“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-7a
The leaven spoken of, is not mere human imperfection, but the willful disobedience to the standards of God’s Word. For a church to be faithful in “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever God has commanded”, it cannot at the same time be permitting that which is a rejection and defiance of those teachings.
God’s command is, “Purge out therefore the old leaven.” This is to be considered a must, because, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”
The church at Corinth had an immorality problem in its membership, the sin of fornication, 1 Corinthians 5:1. Nothing had been done about it, 1 Corinthians 5:2. “And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” Apparently, because of who these people were, no one was willing to take a stand against what they were doing.
So, now the church had two problems. It had the sin of fornication, which God says is not to be permitted in the membership (Ephesians 5:3) and it had the leaven effect of this sin–in that the people were so committed to favoring this person(s) that they were not obeying God in revoking his membership status.
In 1 Samuel 2:29-30, it was the leaven effect of Eli’s sons upon Eli that weighed in on him to prefer them above removing them in order to preserve the sanctity of the office of the priesthood. A member’s sin is a grievous matter. But when the leaven effect that weighs upon people’s feelings and positions, prevents them from taking their stand with God, this is what will get the church out of harmony with the Spirit of God.
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14,15
Loyalty to Christ requires purging out the leaven of sin, lest the church become leavened by the effect of its presence.
SHARING
