1 Corinthians 5 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“In the name of our L_rd Yeshua, when you are assembled, along with my spirit and with the power of our Lord Yeshua, turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the L_rd. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, since you are unleavened. For Messiah our Passover has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast, or with the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:4-8

The church in Corinth was not lacking any spiritual gift. Being gifted is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing, in that the gifted person is divinely enabled to accomplish more than any normal individual could dream of. But they are cursed, in that there is a higher potential for gifted people to fall into pride. Gifted folks tend to crave glory for their gifted accomplishments, while denying G_d His glory for having gifted them in the first place!

The Messianic community leaders in Corinth were so proud of their congregation’s reputation of giftedness, they chose to defend their reputation rather than repair their reality. By boasting of their giftedness, and ignoring sin issues, they ceased being shepherds, and took up the mantle of “publicists”. In doing this, they chose to offend G_d, rather than damaging their reputations by exposing sin.

I have heard it said by some preachers that Gentiles are not allowed to celebrate the Passover Seder. That is not true. Not only does the Torah allow for Gentiles to observe the Seder, given certain criteria, (which all believers in Y’shua meet) but Paul also indicates that Gentile believers in the early church observed the Seder.

“Therefore, let us observe the feast…with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:8

Those who have attended a Passover Seder may remember the Passover tradition, “clearing the house of leaven” before the Seder. That is exactly the image Paul is using to rebuke the Corinthian believers…which indicates the Corinthians were familiar with the Seder imagery.

Something special about the Passover Seder is how it is to be observed in homes. For Israel, it is at once, personal and national. Paul is telling us that we must personally purge our sinful ways. Then, we must collectively purge “leaven” from our communities. Finally, communities should come together to purge sin nationally & globally.

Sin spreads inversely. That is, if we are not personally accountable, we won’t be accountable to a local body of believers. Our congregations will not rally together to take a stand against corporate sin, and we will lose our effectiveness in the world-at-large.

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Wednesday, September 4, 2013