1 Corinthians 5:7
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This verse isn't just about getting rid of sin; it highlights that believers already are a "new lump" in God's eyes because Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. The call to "cleanse out the old leaven" is an invitation to live out the reality of who we already are in Christ, rather than a command to become something we're not yet.
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing a serious problem in the Corinthian church: a member is openly living in sexual immorality, and the church isn't doing anything about it. He's urging them to expel this person to purify the community. This call to "cleanse out the old leaven" directly connects their current situation to the Passover celebration, where leaven symbolized sin and corruption.
Imagine a baker faced with a lump of dough. If one part is old and spoiled, it can ruin the whole batch! Paul uses this vivid picture from ancient Israel's most important festival to talk about sin in the church.
The Old Leaven of Sin
Paul calls the Corinthian church to 'cleanse out the old leaven.' Leaven (or yeast) was a symbol of corruption and sin that spreads. In the context of 1 Corinthians 5, this 'old leaven' refers to a specific, unrepentant sin within the community – a man living immorally with his father's wife.
Becoming a New Lump
The goal is to become a 'new lump, as you really are unleavened.' Unleavened bread was eaten during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, immediately following Passover. It symbolized purity and sincerity, a life free from the 'yeast' of sin. This wasn't just about outward behavior; it was about embodying the spiritual reality of their new identity in Christ.
The reason for this radical cleansing isn't just a list of rules. It's rooted in an incredible truth about who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
The Lamb of God
Paul declares, 'For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.' This is the heart of the matter. Just as the blood of a lamb saved Israel from death in Egypt, Christ, the ultimate Lamb of God, has been sacrificed to save us from sin and death.
Living Our New Identity
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Because Christ has been sacrificed for us, our identity has fundamentally changed. We are no longer defined by the 'old leaven' of our sinful past. We are now 'unleavened' – set apart, pure, and made new in Him. The command to cleanse the leaven isn't a burden; it's an invitation to live out the new reality that Christ has already secured for us.
Understand the original words
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.
The imagery of Passover connects the Corinthians' need for purity to the sacrificial death of Jesus, who is the ultimate fulfillment of the ancient festival.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, instituting the Passover feast as a perpetual reminder of His saving power.
c. 13th-10th centuries BC
Establishment of the Mosaic Law
Following the Exodus, the Law is given through Moses, detailing purification rituals and feasts, including Passover regulations.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed, and many Israelites are exiled to Babylon, disrupting religious life and observance.
c. 516 BC
Second Temple Completed
Exiles return and rebuild the Temple, allowing for the restoration of Temple worship and the Passover observance.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Crucifixion during Passover
Jesus is crucified in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, fulfilling the symbolism of the Passover lamb.
c. 41-55 AD
Paul's Missionary Journeys
Paul travels throughout the Roman Empire, establishing churches and addressing various issues, including the one in Corinth.
c. 55 AD
Writing of 1 Corinthians
Paul writes his first letter to the church in Corinth, addressing their problems with immorality and theological confusion.
This passage describes the original Passover instruction to remove leaven, directly paralleling Paul's metaphor of cleansing out the 'old leaven' from the Corinthian church.
Leviticus 23:6-8These verses lay out the Feast of Unleavened Bread, emphasizing the removal of yeast for seven days, reinforcing the symbolism of purity and a new beginning that Paul is drawing upon.
John 1:29John the Baptist's declaration of Jesus as the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' directly links to Paul's reference to Christ as our Passover lamb, highlighting Jesus' sacrificial role.
Romans 6:11-13Paul explains how believers are to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, echoing the theme of a radical 'cleansing' and new identity that leaving the 'old leaven' represents.
This verse isn't just about getting rid of sin; it highlights that believers already are a "new lump" in God's eyes because Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. The call to "cleanse out the old leaven" is an invitation to live out the reality of who we already are in Christ, rather than a command to become something we're not yet.
Paul is addressing a serious problem in the Corinthian church: a member is openly living in sexual immorality, and the church isn't doing anything about it. He's urging them to expel this person to purify the community. This call to "cleanse out the old leaven" directly connects their current situation to the Passover celebration, where leaven symbolized sin and corruption.
Paul is addressing a serious problem in the Corinthian church: a member is openly living in sexual immorality, and the church isn't doing anything about it. He's urging them to expel this person to purify the community. This call to "cleanse out the old leaven" directly connects their current situation to the Passover celebration, where leaven symbolized sin and corruption.
"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." — This verse isn't just about getting rid of sin; it highlights that believers already are a "new lump" in God's eyes because Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. The call to "cleanse out…
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Last reviewed October 2026
