Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians
"Awake to righteousness..."
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:34
BAD INFLUENCES
Paul knew that the Corinthians had been influenced badly. False teachers abounded and if the Corinthians were not more careful, they could be influenced wrongly.
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’
Awake to righteousness, and do not sin;
for some do not have the knowledge of God.
I speak this to your shame.”
1 Corinthians 15:33-34
1. “Do not be deceived”
a) Deception is deadly.
b) It can disguise itself in so many ways.
c) The force of the word of exhortation here: “Stop being deceived”.
2. “Evil company corrupts good habits”
a) Deception can come in the form of “friends”.
b) The tendency is to follow the thoughts and activities of “friends”.
c) If the company is evil, the danger of corruption is very real.
d) Even good habits could be adversely affected.
3. The false teachings
a) The false teaching of denying the doctrine of the resurrection is in mind.
b) The false practice of being baptised for the dead was learned through being influenced by bad company.
c) The results were disastrous!
d) False teachers can offer seemingly good friendship.
e) And in the guise of friendship long-held doctrines can be eroded.
4. “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin”
a) This was the needed wake-up call to the Corinthians!
b) They needed to be awakened from the stupor they were in.
c) False teachings and wrong practices were not acceptable.
5. “For some do not have the knowledge of God”
a) There were weaker believers in Corinth.
b) These would be affected by the spread of false teachings and wrong practices.
6. “I speak this to your shame”
The Corinthian believers should have known better than to allow themselves to be deceived by the false teachers! It was to their shame that Paul had to rebuke and correct them on this matter.