Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8
In the 5th chapter of Corinthians, Paul makes plain some of the deeper truths taught to God’s people through the Paschal Supper and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In Exodus chapter 12, the Lord gave instructions to the children of Israel regarding the keeping of these two connected feasts. One such instruction was in regards to leaven. On the 14th of Nisan, before they ate of the Paschal lamb, the Hebrews were instructed: ‘put away leaven out of your houses’. Any who presumed to eat leavened bread during these seven festal days were to ‘be cut off from Israel’ (Exodus 12:15,19).
This instruction regarding leaven was highly symbolic. When added to dough, leaven slowly transforms the entire lump to its own composition. In this imperceptible action, leaven is a symbol of sin. When secret sin infects the life, or open sinners are harboured in the church, corruption takes hold upon the entire body.
Such ruinous work was afoot at the church in Corinth. It was reported to Paul that among the congregation stood a man who was known to be fornicating with his father’s wife. Paul rebuked the church, not only for failing to deal with this man, but also for being proud of themselves for harboring such wickedness. Said the Apostle:
And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 1 Corinthians 5:2
After instructing the church to remove this wayward brother from the congregation so that he may repent, Paul draws a lesson from the Paschal supper:
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1 Corinthians 5:7
As leaven was to be removed from the homes of the Hebrews prior to their eating of the Paschal lamb, this flagrant fornicator, along with the personal sins of the congregation, was to be purged out of the church before they were fit to partake of ‘Christ our passover’. Once they had met the conditions, the church was fit to keep the feast:
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Corinthians 5:8
The feast which Paul instructs both the Corinthians and us to keep is not the calendar date of the 14th of Nisan. In so doing, Paul would contradict the instruction he gave to other churches regarding the abolition of such dead forms (Ephesians 2:14, Colossians 2:15). The feast Paul calls us to keep is a life of holiness powered by the indwelling of Christ, the true Passover Lamb. Jesus has promised His abiding presence only to those who obey His words:
... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23
Chief among His words are His commandments, as Jesus said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). If we desire to be partakers of Christ our Passover, the ‘leaven of malice and wickedness’ must be purged from the life. Only ‘the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’ should be found in any life or church professing the name of Christ.
The feast days and sacrifices of the old covenant, such as Passover, were ‘offered year by year continually’. Yet we are told that these festivals failed to ‘make the comers thereunto perfect’ (Hebrews 10:1). Verily, it was not possible for the ‘blood of bulls and of goats’ to ‘take away sins’ (Hebrews 10:4). Yet in contrast, the blood of the everlasting covenant is effectual to ‘make you perfect in every good work’ (Hebrews 13:21).
While the shadow celebrated upon the 14th of Nisan came and went, the sacrifice made by the True Passover Lamb is ever with us. He that has Christ celebrates a feast continually, in which the evil affliction of sin is banished.
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15
Christopher Sparks