1 Corinthians 5:6-8
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Paul’s point here isn’t just about a small sin corrupting others; he’s highlighting how easily we can become complacent and accept the presence of sin within the community. The question implies that the Corinthians should have known better, suggesting a surprising lack of awareness or even a willful ignorance regarding the contagious nature of impurity.
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing a serious case of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church that they've been tolerating, even boasting about their "openness." He's calling them out, reminding them that this kind of sin, left unchecked, will corrupt the entire community, just as a small amount of yeast will spread through an entire batch of dough. This sets the stage for his urgent plea for them to expel the offender and purify themselves.
Paul starts this chapter with a shocking problem: a man living openly with his father's wife. Instead of shame, there's boasting! What's going on here?
Paul confronts the Corinthians directly about their pride. They are bragging about their 'freedom' or 'maturity' in tolerating a sin that would make pagans blush.
Why Boast?
Paul’s point is sharp: this isn't a sign of spiritual health; it’s a dangerous symptom.
Paul uses a common image from baking to describe how sin spreads. What does leaven really do, and why is it such a potent metaphor?
Leaven (or yeast) in baking is tiny, but it has the power to permeate and transform an entire batch of dough. A small amount is enough to affect the whole lump.
The Spread of Sin
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Paul warns that the tolerance of this one gross sin was already corrupting the entire Corinthian church.
Understand the original words
kauchēma · Greek Noun
A self-confident pride that relies on human achievement or status rather than on God, often involving arrogance or an inflated sense of one's own importance. In a spiritual context, it is condemned as incompatible with reliance on divine grace.
zymē · Greek Noun
A small portion of fermented dough used to make bread rise, used metaphorically in Scripture to represent the pervasive, contagious, and corrupting influence of sin, false teaching, or moral evil within a community.
pascha · Greek Noun
The annual Jewish feast commemorating the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery, centered on the sacrifice of a lamb; in the New Testament, it points to Jesus Christ as the final sacrificial Lamb whose death secures the redemption of His people.
kakia · Greek Noun
A state of moral corruption characterized by a desire to harm others, bitterness, or malicious intent; it is considered contrary to the nature of a believer who has been redeemed.
eilikrineia · Greek Noun
The quality of moral purity, integrity, and transparency; it involves a heart that is free from hidden motives or deceit, characterized by a single-minded devotion to God.
The Corinthians were a young church in a bustling, morally complex city. Paul's warning about 'leaven' draws on a common Jewish understanding of purity, urging them to excise a deeply damaging sin before it corrupts their entire community's witness.
c. AD 50-52
Paul Founds Corinthian Church
The Apostle Paul establishes the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey, spending about 18 months there. This new community is comprised of diverse people, including Jews and Gentiles, some of whom were previously pagan idolaters.
c. AD 53-57— this verse
Paul Writes 1 Corinthians
While in Ephesus, Paul hears reports of serious divisions and immoral behavior within the Corinthian church. He writes this letter to address these issues, including the shocking case of sexual immorality mentioned in chapter 5.
Early 1st Century AD
Roman Rule in Corinth
Corinth is a major Roman provincial capital, known for its wealth, strategic location, and a reputation for cosmopolitanism that included a degree of moral laxity. This environment likely influenced the challenges faced by the church.
Paul uses the same 'little leaven' imagery to warn the Galatians about how quickly false teaching can corrupt the entire community.
Matthew 13:33Jesus uses the metaphor of leaven to describe the hidden, yet pervasive, growth of the Kingdom of God, showing how something small can impact the whole.
1 Corinthians 15:33This verse directly echoes the danger Paul is warning about, stating that 'bad company ruins good morals,' highlighting how negative influences can spread.
Exodus 12:15The Old Testament law commanded Israel to remove all leaven during Passover, symbolizing the removal of sin and impurity from their lives.
Paul’s point here isn’t just about a small sin corrupting others; he’s highlighting how easily we can become complacent and accept the presence of sin within the community. The question implies that the Corinthians should have known better, suggesting a surprising lack of awareness or even a willful ignorance regarding the contagious nature of impurity.
Paul is addressing a serious case of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church that they've been tolerating, even boasting about their "openness." He's calling them out, reminding them that this kind of sin, left unchecked, will corrupt the entire community, just as a small amount of yeast will spread through an entire batch of dough. This sets the stage for his urgent plea for them to expel the offender and purify themselves.
Paul is addressing a serious case of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church that they've been tolerating, even boasting about their "openness." He's calling them out, reminding them that this kind of sin, left unchecked, will corrupt the entire community, just as a small amount of yeast will spread through an entire batch of dough. This sets the stage for his urgent plea for them to expel the offender and purify themselves.
"Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefo…" — Paul’s point here isn’t just about a small sin corrupting others; he’s highlighting how easily we can become complacent and accept the presence of sin within the community. The question implies that…
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Last reviewed October 2026
