First Corinthians 5 Part 2 The Leaven Of Sin Must Be purged Out

Sin in the church must be dealt with. 

1 Corinthians 5:1-2  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2)  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 

The apostle Paul was directed by the Holy Spirit to address sexual sin within the church at Corinth. 

Some Jews at Corinth were converted to Christ but the vast majority were Gentiles and former pagans.

Pagan religions shared common practices of worshiping idols made from wood, stone, ivory or other materials overlaid with gold or silver.

In addition, pagan worshipers used temple prostitutes believing that having sex with them ensured the "gods" blessing.  

Wine and drunkenness was often a part of their rituals. 

Later in this epistle, Paul will address sexual perversion and gross immorality that was an integral part of the Corinthian culture. 

Strabo and Aristophanes used the Greek verb "Corinthianize" to describe rampant sexual depravity at the Corinthian temples. 

This word was used as a vile insult describing someone's immoral character. 

Pagans married, divorced and remarried with great frequency. They sought fulfillment in many sexual relationships rather than having a happy, Biblical marriage. 

Paul will address this issue in chapter 7. Thus, Paul is correct to reprimand the Corinthians because sexual sin was staining the church's reputation. 

Paul passed judgment upon the man who was sinning and instructed the church to shun him, until such time that he repents of his sin.

Boasting about sin is the opposite of how God wants us to deal with it. 

1 Corinthians 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 

The apostle rebukes them for "glorying" over this man's sexual sin. 

It is hard to imagine boasting about being in a clique or gloating about someone's immorality, but that is what the pagans did. 

They celebrated sexual perversion, idolatry, and drunken debauchery, and Paul will continue to confront these sins in both his letters to the Corinthians.

Paul compares the Corinthians sinful attitude toward sin to leaven. In the Bible, "leaven" is overwhelmingly used as a picture or type of sin. 

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines leaven as anything which makes a general change to a whole mass; something which corrupts or depraves that with which it is mixed.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines leaven as a metaphorically or inveterate mental and moral corruption, with a strong tendency to infect others.

"Leaven" pictures sin as a small organism that spreads corruption that can infect the individual, family, and church. It is like a secret sin that spreads quickly and contaminates all that it contacts.

As leaven ferments a lump of dough which then rises, so the leaven of sin makes people puffed up.

The Corinthians were puffed up, boasting rather than mourning. They were not repentant over the certain man’s sinful actions.

They did not ask the Lord to remove this man and his sin, from the church. They did not initiate church discipline as Jesus commanded us to do (Matthew 18:1-20).

Jehovah commanded that leaven be removed from their homes.

Exodus 13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

Those who ate leavened bread would be cut off from Israel, from the right worship of God and from His covenant. “Cut off” is a strong verb, condemning those who ate leavened bread.

Leaven was not to be seen in the homes of the Hebrews because we are most often tempted by what we see.

The Hebrew’s left Egypt’s old leaven behind. They lived in Egypt for 430 years and made leaven in that place. 

They got rid of it as God commanded because God was teaching them about the corrupting influence of sin. 

Leaven is anything that inflames our fleshly lusts. Leaven will lead us to sin if it is not countered.

Leaven is small organism that has a large impact relative to its small size.

We “see” something. We “think” about it. We “focus” on it. We “act” to get it. 

Eve listened to another voice, and saw the fruit was desirable, she took it and ate (See Genesis 3:1-7).

Leaven’s fermenting work begins hidden and unseen, but ultimately makes itself known when the dough rises. This is why it is such a good picture of sin in us.

Lust and sin begin with sensory stimulation that enters our mind, and if unchecked, will cause us to act upon our lust. 

"Be sure your sin shall find you out", that is, what is in our heart will manifest itself in actions and words (See Numbers 32:23).

Leaven introduces fermentation into a lump of fresh dough, and pictures a hidden sin spreading corruption in our heart.

Each Christian is connected with Christ Jesus and each other.

Romans 14:7  For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 

Why does Paul strongly address the sin at Corinth? Because one believer's sin affects the whole body of Christ.

We do not live in a vacuum. What we think, say and do affects others around us. 

For example parental conversations in the home impact the children and we must exercise care.

Many members in many places united together in Christ by God's Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-14  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13)  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14)  For the body is not one member, but many. 

Paul tells us later on in writing to the Corinthians that the body of Christ is one body composed of many different members. 

Each Christian in a local church is connected with the other believers in that church. 

However, each Christian is also connected to all other believers in Christ no matter where they are located.

Thus, the son who committed sexual sin with his father's wife, was negatively impacting the whole church. 

No man's sin is ever self contained because sin always affects other people. 

Achan thought his sin was covered up, but he and his family perished (See Joshua 7:10-26). 

David thought his sin was concealed until Nathan said thou art the man (See 2 Samuel 12:7). 

Ananias & Saphira thought their sin was hidden but the Holy Ghost revealed to to Peter and they forfeited their lives (See Acts 5:1-11).

We must purge all the leaven of sin from our lives. 

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8)  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

To "Purge out" means to thoroughly cleanse, make it clean and pure.

We must be like the Hebrews who carefully hunted down all traces of leaven and removed it from their homes.

We must set our affections on the things of God above, where Jesus Christ is enthroned (See Colossians 3:1-2).

We must read and study God's Word so that it can be a lamp to our feet, showing us immediate spiritual perils. 

We must read and study our Bible so that it can be a light to our path, showing us the way that God wants us to walk (See Psalm 119:105).

Put off fleshly lusts and put on the armor of God.

Romans 13:12-14  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13)  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14)  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. 

Paul warned the Christians at Rome to cast off or put off all the works of darkness, and he listed some of them to illustrate what he meant. 

Whenever God's Spirit directed Paul to give us something to "put off" He also gave us something to "put on." in its place. 

We are to put on the whole armor of God (See Ephesians 6:10-20).

Paul follows this with clear, practical guidance. Make no provision for our flesh, and fleshly lusts (See also Philippians 3:3).

Ask the LORD to direct our path to walk in His ways. 

Psalm 25:4-5  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 5)  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 

Seek direction from the LORD each time that we read our Bible or hear a sermon preached. 

Ask Him to help us see how this applies to us and what actions or corrections He would have us to make. 

Ask the LORD to search our heart to expose sin that we might confess it.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24)  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Word of God is a sword that discerns the thoughts and intents of our heart. 

If we ask Him to, The Lord will shine the light of His truth into our hearts to expose sin that we might confess and forsake it, so that He might forgive us.

We must confess and forsake our sins (See Proverbs 28:13).

God is always faithful and just to forgive us, cleanse us from all unrighteousness (See 1 John 1:8-10).

May the Lord show us any sin in our heart, so that we might confess and forsake it as He desires.

May we run to God's Word and fill our hearts with its truth, in order to quell the fleshly lusts in us.

May we do the work and purge out the leaven of sin from our lives.

May the Lord continue molding and shaping us into usable vessels for His kingdom purposes.

Bob