What happensPermalink
Paul rebukes the church for tolerating sexual sin. Their pride in their tolerance endangers the whole community, for sin spreads like leaven through dough. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed to save the church; therefore the church should live as uncorrupted people, marked by sincerity and truth. Paul clarifies that his earlier warning not to associate with the immoral referred not to unbelievers, which would be impossible, but to anyone claiming to be a believer who persists in such sin.
Why it mattersPermalink
Discipline protects both holiness and hope. By removing unrepentant sin, the church preserves its witness, guards its members, and seeks the offernder’s ultimate salvation. Paul’s Passover image roots this command in God’s call, through Moses, for purity among His redeemed people.
Key versePermalink
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.