Note 6 at 1 Cor. 15:33: In context, Paul is continuing to argue for the resurrection. He is saying that the wanton talk and actions of those who are denying the resurrection so they can indulge themselves has corrupted these Corinthians' beliefs. They should disassociate themselves.

There is a much broader application of this truth, which is borne out in many passages of scripture. It is that association with evil doers tends to corrupt us. Some ridicule this, thinking that if one is really strong, association with evil can't hurt. Paul said you are deceived if you think that.

There is no doubt that all of us encounter evil, and the Lord did not Himself, nor advocate His followers to, pursue the life of a monk. We are the salt of the earth and we need to get out of the shaker to do any good. But our contact with the world has to be controlled. We need to be the ones doing the ministering, not the other way around (see note 3 at Acts 19:9, p. 688).

Association with people who are doing evil is all right if we are ministering to them. But exposing ourselves to the talk and ways of the ungodly is a great mistake that has corrupted many good-intentioned people. Evil lifestyles (see note 7 at this verse) tend to corrupt good lifestyles.

Some may ask why that is. It seems like the evil should be more influenced by the good. Well, just as disease is contagious rather than health, and fat comes easier than muscle, so evil seems to be easier to obtain than good. We need to deal with this reality and not allow ourselves to be influenced by evil.

To illustrate what Paul is saying here, he warned Timothy about Hymenaeous and Philetus, who were telling others that the resurrection was already past. They believed that Jesus was resurrected but no one else would be. Paul said their words were like a cancer that would infect others (2 Tim. 2:16-18). Paul considered Hymenaeous' speech blasphemy and turned him over to Satan (1 Tim. 1:20). Part of turning a person over to Satan was the withdrawal of fellowship from the body of believers (see note 5 at Mt. 18:17, p. 277).

Lot is an Old Testament example of a righteous man who was corrupted through his association with the ungodly (2 Pet. 2:7-9; Gen. 19).

"Evil communications" does not just mean extremely bad talking (see notes 7 and 8 at this verse). And "good manners" are more than just style (see note 9 at this verse).

Note 7 at 1 Cor. 15:33: The word "evil" in this verse was translated from the Greek word "kakos," meaning "worthless, depraved, or injurious." It encompasses much more than what many people think of as evil. Worthless communications (see note 8 at this verse) also corrupt good manners. Therefore, it is not just the extremely evil that we need to beware of, but all the vain, useless, worthless speech and actions of others can affect us (Mt. 12:36-37).

Life and death are not only in the power of our tongue but everyone else's, also (Prov. 18:21). We need to be careful of the things we hear and the things we see because they do influence our morals (see note 9 at this verse).

Note 8 at 1 Cor. 15:33: The word "communications" here means more than just the words we speak. The Greek word that was used in this verse is "homilia," which means "companionship, i.e. (by impl.) ." This is speaking of association. The American Heritage Dictionary defines "communicate" as "to have an interchange, as of thoughts or ideas," This can happen through association, whether it is seeing or hearing.

So Paul is saying that association with evil (see note 7 at this verse) will corrupt our morals (see note 9 at this verse). This doesn't mean we have to withdraw totally from the world, but we do have to beware (see note 6 at this verse).

Note 9 at 1 Cor. 15:33: The word "manners" in this verse was translated from the Greek word "ethos," which means "moral habits," Paul is saying that our morals are affected by the associations we keep. No one can continually associate with evil (see note 7 at this verse) without it corrupting their morals.