Mar 25, 2026

CHRIST, OUR PASSOVER LAMB, HAS BEEN SACRIFICED FOR OUR SINS

Passage: 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Key verse: 7

NIV

chapter 5

1. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.

2. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?

3. For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.

4. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,

5. hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

6. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

7. Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

8. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people -

10. not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

11. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

12. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

13. God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you."

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Sexual immorality was another problem that the young Corinthian church faced. A man in the church was committing incest with his stepmother. Even unbelieving pagans did not tolerate this sin. But the Corinthian fellowship turned a blind eye. They were proud of their tolerance. But Paul was very clear that the man’s behavior was sin. He told the Corinthians to hand this man over to Satan in the hope that he would repent and that his spirit would be saved.
We do not know exactly why the Corinthian church allowed this sexual sin to continue in their midst. But Paul saw that this sin was very dangerous to the spiritual health of the whole church. Sin is like yeast added to a batch of dough. The yeast soon affects all the dough. They had to remove the sexually immoral man lest his sin spread to others.
Next Paul appeals to the Passover festival. The Passover, with the sacrifice of a lamb, was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Both were celebrated together in the Old Testament. Christ is our Passover Lamb. He was sacrificed for sin. Therefore, they were to live each day in “unleavened” fellowship in sincerity and truth.

Prayer: Father, we repent of our casual and even accepting attitude toward sin. Thank you for Jesus our Passover Lamb. Help us to be holy.

One Word: Do not tolerate sin

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