1 Corinthians 5:7
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.
Paul is telling the Corinthians to become what they already are. Act like the transformed people who you were mean to be. Be who you are. Christ gave his life so that we might be free from sin. In this context Paul is writing about the corporate body of the church. The church must remove the sinful man because he is like a poison that will ruin the health of the whole church. The church is meant to be a holy place where the blood of Christ has made a genuine and lasting difference. Yet each individual within this fellowship has a responsibility of personal cleansing. How can the church be holy if the people who are a part of it are not holy? It cannot happen. We can talk on the corporate level here, but it really won’t get us very far. It will remain in the theoretical level. We must get down to each person within the church. It because deep within us, in the “heart.” Who is it that reigns in our hearts? Is God on the throne or are we following our own desires, seeking to please the flesh or striving to satisfy our pride? If the problem of sin is not resolved, we as individuals will continue to struggle (see Romans 7) and the health of the church will suffer. There will always be those within the church who are immature and fleshly. The nature of discipleship is to call constantly new people to the deeper walk of holiness. The church is a place of evangelism. But we must move believers quickly and steady to entire sanctification so that they experience the joy and peace of Christ and the church remains a healthy fellowship. We must seek the cleansing of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. This verse is best interpreted from the perspective of holiness doctrine. It makes great sense to see that God wants to do something deeper within the believers and the church.
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