule of Bible interpretation apply to Paul’s charge in 1 Corinthians 15:33?

Can we use this statement in a different context from Paul’s?

Yes.

Why?

Because those words were not originally Paul’s. They were originally from the words of Menander, a Greek comic poet from Athens in Achaia (the Roman province under which the city of Corinth was) in a comedy titled Thais:

Φθειρουσιν ηθη χρησθ' ὁμιλιαι κακαι·

Bad company good morals doth corrupt.

This had become a recognized proverb among the Greeks in the first century AD, so Paul borrowed this wise saying they were familiar with into his context to warn the church against maintaining relationship with false brethren because they would definitely get influenced by them.

This was neither the first nor the only time Paul made an admonition by quoting a philosopher the people were familiar with.

While preaching to the men of Athens, he quoted Aratus, Cleanthus, and Epimenides:

Acts 17:28(KJV)

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

In his letter to Titus, he quoted Epimenides:

Titus 1:12(KJV)

One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

In none of these instances was Paul trying to approve any of these heathen philosophers; he was simply showing agreement with the specific statements he quoted.

So, the quote of Paul in our theme verse was a familiar proverb in that time, and he used it to correct the act of keeping relationships with people of contradictory persuasions with the thought that there is no harm in it. There is harm in it—a negative influence looms.

The apostle gave similar warning in a few other instances, for example, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” in 1 Corinthians 5:6 and Galatians 5:9—the presence of a little leaven (e.g., yeast) in a dough is enough to alter the state of the whole dough.

See a similar warning in Solomon’s words:

Proverbs 13:20(KJV)

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Proverbs 22:24-25(KJV)

[24]Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

[25]Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

David gave a similar admonition.

Psalms 1:1(KJV)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners.

Blessings.

Victor Ibosiola © 2022