A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough

1 Corinthians 5 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Immorality Rebuked

It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. ² You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

³ For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. ⁴ In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

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 us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; ¹⁰ I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. ¹¹ But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹² For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? ¹³ But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

In reading today’s text I couldn’t help but to wonder, if Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth, what would he say to much of the church today? The text says:  It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.  You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst… Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? … I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.  But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?  But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.   Some argue that the church and God’s word needs to be revised and updated to align with our society and culture. They say that Paul’s words and views do not reflect the love and grace of God and Jesus. Some speculate that if Jesus were here today He would embrace the immorality of our culture. That type of thinking and speculation is not consistent with what Jesus Himself said. In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says:  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”    The thing that people who say that God’s word should change to align with the times and the culture fail to recognize or acknowledge is that sin has not changed. Every type of sin and immoraity that exists today existed in Jesus day and long before. Sin, rebellion and immorality have existed as long as people have lived. The argument that says we are more enlightened so we should embrace sin is foolishness. Immorality and enlightenment have nothing in common. Quite the opposite, in John 3:19 Jesus says:  “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”  True enlightenment exposes evil through light.

What we need to realize is that what Paul shares is not intended to convince  the world of their immoraity or to condemn them for it. Paul’s letter is to believers; to the church. He says:   I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.  But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?  But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.   This negates the argument that some make when they point to the fact that Jesus associated with sinners and outcasts; with immoral people when He was here.  The truth is that Jesus came to be the redeemer and savior of everyone. In Luke 5:32 He says:  "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."   In Psalm 14:1-3 the psalmist says:  The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God.  They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.  So the argument that Jesus associated with sinners is foolishness. Who else could Jesus have associated with? As Romans 3:23 says:  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Jesus association with sinners was not so that He would embrace their sin, but rather to call them to repentance and redeem them from sin. Some say that it is cliché, to say that we should love sinners and hate sin. But the church, if we would be His disciples, if we would follow and be like Jesus, must learn to love and embrace people without embracing sin. Just before saying that He did not come to do away with the law, in Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus says:   “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”    Much of the church today, because it has embraced sin within the church, is indistinguishable from the world.  1 John 1:5-10 says:  This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.   The church is not to be a place where there are no sinners, but rather a place where sinners are called to repentance. It is not that we should ever say that immorality is no longer sin, but rather that we confess our sins and walk in His light. The truth is, light and darkness cannot coexist. Light dispels darkness. God is light and in Him there is no darkness.  Paul says:  Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. But in truth our hope and our desire rather than removing the wicked man from ourselves, should be to remove the wickedness of man from people, dispelling darkness through the light of Christ.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit may we never be deceived believing that Your opinion about sin or righteousness should or has changed. Jesus, You embraced the cross to redeem us from sin. How could we then embrace the very thing that You suffered and died to free us from? Holy Spirit help us to have the mind of Christ, that only as He and the Father can, we would love sinners yet hate sin. To say that it is cliché, is to say the same of the cross. May Your light dispel darkness in me and through me.   Amen.