One Bad Apple
"One Bad Apple," a song by the Osmonds, hit the airwaves on November 14, 1970, hitting the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 13, 1971.
One bad apple don't
Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, give it one more try
Before you give up on love
One bad apple don't
Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, I don't care what they say
I don't care what you heard
Common sense and simple observation tells us one bad apple can, indeed, spoil, the whole bunch. The Osmonds, with their naive, wishful thinking would have liked us to believe otherwise.
So, which is it? Can one bad apple spoil the whole bunch?
Scientists at McGill University had something to say about that:
You bet. Because once an apple is rotten or has physical damage, (ie a bruise), it produces ethylene, which in turn leads to a slightly increased internal temperature causing a breakdown of chlorophyll and the synthesis of other pigments. The starch in the fruit is converted to simple sugars and at the same time, pectin, a component of fiber that cements the cell walls together, begins to disintegrate thereby softening the tissue. Once this happens, it starts a chain reaction, stimulating the process in other apples.
Google's AI bot had a much simpler and to the point answer:
Yes, one bad apple can spoil a bunch of apples because rot spreads through contact.
Whether we're talking apples ...
Or organes ...
Or ...
The company we keep, the fellowship we share, the entertainment we consume, matters. It all matters ... because rot spreads.
Like the wishful thinking in that old hit song, our own wishful thinking would have us to believe that we have it within ourselves to resist the rot. But rot is, if nothing else ... compelling.
Remember that scientific explanation from McGill? "... pectin, a component of fiber that cements the cell walls together, begins to disintegrate thereby softening the tissue." It is an inevevitable process.
We must guard our hearts and minds, lest our Christian testimony, our right thinking, or moral character all begin to "disintegrate" and "soften" overtime.
Remember, "... rot spreads by contact."
"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm" (Proverbs 13:20, ESV).
"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character'” (1 Corinthians: 15:33, NIV).
Pressure to Conform
In 2005, neuroscientist Gregory Berns conducted experiments to try to gauge how people respond to societal pressures. Berns created social groups that were tasked with looking at a series of objects to decide if they were the same or different. But unbeknownst to the volunteers, four participants in each group of five had been coached to unanimously give fake answers to some of the questions. Even though they were obviously wrong, on average, 40 percent of the time the volunteers went along with the group.
Subjects were also hooked up to a brain scanner. Berns concluded that social pressure activates the part of the brain devoted to spatial perception, showing the desire to fit in causes people to change their picture of reality.
in Romans 12:2, the apostle Paul writes, "Be not conformed to the world." Berns' study proves how easily we can abandon what we know is right in order to fit in with a group. Paul adds, "But be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The world's pressure is an external force, while the transformation the apostle calls for is from within.
The secret to this renewing of the mind lies not in running the right thoughts through the mind, repeating Scriptures over and over, but by yielding to the Holy Spirit. Knowing how susceptible we are to the influence of others, the power of good and godly fellowship is of the utmost importance.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)
Take Your Own Atmosphere With You
During an interview with a group of astronauts, the crew was asked, "What do you think is the single most important key to successful space travel?"
One astronaut offered the following response: "The secret of traveling in space is to take your own atmosphere with you."
Dr. Raymond McHenry has served as pastor of Westgate Memorial Baptist Church. He earned his Master of Divinity and his Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Bible Seminary. Through his books and quarterly newsletter, IN OTHER WORDS, he has become a highly respected compiler of biblical illustrative materials.
McHenry concludes, "This observation from space helps us better understand Paul's admonition for Christians to not be conformed to the world. By carrying the atmosphere of Christ with us, we can thrive in the hostile environment of this sinful world."
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).