PURGE OUT THE OLD

Good afternoon everyone. 

Here is yesterday's Bible lesson:

PURGE OUT THE OLD

READ:
1 Corinthians 5

Purge out the old leaven,
that you may be a new lump,
since you truly are unleavened. 
For indeed Christ, our Passover,
was sacrificed for us.  -1 Cor. 5:7

Several days before their New Year celebration, many Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning.  There's a Cantonese saying that goes:  "Wash away the dirt on ninyabaat" (28th day of month 12). They practice this tradition becaue it is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their home ready for good luck.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, he asked them to give their lives a thorough cleansing-not for good luck but to please God.  He told them to "purge out the old leaven" (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Paul used the Jewish feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:1-28) as a backdrop for this statement.  Leaven (yeast) was a symbol of sin and corruption and was to be removed from Jewish homes to celebrate these festivals (Deuteronomy 16:3-4).  Because Jesus is the Passover Lamb who cleanses us from sin, the Corinthians were to scour their hearts and remove the leaven of sexual immorality, malice, and wickedness from their lives and their assembly (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

Out of gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice, let us purge out the sin in our lives and celebrte the holiness that only He can bring. -Marvin Williams

The holiness of God demands
A heart that's pure within,
Yet grace unites with holiness
To purge the heart from sin. -D. De Haan
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Sin's contamination requires the Savior's cleansing.

INSIGHT
Verses 12-13 show the importance of church discipline.  In the synagogue tradition of the Jews, someone who flagrantly disobeyed the law of God was removed from their fellowship.  Now, with apostolic authority, Paul exhorts church leadership to deal similary with an unrepentant believer in the hope that he will seek repentance (vv. 1-5).

Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace