Keep the Feast with Sincerity and Truth 1 Corinthians 5:8

Paul the apostle asked the church in Corinth if they knew, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” as he referred to someone in their church who committed “fornication” with his “father's wife”. He told them their “glorying was not good”, and they should “purge out the old leaven” so they would be “a new lump” because “even Christ our passover is sacrificed” for himself and the church. In chapter five and verse eight of First Corinthians, Paul told the church members in Corinth they should “keep the feast” with “sincerity and truth” where we read:

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 verse begins, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;” Paul began with the word, “Therefore” which is a conclusion word that means “so that, insomuch, then and wherefore” “let us keep the feast” which means “celebrate the festival”, “not with old” or “not having ancient, worn or worse for wear” “leaven” which refers to “inveterate mental and moral corruption viewed in its tendency to infect others”, “neither” or “not once at all” “with the leaven” which means “having inveterate mental and moral corruption viewed in its tendency to infect others” “of malice” or “with malignity, ill-will, desire to injure, evil, trouble and depravity” “and wickedness” which refers to “depravity, iniquity and evil purposes and desires”. Paul referred to the purifying of any “leaven” before the “feast of passover” which he identified in this case to be “malice and wickedness”.

The verse continues, “but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Paul added the word, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated “with the unleavened” or “having unfermented, free from leaven or yeast and free from faults or iniquity” “bread of sincerity” which means “purity and ingenuousness” “and truth” or “what is true in any matter under construction, reality, fact and certainty”. Rather than “malice and wickedness”, the church in Corinth was to have “sinless purity and reality” when they met together.

When we consider these words from Paul, we see how “malice and wickedness” should not be within the church. “Sincerity and truth” was to be operating at all times when people met within the church in Corinth. This was Paul's desire and directive for them. “Revenge, ill-will, depravity and wicked behavior” was not to be within the church of Jesus. Jesus was and is always “pure” and “truthful”, and His church should be a representation of His character. Jesus came to save “sinners” from the penalty of “sins”, and this was a “cleansing and purifying” process. This “process” must remain in the church lest “malice and wickedness” not only enter in, but also remain there.

Next time Paul shares how the church members “wrote” unto them “not to company with fornicators”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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