1 Corinthians 5:8

8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, 1not with the old leaven, 2the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 5:8

Therefore let us keep the feast
Not the feast of the passover, which was now ceased, though this is said in allusion to it; when the master of the house used to say F12,

``everyone that is hungry, let him come and eat; he that hath need, let him come (xopyw) , "and paschatize", or keep the feast of the passover:''

but rather the feast of the Lord's supper is here meant, that feast of fat things Isaiah prophesied of; in which are the richest entertainments, even the flesh and blood of Christ; though it seems best to understand it of the whole course of a Christian's life, spent in the exercise of spiritual joy and faith in Christ; he that is of a merry heart, as the believer of all men in the world has reason to be of, "hath a continual feast", ( Proverbs 15:15 ) of spiritual mirth and pleasure, rejoicing always in Christ, as he ought to do: which feast, or course of life, is to be kept "not with old leaven"; in the old, vain, sinful manner of conversation, as before:

neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
not in malice to any man, or one another, nor in any sort of wickedness, living in no known sin, and allowing of it:

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity;
as opposed to malice, of sincere love to God and Christ, and to his people: and of truth; of Gospel doctrine, discipline, and conversation.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Haggada Shel Pesach, p. 4. Ed. Rittangel.

1 Corinthians 5:8 In-Context

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--
10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Exodus 12:15; Deuteronomy 16:3
  • 2. [Matthew 16:6, 12; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.