Scripture
“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:6–8, NKJV)
Devotional
Paul’s imagery here would have struck the Corinthians with vivid clarity. In ancient Israel, before the Passover, families would sweep their homes clean—removing every trace of leaven, a symbol of sin and corruption. It was a physical act that mirrored a spiritual reality: before celebrating redemption, God’s people must remove what defiles.
The Corinthian church, however, had allowed “leaven” to spread among them. Their tolerance of unrepentant sin wasn’t mercy—it was spiritual decay disguised as grace. Paul reminds them that what is left unchecked in the body will eventually corrupt the whole. A little leaven—an attitude, a compromise, a tolerated sin—spreads faster than we think.
Yet Paul’s message isn’t one of condemnation, but of identity: “You truly are unleavened.” Because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed, we are made clean. The call to holiness is not about earning purity—it’s about living out the purity Christ already purchased. We sweep out sin not to become accepted, but because we are already accepted.
To “keep the feast” today means to live in sincerity and truth—to let the grace of Christ purge hypocrisy, bitterness, and hidden sin from our hearts. True freedom isn’t found in pretending the leaven isn’t there; it’s found in bringing it to the cross and walking in the newness of life.
Takeaway & Reflection
Christ, our Passover Lamb, has made us pure—now we live like it.
- A little compromise can corrupt much; holiness preserves life.
- Purity is not perfection, but surrender to the cleansing power of Christ.
- Grace doesn’t excuse sin—it empowers us to remove it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You that Christ, my Passover Lamb, has cleansed me completely. Help me to see where sin has crept in and to let Your truth sweep it away. Teach me to walk in sincerity, humility, and holiness—not in fear, but in gratitude for Your grace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.