Verse 33 says, “Do not be deceived, evil companionships corrupt good morals.” This appears to be a quotation of another saying of that day, a fragment of a Greek poem. By this word the apostle warns the Corinthian believers not to have any companionship with those heretics who say there is no resurrection. Such evil companionship will corrupt their faith and Christian virtues.
In verse 33 Paul charges the Corinthians not to pay attention to the deceitful and nonsensical heresy that there is no resurrection. Those who listen to this heresy will be deceived by it. Furthermore, if they become companions of heretics, that companionship will corrupt good morals. This principle applies to us in the church life today.
Certain of those who left the Lord’s recovery and now speak evil concerning it may try to influence others who have remained in the church life. If you take in negative thoughts and become a companion to those who oppose the church life, that companionship will corrupt your church life. The good morals mentioned in verse 33 include loving the Lord, living for the future, risking our lives for the gospel, and practicing the proper church life. It actually includes all the good things covered in the entire book of 1 Corinthians.
In verse 34 Paul continues his charge: “Become sober righteously and do not sin, for some are ignorant of God. I speak to your shame.” To become sober, righteously, is to awaken to soberness from a drunken stupor; it is to cease, righteously, to be drunken. The word “righteously” here means to be right with God and man. To say there is no resurrection offends God and man, and it is sin. Hence, the apostle advises the misled Corinthians to awake soberly from this sin to be right with God and man. They were drunken unrighteously in a stupor of the no-resurrection heresy. They needed to cease being in that stupor.
Literally, the words “are ignorant” are “have ignorance.” To be heretical in saying there is no resurrection is to be ignorant of God, not knowing God’s power or His economy (Matt. 22:29-32). This is a shame to the believers.
As Christians, we must be awake to soberness. We should not be like the Epicureans, who wanted only to enjoy life and did not care for tomorrow. We need to cease, righteously, to be drugged. Anyone who says that there is no resurrection is not righteous with God or man. Likewise, those who oppose the church life are not right with either God or man.
Once I received a letter from a brother who acknowledged that I had helped him to know Christ and experience Christ. He was grateful for this help, and also for help in knowing the church. But then he went on to say that my teaching regarding the church life, especially the church ground, is fleshly. It is unrighteous to say that to teach the believers to practice the church life is fleshly. This saying is unrighteous both toward God and toward man. Anyone who makes such a statement or who agrees with it needs to awaken as from a drunken stupor.
Today there are many heretical teachings. Some of these teachings may contain only a small percentage of heresy, and others, a much larger percentage. Do you know why you are willing to accept a certain kind of heresy? It is because you have a tendency, an inner inclination, toward that heresy. It fits your taste. Then, because you take in a heretical teaching to match your taste, you become drugged.
Knowing the situation among the Corinthians, Paul warned them not to accept the heresy which denies the resurrection. He knew this would involve an evil companionship that would corrupt their morals in the church life. By this we see that resurrection certainly has a positive influence on our morals. But to deny the resurrection will corrupt our morals. It will cause us to be shipwrecked.