1 Corinthians 5:7-8
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)
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The verse isn't just telling us to get rid of sin; it's reminding us that because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed, we already are unleavened in God's eyes. This means the command to "cleanse" is an action of living out the new reality we've been given, not a way to earn it.
Paul is addressing a serious issue of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church, specifically a man living with his stepmother. He’s calling them to action, urging them to remove this "leaven" of sin from their community, just as they would remove yeast from dough when preparing for Passover. This purification is necessary because their identity as followers of Christ, the true Passover lamb, already signifies their freedom from sin's corruption.
Paul uses strong imagery to command the Corinthian church. What does 'cleansing out the old leaven' truly demand of us?
Get Rid of the Old
Paul doesn't mince words here. He tells the Corinthians to "cleanse out the old leaven." Leaven, or yeast, was often used in the ancient world to make bread rise. But in the context of Passover, leaven symbolized corruption, sin, and the impurities of their past life in Egypt.
Just as leaven spreads and affects the whole batch of dough, sin can quickly corrupt a community and an individual's life. Paul is urging them – and us – to urgently and completely remove any sinful influence that has crept into their lives and their church. It's not a passive suggestion; it's an active command to purge the old.
You Already Are New
But here's the incredible part: he follows this command with "as you really are unleavened." This isn't a contradiction! It means their identity in Christ is already clean. Because Christ, the true Passover lamb, has been sacrificed, they are fundamentally set apart and pure in God's sight. The command to cleanse is an outward expression of their inward reality in Christ. They are to live in accordance with who they already are in Him.
The very reason for this cleansing points to a monumental event in history. Who is this 'Passover lamb,' and what does His sacrifice mean for us?
The Ultimate Passover
Paul directly connects the command to cleanse with the reality of Christ's sacrifice. He calls Christ "our Passover lamb." In Jewish tradition, the Passover lamb was sacrificed to protect the Israelites from the final plague in Egypt and to mark their liberation. Its blood on the doorposts signified redemption and freedom.
A Definitive Act
Now, Jesus is presented as the ultimate fulfillment of this. His death on the cross is the definitive sacrifice that atones for our sins and liberates us from bondage to sin and death. The Passover lamb protected people physically; Christ's sacrifice redeems us spiritually and eternally.
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.
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.
Paul's command to 'cleanse out the old leaven' draws directly from the Jewish Passover tradition. By connecting Christ to the Passover lamb, he urges believers to live out their new identity in Christ, free from the 'leaven' of sin, just as ancient Israelites removed leaven before Passover.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The first Passover is instituted as a memorial of this liberation.
c. 1446 BC
The Passover Feast Instituted
God commands Israel to observe the Passover annually, a central part of which involves removing all leaven from their homes before the feast.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple leads to widespread spiritual crisis and questioning among the Jewish people.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, marking a period of restoration and religious renewal.
c. AD 30
This passage describes the original Passover festival, directly linking the imagery of unleavened bread and the sacrifice of a lamb to Israel's liberation from slavery, which Paul is alluding to.
Leviticus 23:4-8This chapter outlines the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a perpetual ordinance, reinforcing the command to remove leaven and eat unleavened bread as a celebration of freedom and purity.
Galatians 5:9Paul uses the same 'leaven' metaphor here to warn against the corrupting influence of false teaching, emphasizing how a little bit can spread throughout the whole community, just as he does in 1 Corinthians 5.
John 1:29This verse identifies Jesus as the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,' directly paralleling Paul's identification of Christ as our Passover lamb and highlighting Jesus' sacrificial role.
The verse isn't just telling us to get rid of sin; it's reminding us that because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed, we already are unleavened in God's eyes. This means the command to "cleanse" is an action of living out the new reality we've been given, not a way to earn it.
Paul is addressing a serious issue of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church, specifically a man living with his stepmother. He’s calling them to action, urging them to remove this "leaven" of sin from their community, just as they would remove yeast from dough when preparing for Passover. This purification is necessary because their identity as followers of Christ, the true Passover lamb, already signifies their freedom from sin's corruption.
Paul is addressing a serious issue of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church, specifically a man living with his stepmother. He’s calling them to action, urging them to remove this "leaven" of sin from their community, just as they would remove yeast from dough when preparing for Passover. This purification is necessary because their identity as followers of Christ, the true Passover lamb, already signifies their freedom from sin's corruption.
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This sacrifice is not a recurring event but a completed one. It's the foundation upon which our new identity is built and the power that enables us to live a life free from the old leaven.
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Jesus is crucified during the Passover festival, fulfilling the symbolic meaning of the Passover lamb.
c. AD 55
Paul Writes 1 Corinthians
Paul addresses severe issues of immorality and disunity within the Corinthian church, emphasizing the need for holiness and proper understanding of Christian truths.
"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 w…" — The verse isn't just telling us to get rid of sin; it's reminding us that because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed, we already are unleavened in God's eyes. This means the command t…
