Unpacking 1 Corinthians 5:7: Christ Our Passover

Context of 1 Corinthians 5:7

To understand Paul’s call to 'cleanse out the old leaven' in 1 Corinthians 5:7, we need to see both the shocking sin in Corinth and the powerful symbolism of Passover from Exodus.

The church in Corinth was tolerating a man involved in incest - a sin even non-Christians rejected - and they were proud instead of repentant. Paul compares this unchecked sin to leaven, drawing from Exodus 12:15-20, where God commanded the Israelites to remove all leaven before celebrating the Passover, a reminder of their urgent deliverance from Egypt. Just as a small amount of leaven spreads through dough, sin left unaddressed can spread through a church.

Now, Paul says, believers are unleavened - not because they are perfect, but because Christ, our true Passover lamb, has been sacrificed once for all, making a fresh start possible for the whole community.

Theological Layers in 1 Corinthians 5:7

Building on the Passover imagery, Paul weaves together deep truths about Christ's sacrifice, the church's purity, and how Old Testament symbols find their true meaning in Jesus.

Paul calls the church to remove sin because they are a new community - unleavened not by their own effort, but because Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed (1 Cor 5:7). This connects directly to Exodus 12, where the Passover lamb's blood saved Israel from death, but now Jesus fulfills that role once and for all. In Jewish tradition, removing leaven was a physical act tied to spiritual readiness. Paul says believers are *already* unleavened through Christ’s work, so their life together should reflect that new reality. This is more than personal holiness - it’s about the church as a collective body living in the truth of what Christ has done.

Some Christian traditions see this sacrifice as symbolic, a memorial we remember but don’t spiritually participate in, while others believe we truly receive grace through faith in a way that changes us inwardly - what some call a 'sacramental' view. Paul’s language goes beyond mere memory: Christ’s sacrifice has real, ongoing power to cleanse the community, which is why tolerating sin undermines the very identity of the church. He references Passover to show Jesus is the true Lamb whose death defines a new way of life.

Christ is not just a symbol of sacrifice - He is the reality that changes how we live together.

Because the old leaven of sin distorts who we are in Christ, removing it isn’t legalism - it’s faithfulness. Since Christ has already been sacrificed, we don’t wait for future deliverance. We live now as people set free.

Living as a Holy Community and People

Paul urges us to remove sin, which means living out the holiness that belongs to us through Christ's sacrifice.

He tells the Corinthians not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet lives in persistent sin like sexual immorality or greed (1 Corinthians 5:11), making it clear that church life requires accountability. This isn’t about judging non-Christians - Paul says God will handle that - but about maintaining the integrity of the community that bears Christ’s name.

Holiness isn't about being perfect - it's about belonging to a God who calls us to live differently.

The standard for believers is rooted in God’s own character: 'Be holy, for I am holy' (1 Peter 1:16), a call that echoes throughout Scripture. While we’re not saved by being good enough, our lives should reflect the new lump we’ve become in Christ. Holiness isn’t a burden imposed from the outside - it’s the natural response of a people set apart by grace, living in step with who they truly are because of the Passover Lamb who gave His life for them.

The Passover Lamb Across Scripture: From Exodus to Eternity

The Passover lamb theme is a continuous thread throughout the Bible, pointing forward to Jesus and shaping how we live today. It is more than a one-time symbol in Exodus.

In Exodus 12, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb and paint its blood on their doorposts so death would pass over them - a vivid picture of rescue through substitution. Centuries later, John the Baptist points to Jesus and declares, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' (John 1:29), and John 19:36 confirms that not a bone of Jesus was broken, just as the Passover lamb’s bones were not to be broken (Exodus 12:46), proving He is the true fulfillment.

the apostle Peter writes that we were not redeemed with silver or gold, but 'with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot' (1 Peter 1:19), tying our salvation directly to that Passover image. And in Revelation 5:6-12, John sees a vision of heaven where the only one worthy to open the scroll is 'a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain,' and every creature sings, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!' Christ’s sacrifice is the central act of worship for all eternity, extending beyond a historical event.

Because this Lamb was slain for us, our daily lives should reflect both gratitude and seriousness - no casualness toward sin, no pride in our failures, but a community that treats holiness as a response to grace. Church is a family being cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, not a club for perfect people. We are called to remove the old leaven because we belong to Him, not out of fear. We gather in sincerity and truth (1 Cor 5:8), knowing that our identity is rooted in the spotless Lamb. And when we correct one another in love, we’re not being harsh - we’re protecting the purity of the body that Christ died to sanctify.

Christ, the Lamb slain in eternity, calls His church to live now with holy urgency.

So this truth reshapes everything: how we handle sin, how we worship, how we love one another. And as we live this way, we become a living preview of that heavenly chorus, joining all creation in honoring the Lamb who was slain.

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