“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:” (1Co 5:7 AV)
Paul uses a perfect picture for the cleansing of a harmfully influenced church. The practice of purging leaven so that it did not influence the unleavened Passover bread was not done while the dough was already prepared. Rather, Paul is speaking of the completely removing leaven from the Jewish home prior to any preparation of the Passover bread. By removing the leaven, it removed any possibility of accidental contamination. Out of habit, the baker could have added leaven. Yeast spores could be made airborne and thus infect the dough. There are several ways in which the leaven could, even if minutely, be a part of the Passover bread. In context, Paul is applying this to a church that has allowed fornication to go on unchallenged. Although the rest of the church was influenced by it only to the degree of permitting it, the presence of a fornicator without consequences could lead to worse circumstances. The observation that they were unleavened at the moment meant there was cause for purging. If the church did not resolve this issue, the leaven would spread.
This truth is not for a body of believers, only. It is also for the individual. Something that I find both interesting and amusing is that, as we age, the things we allowed in our life with little to no thought of consequence are not being forced out against our wills. For instance, when you are young, you can eat as many carbs as you want. Your metabolism can adapt, and you can remain rather fit. Exercise was a lifestyle. We were always active, so our calorie burn kept up with our diet. I was skinny are a rail until I hit my forties. Now, suddenly, carbs are pretty much off the table. When I was young, I could eat greens and nuts with impunity. Now that my kidney function is looking like I might have stones, not so much anymore. I could stay up as late as I wanted. Sorry, but I now have a bedtime like I did when I was a child. The older we get, it seems, the more must be purged. We could recover when we were younger. As we get older, we cannot. Gone are the days of high-risk activities. There will be no more wilderness hunting for me. No more amusement park rides for me. No more sudden and large life-changing decisions for me. It would take longer to recover.
We allow harmful influences to invade our lives without regard for the long-term effect. Perhaps we will be fine for a while. But allow these things for a long period and they can become seriously damaging. It is sort of like the difference of ‘use by’ and ‘best used by’. How many of us stretch that limit? We are quick to respond to the obviously harmful. But the subtly harmful we allow it to slide. I am sure the Corinthian church maintained its holiness. At least for a time. There probably was not rampant immorality surging through the pews. They were a carnal church and had much work to do. But allowing even one unrepentant fornicator to continue without consequences would only lead to more and worse sin in the congregation. The same can be said of our own walk with God. If we allow a little, much is on the horizon. If we open the door to a little sin, then a lot is soon to follow. If we think we can keep our sin in a cage, it may be successful for a time. However, it will soon become out of control, and the damage will be severe. Purging even the smallest hint of sin keeps the soul and spirit clean. Time to go through the cupboards of our souls and throw out the potentially harmful.
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