A Little Leaven
The church at Corinth had a very serious sin problem within their membership. A man was living with his father's wife, his step-mother. That was a sin that not even the Gentiles committed. However, the reaction of the church was to boast that God's grace could cover that sin, since Christ had died for all of our sins. (I Corinthians 5:6) Yes, Christ died for all of our sins, but if we sin after we are saved, it hurts our relationship with God, so we need to confess it and be cleansed from it, so our broken fellowship can be restored. (I John 1:9) Then, Paul explained a great truth that we need to learn.
Paul told them that their boasting was not good, because a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. What does that have to do with sexual immorality? Well, leaven is a Biblical symbol for sin, since it spreads through all of the dough once a little is kneaded into the lump. That is how sin works. It never goes away on its own. It grows and/or spreads. It must be rejected and confessed, or it will spread to other people, and it will get worse and worse. Therefore, it is never good to compromise with sin or to boast about how God's grace can take care of it. God has made it clear that He hates all sins. He will not have anything to do with sin, and sin breaks our close fellowship with Him. Any believer who thinks that he or she can sin with no effects on his or her life is self-deceived. We must put it away before it takes over our lives, our families, and our churches.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 6-8.
Paul told them that their boasting was not good, because a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. What does that have to do with sexual immorality? Well, leaven is a Biblical symbol for sin, since it spreads through all of the dough once a little is kneaded into the lump. That is how sin works. It never goes away on its own. It grows and/or spreads. It must be rejected and confessed, or it will spread to other people, and it will get worse and worse. Therefore, it is never good to compromise with sin or to boast about how God's grace can take care of it. God has made it clear that He hates all sins. He will not have anything to do with sin, and sin breaks our close fellowship with Him. Any believer who thinks that he or she can sin with no effects on his or her life is self-deceived. We must put it away before it takes over our lives, our families, and our churches.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 6-8.