How to Prevent Peer Pressure from Eroding Your Christian Values

1 Corinthians 15:33 should serve as an anchor in our relationship with others as Christians. It declares that “Bad company corrupt good morals”. As humans, we crave fellowship with other people because God did not create us to live in isolation. In Genesis 2:18 He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone”. Jesus Christ also alluded to the fact that we needed company in the world in His petition to the Father on our behalf shortly before His crucifixion, as recorded in John 17. In verse 15, the Lord said, “I do not ask that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from evil”.

On his part, Paul the apostle had to clarify his admonition to Corinthian Christians not to associate with immoral people. In 1 Corinthians 5:9, he explained that his earlier instruction on the matter only applied to their fellow Christians that were engaging in sexual immorality, greed, idolatry and other sins. Paul noted that asking them not to interact with unbelievers who practiced such vices would be pointless since all Christians must of necessity engage with other people in their communities.

It is to be emphasised however, that living in the midst of sinners is not a license for us to imbibe their ways or emulate their lifestyles. We are told in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our mind, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James, the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ was more emphatic in his own admonition to Christians to live just and right before God. He described those who chose compromise with the world as enemies of God (James 4:4-5). James was merely echoing God’s charge to Israel in the Old Testament. For instance in Leviticus 20:26, God said to them, “You shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine”.

What happens to a man who compromises with the world and abandons the pathway of life? Proverbs 12:26 states that “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbour, but the way of the wicked leads them astray”.

Many Christians have shipwrecked their faith through their relationship with unbelievers. The situation is more prevalent among youth in the church. This stems mostly from the desire for endorsement by their friends, as some of them do not want to be treated as an outcast. An article titled ‘1 Peter 4:1-11: Dealing with Peer Pressure as a Christian’ posted on standrewsenfield.com presented the following measures to deal with peer pressure:

1. Develop a new mind-set of strength and discipline so that you can stay strong in faith, no matter the situation you find yourself;
2. Make lifestyle choices out of the new mind-set and ensure that God comes first in everything you do;
3. Be motivated by love for others, not a desire to be popular; and
4. Use the gifts that God has given you to build positive relationships.

David Owens in an article entitled, ‘How Can I Resist Peer Pressure?’, posted on activechristianity.org, advised Christians to first acknowledge the truth about themselves. He said they should ask themselves why they are so easily influenced by their peers. According to him, getting to the root of the problem will help Christians find a lasting solution to it.

He argued that most people who were led astray by their peers had lost connection with God. Therefore, he advised them to return fully to God and serve Him alone in line with Scriptural injunction in Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”. He also charged Christians to avoid bad company, be ready to defend their faith at all times and be firm when dealing with unbelievers and their unlawful deeds.

The most important safeguard for staying free of pollutions from unbelievers and carnal Christians is to be led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 declared that only those that are led by the Holy Spirit are the children of God. Certainly, He would not lead a genuine Christian into error. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit that He will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). It is equally essential that we ask God for wisdom in our relationship with unbelievers. We are assured in James 1:5 that He will not rebuke us for asking Him for wisdom to deal with knotty issues. He is for us and never against us!