1 Corinthians 5:6-8

⁶ “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? ⁷ Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Verse 6: Paul continues his admonishment to the Corinthians, addressing their pride and boasting. He uses the metaphor of yeast to illustrate how a small amount can permeate and affect the entire batch of dough. In this context, Paul is warning the Corinthians about the danger of allowing sin and immorality to go unchecked within the church, as it can have a corrupting influence on the entire body.

Verse 7:  Paul urges the Corinthians to remove the old yeast, symbolizing sin and immorality, from their midst. He reminds them of their true identity as a new creation in Christ, emphasizing that they are already unleavened in their spiritual nature. Paul points to the sacrifice of Christ, who fulfilled the role of the Passover lamb, as the basis for their freedom from sin and the power to live a holy life.

Verse 8: Paul encourages the Corinthians to celebrate the Festival, which likely refers to the Christian life and the ongoing experience of God’s grace. He contrasts the old leavened bread, representing a life characterized by malice and wickedness, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Paul urges them to live with genuine sincerity and truthfulness, free from the corrupting influence of sin.