1 Corinthians 5:7 Commentary and Bible Study

Purge out therefore, the old leaven, that is, the old person, the old nature, the sinful fleshly nature. It is still in you. You have a new nature. Hopefully, it is dominant, but the old nature is still there – residual sin, as the Puritans called it: the sin tendency. We reject the modern notion even among Bible believers which says that there can only be one nature at a time. Old man, new man: this is Scriptural illustration. The old nature is still there. ‘Purge out therefore’, it is a continuous activity. Go on purging out the old leaven, that yeast of the old nature. ‘That ye may be a new lump’, both as a church and as individuals, ‘as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.’ Now we know what the apostle Paul is speaking of here. At the time of the exodus, just before the exodus, the Passover was established. When the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, on last night when the destroying angel passed across the land destroying the firstborn of Egypt, the Jewish people were protected because each family selected a lamb, and slaughtered it, and the blood daubed on the door posts of the house. That lamb represented Christ. Just as the blood of the lamb on the doorposts saved the people from the destruction of the firstborn, so the sacrifice of Christ, the perfect, holy Lamb of God, who took in his own body on the tree the sins of all those who would be saved; so through our Passover, Jesus Christ, our sins may be forgiven and we may find him.But the loaves for the Passover feast had to be made of unleavened bread, no yeast could be used. That had a practical purpose at that time of the exodus, because, so quickly were they going to leave Egypt, there would not be time for the bread to be leavened, so that took what was to hand: unleavened bread. And the Passover feast, would for ever after be kept with unleavened bread to remember this circumstance. It became a great illustration. The leaven, the yeast, stood for the old nature and sin. You are unleavened bread, the apostle says, ‘For even Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us.’ The Jewish Passover is finished; it is an Old Testament feast which is no longer in force. Now Christ has come and he has redeemed us; his sacrifice is for ever and the reality has superseded the old picture. His sacrifice was once and for all, and our Passover is like Christ's sacrifice, once and for all. The Old Testament feast of Passover was every year, but our Passover is throughout all our Christian life as we think on our Saviour’s sacrifice for us. It is from the day of our conversion to the day of our home call: we are feasting on Christ. Paul says to the Corinthians, ‘You still have the old leaven in your midst. You have got deep corruption in your ranks, and you have not purged it out. For a whole week before that final night, the people had to search in the home and get rid of all the leaven, and eat only unleavened bread. Just as they did this, so we have to expel from our ranks blatant and wilful sin.