1 Corinthians 5:6, A Little Leaven

1 Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

The Apostle Paul has sensed that pride has overtaken the Corinthian Christians. He has observed that there is a false sense of spirituality built upon self-exaltation. In so doing, they have chosen not to deal with the sin that is in the camp. He warned that choosing not to see the corruption within the body will affect the wellbeing of the entire church.

He gave the example of the little lump, the small amount of yeast that is placed in a new loaf of bread that will permeate the entire loaf to cause the bread to rise. The sin of this one person, if not prompt dealt with, will bring a sense of moral corruption to the entire church. Because such a sin is tolerated, it is like a cancer that will eventually kill the diseased body. As such, he is urging that to take quick action to discipline the errant sinner in their midst.

In the history of Israel, the initial introduction of idolatry was not arrested so that with time, the entire nation went a whoring. This result in God’s judgment by the Babylonians where Israel was deported out of the land for 70 years.

May the church be kept pure and sins purged. Amen.