1 Corinthians 5:7

¶ 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:

Purge out {G1571} therefore {G3767} the old {G3820} leaven {G2219}, that {G2443} ye may be {G5600} a new {G3501} lump {G5445}, as {G2531} ye are {G2075} unleavened {G106}. For {G1063} even {G2532} Christ {G5547} our {G2257} passover {G3957} is sacrificed {G2380} for {G5228} us {G2257}:

Get rid of the old hametz, so that you can be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach lamb, the Messiah, has been sacrificed.

Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ:

1 Corinthians 5:7 issues a powerful call to spiritual purity within the Christian community, using the vivid imagery of leaven and the profound significance of the Passover sacrifice. Paul urges believers to actively remove moral corruption, emphasizing their inherent new identity in Christ, who has already fulfilled the Passover sacrifice for them.

Context

This verse is central to Paul's stern rebuke of the Corinthian church for tolerating gross immorality within its midst, specifically a man living incestuously (1 Corinthians 5:1). Paul had just warned them in the previous verse that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." The instruction to purge out the old leaven directly echoes the Jewish practice before the annual Passover celebration, where every trace of leaven (fermented dough, symbolizing corruption or sin) had to be removed from homes. This physical act served as a powerful reminder of God's deliverance and the need for holiness.

Key Themes

  • Spiritual Purity and Holiness: The primary message is a command to actively remove sin and moral corruption from the community. Just as leaven spreads and corrupts the whole dough, so too does sin, if tolerated, corrupt the entire church body.
  • Identity in Christ: The phrase "as ye are unleavened" is crucial. It declares that believers, by virtue of their union with Christ, are already spiritually pure and made holy in God's sight. The purging is not to become unleavened, but to live consistently with that established, redeemed identity. It's a call to practical holiness reflecting their positional holiness.
  • Christ as the Passover Lamb: The verse explicitly identifies "Christ our passover." This profound theological statement connects Jesus directly to the Passover lamb whose blood protected Israel from the angel of death in Egypt. Jesus is presented as the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice whose blood secures salvation and deliverance from sin for believers. This echoes Christ being identified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His once-for-all sacrifice provides the basis for the believer's new, unleavened state.

Linguistic Insights

The Greek word for "leaven" is zymē (ζύμη), which in Jewish thought and in Paul's writings, often symbolizes pervasive evil, corruption, or false doctrine (as seen in Galatians 5:9). The term "Passover" is pascha (πάσχα), directly referencing the foundational Old Testament event and the sacrificial lamb. Paul's use of "is sacrificed" (etythē - ἐτύθη) is a perfect passive tense, emphasizing a completed action with ongoing results – Christ's sacrifice is a finished work.

Practical Application

This verse challenges believers and churches today to maintain spiritual integrity. It calls for:

  • Personal Examination: Each believer should regularly examine their own life to identify and "purge out" any "old leaven" – attitudes, habits, or sins that contradict their identity in Christ.
  • Ecclesiastical Discipline: Churches must take seriously the presence of unrepentant sin within the community, not out of judgment, but out of love for the purity of the body and the spiritual well-being of individuals.
  • Living out Our New Identity: Because Christ has already secured our "unleavened" status through His sacrifice, we are called to live a life consistent with that truth, embracing our new identity in Christ and striving for practical holiness.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 1 Peter 1:19

    But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

  • 1 Peter 1:20

    Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

  • Ephesians 4:22

    That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

  • Colossians 3:5

    ¶ Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

  • Colossians 3:9

    Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

  • John 1:29

    ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

  • Exodus 13:6

    Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day [shall be] a feast to the LORD.
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