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.
Chapter five of this letter to the church at Corinth is a significant Word of Christ about our conduct and life style before Christ and the world. It address both our conduct in church and in our lives. The situation facing this group of believers was that a young man in their church, who proclaimed to be a believer in Christ, was openly living with is father’s wife (presumably, his step-mother). According to Paul’s word to them, this type of life style was not even tolerated among the pagans (those who rejected God’s truth). Rather than mourn over this behavior and activity in their midst, they were allowing it and acting arrogant about it. Note:
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 (ESV)
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
This type of activity, states Paul, was defiling the Church and needed to be dealt with immediately. He instructs them to not just cast the person out of their midst but to deliver this type of disobedience over to Satan, who would do the work of destruction in the young man’s life.
1 Corinthians 5:4-5 (ESV)
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
Amazing!! It is very doubtful that we would ever see this type of discipline in our churches today regarding sexual immorality. Why does Paul call for such drastic measures. The above passage tells us. Paul wants them to know that the purity of the Church, especially during the celebration of the Lord’s Table (Communion) is essential in the Body. He refers back to the Passover Festival, as a picture of the Lord’s Table. He reminds them that when celebrating the fact that Christ died for sin(s), the celebration of that fact can’t be tarnished by the acceptance of sin in their midst. The Lord’s Supper is supposed to be about the celebration of Jesus’ victory over sin. With that being the case, we can’t allow sin in our midst to be ignored, much less, celebrated in an arrogant fashion. When we come to the Communion Table we are to put away all malice and evil. Paul refers to those things as old leaven in bread. The reference to leaven, is a reference to sin in the life. We are to celebrate the Table with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. When we come to drink the symbol of Jesus’ blood and body being poured out for us to cover our sin, we ought not to have sin in our midst. The allowing of open sin to be tolerated in among the Body of Christ is to bring shame and dishonor to the sacrifice and suffering of Christ. Make no mistake: This is NOT about sexual preference and tolerating where people are in their lives. This is about sin that brings shame to the work of Christ. Paul calls for drastic measures because this type of behavior is to NOT be tolerated by the Church.
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