Lesson 15

Leavening Agents

Father,

We surely look to you for spiritual guidance in every area of our life and we ask for mercy and grace to accomplish everything that is in our sphere of influence. Help us to be a mountain of strength with those we come into contact with and grant us knowledge of your will and the grace to see it through to its completion.
In Jesus name Amen

Key word: leaven

Lesson Summary

Purging with old methods the leavening of things that are shallow to the walk of faith is now superceded by a new Testament way of guidance which while it does not throw away the old , modifies the cleansing with many new parameters. These godly inspired routines are now well established and simple for the Church as a whole to understand and follow as they each have the one goal in mind of thanksgiving toward God and fellowship with man.

7 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:

The old leaven-the remnant of the "old" (Eph 4:22-24) is pagan and naturally corrupt. The Jews used tremendous attention to detail in searching their homes, and eradicating every element of leaven at the Passover (Deut 16:3-4). So Christians are continually to search and purify their hearts (Ps 139:23-24) The feast of unleavened bread followed the slaying of the Lamb: so Christ having been once and for all sacrificed, the feast is now going on, in which there shall be no leaven of evil left from among us, the 'unleavened lump.'

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.

The Hebrew Passover naturally gave place to our Christian Easter. The time, however, of keeping a feast is not limited, to one season, but is for the benefit of the sacrifice of the Lamb and in no part of our time is the leaven of evil to be admitted.

9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

2 Cor 7:8 uses the same phrase, in referring to Paul’s first letter, as here it is used in referring to a former one. It probably was a brief reply to investigation of the Corinthians, our first letter, as it enters more fully into the same subject.

10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

As in Corinth to keep company with no fornicators,' etc., would be almost to company with nobody in the (unbelieving) world, ye need not forego contact’ altogether' ( 1 Cor 10:27). "Fornicators" sin against themselves, so "extortioners" against their neighbours, and "idolaters" against God. The attempt to get "out of the world," in violation of God's will (John 17:15), led to monks and monasteries in the later “Dark Ages”.

11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

There is less peril in associating with pagans than with Christian carnal members.. Hence, idolatry and lust go together; and the covetous man is termed an "idolater" (Num 25:1-2). The Corinthians were not open idolaters, but ate things offered to idols, compromising with pagans; so they played with fornication. (1 Cor 8:4)

12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?

Paul’s concern is not with unbelievers outside, He was referring to those within the Church.

You are able to judge them that are within? God shall judge them that are without. By your judging them within, as I do, you will save them from His condemning judgment.

13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

God will judge the pagan, not us (Rom 2:12-16). Paul prepares the way for the reprimand of their going to law with saints before pagan tribunals, instead of judging such cases themselves (1 Cor 6:1-8).