Bible Truth Foundations
Part 3 of 3: Serving in Christ
Please begin by answering this question honestly in your own words.
Think about the people you spend the most time with. Are they, on balance, pulling you closer to God or quietly pulling you away? How would you actually know?
1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
Read this slowly before moving on. Deception is the word Paul uses; this is not a truth we naturally believe without being told.
The central idea of this lesson
Who you surround yourself with shapes who you become; godly relationships are not optional extras to the Christian life, they are how God grows and protects it.
The New Testament word for church, ekklesia, means "a called out group." Christianity was never designed to be lived in isolation from other believers.
1 Corinthians 12:12
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
The body of Christ functions like a physical body: each member has a distinct gift and role, and the body suffers when members disconnect from one another.
Confession of struggles to trustworthy, godly people produces healing and accountability. This is different from confession of sin for forgiveness, which belongs to God alone.
James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Going Deeper
Confessing sin to God alone secures forgiveness (1 John 1:9), but confessing struggles to trusted, godly people (James 5:16) secures something different: ongoing accountability and healing that a private relationship with God, on its own, was never designed to replace.
Scripture commands believers to exhort one another daily and warns against forsaking the assembling of believers, because neglecting it leaves the heart open to being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Ungodly company is not neutral; it actively corrupts good habits and thinking. This is why Scripture repeatedly warns against close association with those who will pull a believer away from God.
Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Caution
This is not a call to abandon relationships with those who do not yet know Christ; loving people far from God is part of the Christian life. It is a warning about close, formative company that consistently pulls you toward compromise rather than growth.
Work through these on your own before your group meets. Type your answers directly into the table below. Your answers are saved automatically in your browser.
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| Question | My Answer | Group Discussion Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Who are the two or three people who most exhort or challenge you spiritually? When did you last let them into a real struggle? | ||
| What is the difference between confessing sin to God for forgiveness and confessing struggles to another believer for accountability (James 5:16)? | ||
| Proverbs 13:20 says "he who walks with wise men will be wise." Look honestly at who you walk with most; what is it shaping in you? | ||
| What is one step you could take this week to be less isolated in your walk with Christ? |
These questions are designed for open conversation at any level of experience. There are no trick questions and no single correct answer.
Godly relationships are not automatic; they take deliberate honesty and presence. Take one real step this week.
| Context | How I Apply This |
|---|---|
| Personal life | List the three to five people you spend the most time with. Honestly assess whether that company is drawing you toward or away from God. |
| Church community | Share one real struggle with a trustworthy, godly person this week rather than carrying it alone. |
| Difficult seasons | If you have been drifting from corporate gathering, commit to being present this week specifically, not out of obligation but as protection for your own heart (Hebrews 10:25). |
| Scripture to carry | Memorise 1 Corinthians 15:33: "Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’" Let it prompt an honest look at your closest relationships. |
Tap each card to reveal the answer.
What does ekklesia, the New Testament word for church, mean?
"A called out group": the church’s own name assumes gathering, not isolation.
What does evil company do, according to Paul?
1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’"
1 Corinthians 15:33
Why should believers confess struggles to one another?
James 5:16
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed."
James 5:16
What are believers warned not to forsake?
Hebrews 10:25
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another."
Hebrews 10:25
What happens to one who walks with wise men?
Proverbs 13:20
"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Proverbs 13:20
How does the body of Christ function, according to Paul?
1 Corinthians 12:12
"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ."
1 Corinthians 12:12