A Nonconformist

“I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation.” (Jeremiah 15:17, ESV)

As I have been in the pastoral ministry for many years, I look back and realize the power of behavior patterns. We establish them very quickly in life and often the patterns developed are very destructive. This has been a key to my times of pastoral counselling, that is to help people understand their destructive behavior patterns and when they developed them. Some of these patterns are established from an attempt to cope with life’s difficulties in unbiblical ways. However, others are established by hanging around with bad company.

I understand this bad company influence. Growing up, I wanted to be accepted by others. When it is all said and done, I think we all do. Yet often in our attempt to fit in we will join in the bad actions of others. Oh, we know that their actions are wrong, but for the sake of being accepted, we join in.

This morning, I looked back at my life before salvation and realized how much the sinful attitude of others had influenced me and established bad behavior patterns in my life. I praised God for delivering me from this, but these were difficult to break.

The Scriptures teach us that “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV) Jeremiah was careful to avoid the evil influences of bad actors. Here he stated, “I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice.” This is not to say that he could totally avoid any contact with the idolaters and ungodly of his time. Yet he would not remain with them and rejoice with them in their folly. He was careful in this regard because the hand of the Lord was upon him. Because of his alignment with the Lord, he identified the vast departure that the bad actors had from God’s standard of righteousness. He would do nothing to approve of their error and would not allow their behaviors to influence his. He had a godly hatred towards the ungodliness of the culture around him. He was a nonconformist.

Today, we also live in a world where there is much ungodliness. The temptations to fit in are all around us. The Scripture is true, “Bad company ruins good morals.” Yet we cannot totally isolate ourselves from the world around us. Paul revealed this principle to the church at Corinth.

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” (1 Corinthians 5:9–10, ESV)

Paul here indicated that believers were to avoid any professing to be Christians who were demonstrating an unrepentant sinful lifestyle. However, he indicated that it would be impossible to avoid all association with the ungodly of the world. Yet while we must be in the world, we must be careful with regards to the company we keep. We must not dwell comfortably or condone their ungodliness. For to do so will destroy our testimony and likely establish ungodly destructive thought and behavior patterns in our own lives.

Paul wrote to the Romans this concluding thought, which speaks for itself.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, ESV)