Lesson 52 October 6, 2002

5:9 A Common Proverb used as a strong warning!

The use of this proverb conveys the same principle: what seems to be a little thing can do a lot of damage if not dealt with.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

Paul uses this proverb of leaven in 1 Cor. 5:6-8; also a strong warning there.

> DANGER DESCRIBED 5:6-8 Why the church needs to take this action.

> The illustration vs:6 = uses leaven

Leaven - two concepts in scripture; sin/evil and extent of penetration or spreading of the sin.

- ever mix yeast with dough and only have 1/2 of it rise??

DEF: Leaven is any evil that tends to permeate and to eventually dominate.

What in this context is referred to as the leaven??

- So the leaven includes both the moral sin of the man and the mental attitude sin of the assembly.

> That illustration, the leaven, has an application in vs:7

Paul's challenge to the Corinthians!

The lamb has already been slain and there is still leaven in the house!!

HOW COME CORINTHIANS!!

Background is the Passover Exodus 12

From the Passover: When the lamb was slain, there was to be no leaven in the house.

Cleansing deals with their experiential relationship w/God and Paul says right now experientially you need to be clean;

Now the reason: "for" = gar; explanatory!

- "Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed."

> 5:8 The Celebration!

"Let us therefore celebrate the feast"; feast = unleavened bread

- The continual celebrating indicates what is to be the pattern in the CWOL, our lives day by day, to be with out the old leaven, sin and rejection of truth.

Summary 5:9

1. This proverb about leaven teaches how evil spreads, a small amount permeates the whole lump of dough.

2. Therefore it is a very apt symbol of how moral and spiritual corruption not dealt with spreads and infects the church.

3. Paul sees very clearly that if the false teaching of the Judaizers was not dealt with quickly that this leaven would corrupt the whole church taking it off the course of grace.

4. Leaven and its pervasive penetrating power also clearly depicts how false doctrine infects and contaminates ones thinking, taking them off the course of grace.

5. The leaven in view in Galatian churches is the legalism of works to gain acceptance before God.

6. Paul's strong exhortation to the Galatians is to deal with the issue of the false doctrine of the Judaizers, before it permeates and contaminates all the congregations.

- Holy Spirit gives us enabling power when He is not quenched or grieved so that we have a clear readout of Scripture/truth to apply correctly in our life all with the result that everything we do, whether the routine mundane things related to our jobs or cooking meals, doing the laundry or worship, what ever, we are able to do them as unto the Lord with the right mental attitude and we glorify God in the doing!!