1 Corinthians 5:8

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.

Therefore {G5620} let us keep the feast {G1858}, not {G3361} with {G1722} old {G3820} leaven {G2219}, neither {G3366} with {G1722} the leaven {G2219} of malice {G2549} and {G2532} wickedness {G4189}; but {G235} with {G1722} the unleavened {G106} bread of sincerity {G1505} and {G2532} truth {G225}.

So let us celebrate the Seder not with leftover hametz, the hametz of wickedness and evil, but with the matzah of purity and truth.

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

wherefore 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.

In 1 Corinthians 5:8, the Apostle Paul continues his strong admonition to the Corinthian church regarding spiritual purity and moral conduct. Building on the metaphor of leaven, he urges believers to live lives characterized by genuine sincerity and truth, free from the corrupting influence of sin.

Context

This verse is the culmination of Paul's instruction concerning a severe moral issue within the Corinthian community – a case of incest (1 Corinthians 5:1). He criticizes the church for its complacency and arrogance in the face of such sin. In verse 7, Paul declares that "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us," linking the Christian life to the Jewish Passover feast. Just as Jewish households meticulously removed all leaven (a symbol of corruption and sin) before Passover, Paul insists that believers, redeemed by Christ, must cleanse themselves of spiritual "leaven" – referring to malice and wickedness.

Key Themes

  • Spiritual Cleansing and Purity: The primary theme is the call for believers to actively purge sin from their lives. The imagery of leaven, which ferments and spreads, powerfully illustrates how even a small amount of sin can corrupt an entire community.
  • Christian Living as a Continuous Feast: Paul's phrase "let us keep the feast" suggests that the Christian life itself is a continuous celebration of Christ's redemptive work, not just an annual event. This feast demands ongoing spiritual integrity.
  • Sincerity and Truth: These virtues are presented as the "unleavened bread" of the Christian walk. Sincerity implies genuine, unhypocritical faith and conduct, while truth speaks to living in accordance with God's revealed will and the reality of Christ.
  • Corporate Responsibility: While addressing individual purity, the context of the Corinthian church implies a corporate responsibility to maintain the purity of the body of Christ.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Greek word for "leaven" is zymē (ζύμη), consistently used in the New Testament as a metaphor for corrupting influence, often sin or false doctrine (e.g., Galatians 5:9).
  • "Unleavened [bread]" is azyma (ἄζυμα), directly referencing the bread eaten during Passover, which was made without yeast as a symbol of haste and purity (as there was no time for the dough to rise during the Exodus).
  • "Sincerity" translates eilikrineia (εἰλικρίνεια), which denotes purity, unmixedness, or freedom from pretense. It suggests a transparency of character.
  • "Truth" is alētheia (ἀλήθεια), signifying reality, integrity, and conformity to fact. For Christians, this often refers to the truth of the Gospel and the person of Christ (John 14:6).

Practical Application

For believers today, 1 Corinthians 5:8 serves as a timeless call to ethical living. It encourages an honest self-examination, identifying and removing any "leaven" of sin – whether it be malice, wickedness, hypocrisy, or deceit – from our personal lives and our church communities. Living with the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" means cultivating an authentic faith that is consistent in private and public, marked by integrity and devotion to God's standards. It reminds us that our redemption in Christ calls us to a new quality of life, continually striving for 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 2:1

    ¶ Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

  • 1 Peter 2:2

    As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

  • Exodus 12:15

    Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

  • Deuteronomy 16:3

    Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, [even] the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

  • Luke 12:1

    ¶ In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

  • Mark 8:15

    And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and [of] the leaven of Herod.

  • Matthew 16:6

    Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
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