A Little Leaven – Living the Word

Galatians 5:9-15 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.

‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump’ – A little sin or false doctrine can corrupt the whole life and conduct (1Cor. 5:6; Jas. 2:10).

‘I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded; but he that troubles you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.’ I have faith that you will recover yourself and regain the grace you have lost and that your troubler will be cut off (5:10-12).

‘If I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?’ It was reported that Paul preached circumcision (perhaps because Timothy was circumcised. Acts 16:3), but if so, why did the Jews still persecute him? If he did that, the offence of the cross would cease.

‘You have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.’ You have been called to total freedom from all the law, but do not let this cause you to think that you have no responsibility to live right. The new covenant also demands righteousness of all people and the love of neighbours as yourself (5:13-14; Matt. 19:19; Rom. 13:9).

‘But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.’ If you become “cannibalistic” Christians, you will destroy one another, confirming your total backslidings and fall from grace (1:6-8; 3:1-5; 5:4, 15).

1Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavened the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

‘Glorying is not good’ Your boasting over gifts, privileges, and powers is not good. You are so busy contending over your teachers that you have let the congregation fall under scandalous corruptions that threaten its very existence.

Six things that are not good: Boasting in the face of unconfessed sin (5:6); to punish the just (Pro. 17:26); to be without knowledge (Pro. 19:2); accept the wicked and overthrow the righteous in judgment (Pro. 18:5); to have respect for persons in judgment (Pro. 24:23); for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18).

Seven things that are good: To draw near to God (Ps. 73:28); to give thanks to God (Ps. 92:1); to be afflicted (Ps. 119:71); to give praise (Ps. 147:1); to hope and wait for salvation (Lam. 3:26); to bear the yoke in youth (Lam. 3:27); to be zealous for good (Gal. 4:18).

‘Know you not that a little leaven leavened the whole lump?’ If you permit this incestuous person to continue in your midst without judgment, the whole congregation will become ruined by moral impurities.

‘Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump.’ As was the custom of the Jews before the passover to cleanse their homes from all leaven, so the congregation is here admonished to clean out the immoral practices from its midst.

‘As you are unleavened’ – You are yet unleavened; the filth of moral sin has not yet become spread among you. If you will purge this immorality out then you will be a new lump, completely free from sin.

‘Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.’ Christ has become our passover lamb and by His blood, all sin can be purged (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22; Rev. 1:5).

‘Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleaved bread of sincerity and truth.’ Paul means that the passover is in the past and we are now living in the days of the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.