Relationships shape our lives. The people we allow close to us influence our choices, our faith, and our future.
Therefore, here are five types of people the Bible specifically tells you to avoid.
1. The Bible Tells Us to Avoid the Fool Who Despises Wisdom
Proverbs 14:7, “Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.”
A fool, in biblical terms, is not just someone who occasionally makes poor decisions. Instead, it’s someone who rejects wisdom itself. Proverbs 1:7 explains, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This type of person doesn’t want correction, doesn’t value God’s truth, and often ridicules those who try to live wisely.
Fools are not people to pity from a safe distance; they’re people to guard against when forming close friendships. Scripture reminds us that “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
2. The Bible Tells Us to Avoid the Gossip Who Sows Division
Proverbs 16:28, “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”
Words whispered in secret travel like wildfire, leaving burned relationships in their path.
God calls us to truth and unity. But gossip thrives on half-truths, exaggerations, and whispers behind closed doors. If you hang around someone who constantly criticizes others, you’re eventually tempted to join in, and soon your own spirit grows critical and bitter.
The Bible tells us to silence gossip by refusing to entertain it. Proverbs 26:20 says, “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” If you want peace, don’t add fuel to gossip’s flames.
3. The Bible Tells Us to Avoid the Hot-Tempered Person
Proverbs 22:24-25, “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”
Anger is contagious. When you’re around someone who explodes at the slightest inconvenience, you begin to pick up the same patterns. Like walking on a frozen lake with cracks forming beneath you, being with a hot-tempered person puts you in constant danger of falling through.
Such individuals often leave broken relationships in their wake because their rage drives people away. Even if their anger isn’t aimed at you, being near them traps you in cycles of stress and fear.
For example, a coworker who shouts at every small mistake eventually changes the entire workplace atmosphere. Instead of focusing on excellence, everyone walks on eggshells, worried about the next explosion.
God calls his people to patience, gentleness, and self-control—the opposite of wrath. James 1:19-20 reminds us, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Avoid the hot-tempered, not out of hate, but out of wisdom.
4. The Bible Tells Us to Avoid the Immoral Person Who Rejects God’s Ways
1 Corinthians 5:11, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
Paul makes it clear that we’re not to judge unbelievers by Christian standards, but we are to guard against those who claim Christ while living in unrepentant sin. Such people blur the lines of truth and can drag others into compromise.
A close relationship with someone living immorally is like tying yourself to a sinking ship—you may have good intentions, but eventually their weight will pull you down with them.
A professing Christian friend justifies a sinful lifestyle—whether in greed, dishonesty, or sexual immorality—while still claiming to follow Jesus. Their behavior not only confuses you but also weakens your resolve to obey God fully.
This doesn’t mean we treat such people with hatred or pride. It means we create boundaries that protect our walk with God. Galatians 6:1 reminds us that when someone falls into sin, we should seek restoration “in a spirit of gentleness.”
5. The Bible Tells Us to Avoid the False Teacher
Romans 16:17, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”
False teachers are some of the most dangerous people you can encounter because they disguise lies with the appearance of truth. Like wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing, they look safe but have deadly intentions (Matthew 7:15).
False teaching may sound attractive—promising health, wealth, or spiritual “secrets” others don’t know. But its poison corrupts faith and leads people away from the simplicity of the gospel.
The Bible doesn’t just tell us to challenge false teachers (2 Timothy 2:24-26); it also tells us to avoid them completely (Romans 16:17). Protecting your faith sometimes requires distance, not dialogue.
God loves us too much to let us walk blindly into toxic relationships. The Bible clearly warns us about certain types of people: the fool, the gossip, the hot-tempered, the immoral, and the false teacher. Avoiding them is not about pride or judgment—it’s about guarding our hearts so we can stay faithful to the Lord.
As Proverbs 13:20 reminds us, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
