1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (2nd Study)

[Hidden In Him]

The Unleavened Bread, And The Leaven Corrupting It In Corinth

     I want to take one more study to address this passage, as in the first I dealt with how in the early church they were actually observing the Jewish feasts but only after a spiritual manner, given Paul's numerous references to not just Passover but the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But I never explained what the unleavened bread actually represented in this context, and what Paul was specifically telling them to remove from their midst.
     So taking the passage again, let's read it one more time:

     Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover has also been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of integrity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

     On one occasion, the Lord Jesus Christ taught that He Himself was the Bread of Life, and on another He warned that the teachings of the Pharisees were spiritual "leaven" that the disciples needed to beware of, for these might become a corrupting influence on them. Many teach that the brother who was sinning with his father's wife was the "leaven" they needed to remove from their midst, but that's not the real meaning behind the analogy Paul was using. He was talking about removing bad teaching from among them that was causing the problem, in keeping with what the Lord told the disciples in Matthew 16:5-12:

     And having come to the other side, His disciples forgot to take bread. And Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." And they were reasoning amongst themselves, saying, "It is because we took no bread." But knowing, Jesus said to them, "O you of little faith, why reason amongst yourselves that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive, nor remember the fives loaves that fed the five thousand, and how many baskets you took? How then do you not perceive that it is not concerning bread that I spoke to you saying, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees"? Then they understood that He had not said to beware of the leaven of the bread of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12)
 
     The question then becomes, in the context of discussing a man who was fornicating with his step mother, what sort of teachings might have been facilitating this sin, or at the very least keeping them from passing judgment on the man and excommunicating him? In answer, Paul will address some sayings that were circulating among them and apparently being adopted to justify engaging in the pleasures of the flesh. Paul will acknowledge that the body did indeed have needs, but clarify that such urges were not to be simply given into. As he would explain, the "truths" they were spouting could easily be abused, and turned into a license to sin: 

     "All things are lawful for me," but not all things benefit. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be ruled over by any. "Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods," but God will bring both this and that to nothing, and the body is not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
     God both raised up the Lord, and raises us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Having taken the members of Christ, then, shall I make them members of a prostitute? May it not be! Or do you not know that the one being joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "The two shall be one flesh..." Flee fornication therefore. (1 Corinthians 6:12-16)

     Paul's clear answer was, "All things are lawful, but I will not be ruled over by any." Being ruled over by the flesh is what was leading them into many sins, including the sexual sins of this young brother, and Paul would now spend the next six Chapters discussing various ways in which such teachings were leading them down the wrong path. And the trouble for the Corinthians was that they didn't need any help. Their entire culture was practically based on the pleasures of the flesh. In the ancient world, if you wanted a place to go to celebrate bodily lusts, Corinth ranked very high on the list. There were said to be a thousand prostitutes in the temple to Aphrodite in Corinth, and lavish festivals were also held there every other year, on top of the already somewhat decadent lifestyle many in Corinth were leading. Ancient writers like Strabo and Pausanias recorded details about just how rich yet immoral their society was:

     The temple of Venus/ Aphrodite at Corinth was so rich that it had more than a thousand women consecrated to the service of the goddess, courtesans, whom both men and women had dedicated as offerings to the goddess. The city was frequented and enriched by the multitudes who resorted thither on account of these women. Masters of ships freely squandered all their money there, hence the proverb, “It is not in every man's power to go to Corinth.” The answer was related of a courtesan to a woman who was reproaching her for disliking work and not employing herself in spinning; `Although I am what you see, yet, in this short time, I have already taken down three distaffs.' (Corinth: Described by Pausanias and Strabo, Julian Spriggs)

     In other words, the prostitute had already made more money in a few hours laying with men than the other woman had in spinning for days. Business for the prostitutes in Corinth was clearly good, but in the worst way where Christian morality was concerned, for as another source put it eloquently:

     Corinth welcomed a continual throng of foreign maritime visitors who brought with them an intention to spend, but also a variety of vices and kinks that made Corinth the perfect storm for the development of a morally bereft and debauched society. The evenings were occupied by feasting, and foreign merchants and travelers sought pleasures of a more carnal kind at taverns, temples and along dark streets. (Ancient Corinth: Rich In History, Culture and Religion, Travel Europe)

     Being the richest city in Greece meant they also ate well, and the ancients were well aware that eating enhanced the sex drive, as can be seen from numerous sayings reported by ancient writers, such as the axiom, “in well-engorged bodies, passions reside.” Athenaeus stated concerning the goddess Aphrodite herself that she never visited the poor, or in other words she never visited those who ate poorly, for “in an empty body, no love of the beautiful can reside.” And Plutarch meanwhile remarked in a somewhat derogatory way that “intemperate intercourse follows a lawless meal, and inharmonious music follows a shameless debauch.”
     This then was the "old leaven" Paul was saying needed to be removed from the church in Corinth. Some were attempting to transplant the city's carnality into a version of "Christianity" that made room for fleshly indulgences, by spouting axioms like "the belly for foods, and foods for the belly" and other such tidbits of "wisdom."
     So what, then, was the good teaching, i.e. "the unleavened bread" Paul wanted them teaching instead? An example of it is set forth by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27. Early church teaching was that Christians needed to keep their bodies under submission, and be "temperate in all things" (v.25). This meant bringing the sex drive under subjection though intermittent fasting, rather than strengthening it by heavy eating.

     Do you not know that they which run in a race all run, yet one receives the prize. But everyone who strives to compete controls himself in all things; they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one. So therefore I run, not as uncertainly; so I box, not as beating the air. But I pommel my body and bring it under subjection, lest having preached to others, I myself might be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24, 26-27)

     What Paul meant by this was that, like a boxer who beat himself in the stomach to get his body accustomed to taking blows, Paul regularly fasted to get his body accustomed to being brought under submission. As early church writer Ambrosiaster wrote in his commentaries, Paul was specifically talking about fasting in this passage:

     "To 'pommel the body' is to fast, and to avoid any kind of luxury. Paul shows that he disciplines his own body so that he will not miss out on the reward which he preaches to others." (Ambrosiaster, Commentary On Paul's Epistles, mid-380s A.D.).

                                                   


How Christ Kept The Church Unleavened

     Why did Jesus fast in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights? The answer is contained in the text itself, for Matthew states that Jesus went into the wilderness specifically to be tempted by the enemy:

     Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He hungered. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But Jesus answered, "It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:1-4)

     If Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil, it naturally follows that the fasting He was doing was in preparation for it. Now some would argue that Jesus was God and therefore didn't need to fast; that He could have withstood the enemy's temptations even if He hadn't fasted. But if this is true, it means He did so to set an example for us, of how WE should best prepare for temptation when it came along.
     Clearly the early church understood this, for fasting became an entrenched part of Christian tradition for several hundred years. In fact, it was Jesus Himself who instituted the practice when He told the disciples that WHEN they fasted they should not do so after the manner of the Pharisees, for religious hypocrites among the Jews did so only to draw attention to themselves and how "pious" they were before God. I will teach on it more in a later study, but the understanding was that fasting not only brought the flesh under, but as Jesus would inform them, it also brought a reward in the form of greater spiritual authority and supernatural empowerment from God:

     When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces so as to appear unto men to be fasting. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you not appear unto men to be fasting, but to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you in the open. (Matthew 6:16-18)

     For several reasons, then, fasting became the pattern set forth for the early church, and was especially practiced by the leadership during the early days of the New Testament era, such as when the apostle Paul was first commissioned by the Spirit of God to go preach the gospel to the Gentiles:

     Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon, and Lucius, and Manaen, and Saul. And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4)

     The men specifically mentioned in this text were following the New Testament pattern. The problem, however, was that not every believer was doing likewise, with the Corinthians being among them. This is because fleshly teaching and the parroting of little quips like "The belly for foods, and foods for the belly" were being used as justifications for doing just the opposite. Not coincidentally, the Corinthians were also engaging in a host of sins, from practicing adultery, to eating meat sacrificed to idols, to letting carnal strife and division potentially destroy the church.
     How, then, could the church at Corinth be said to be "unleavened"? In the midst of discussing these things, Paul told them, "Purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened." How so? What I believe Paul meant by this was that the Spirit of God was not allowing false teachers to continue among them forever, even if they were allowed to persist for a time in hopes they might come to repentance. But those who refused were being chastised by the Lord, and brought under judgment. As Paul would remind them several times throughout this letter:

     Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells within you? If anyone brings the temple of God into corruption, God shall bring him to corruption, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1 Corinthians 3:12-17)

     So let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For the one eating and drinking eats and drinks judgment unto himself, not discerning the body. Because of this, many among you are weak and sick, and many have fallen asleep. But if we would discern ourselves we would not be judged. But being judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:28-32)

     Because of their closeness to Him, the Lord continued protecting the early church by bringing such false teachers under judgment. Unfortunately, the church began drifting farther and farther from the Lord to the point where He eventually had no choice but to distance Himself from them by their own design. Though they had originally set out living by the principle, "Draw near unto God and He will draw near unto you" (James 4:8 ), by the time several centuries had passed the church had settled into a growing stagnation, and this was no longer the case. 


Removing Leaven From The Modern Church

     Because these things are not taught in the modern church, the typical congregation especially in the West doesn't even need a justification for engorging themselves on a regular basis. Tell the typical congregation that there will be a big dinner celebration next week, and not only will the whole church turn out but you may see people make an appearance who haven't darkened its door in ages. Call the church to a corporate fast, however, and you will likely hear crickets chirp. Despite how God repeatedly told the end-time church to call a fast through the prophet Joel, most churches today will be lucky to get 15% of the same turn out.
     Sadly, the result of all this is that of all the major religions in the world today, Christians are among the least likely to fast. As one source states:

     Despite the massive participation we see from followers of Judaism, Islam, and other belief systems, modern Christians seem to have moved away from fasting. Christian scholar and author David Mathis cites a “massive majority” of Christians who have never truly interacted with the practice. While exceptions certainly exist, the absence of fasting in the West is undeniable; while other religious groups participate in ritual fasting, Christians are far more likely to sit out. This discrepancy raises the question: why don’t Christians fast? (Why Don't Christians Fast, Columbia Witness.com)

     Some expositors of the word today even go so far as to openly teach against it, just as some appear to have been doing among the Corinthians, and this is where you see just how far we have fallen from the original New Testament teachings. The following piece illustrates the depths to which some have now sunk in leaving early church tradition almost utterly and completely behind:

     When we come to the NT, there are a number of arguments brought up by the advocates of fasting to defend the idea that this is a recommended practice for Christians, to wit: 1. The early church fasted (e.g. Acts 13:2-13, 14:23). 2. Paul fasted (2 Corinthians 6:5, 11:27). 3. Jesus gave instructions on how to behave when you fast (Matthew 6:16-18). 4. Jesus mentioned fasting as a tool in exorcism (Matthew 17:14-21/Mark 9:14-29), and 5. Jesus Himself fasted (Matthew 4:1-2/Luke 4:1-2). While prima facie these points may seem to make up a good case for the practice of fasting, a careful examination of the totality of NT teaching on the subject will reveal the opposite... no one with a deep understanding of scripture can be advocating fasting for Christians. (NOT SO FAST: Why Fasting Is Unnecessary and Inappropriate for Christians, John Tors)

     It's too long to address en toto, but in the process of sharing his "deep" understanding of scripture, the above writer explains away a whole host of passages on the subject, yet nowhere addresses 1 Corinthians 9:25-27. He also dismisses out of hand the idea that Jesus might have fasted as our example. I've heard others teach something similar, claiming that "Jesus fasted, so we don't have to," as if there is virtually nothing of importance in our Lord's example that believers need to be emulating.
     He then closes with another false interpretation in addressing Colossians 2:23, concluding from his suppositions that fasting is in no way helpful to the Christian life:

     Finally, some will say that they find the self-denial of fasting to be helpful for developing self-discipline and focus. Does the Bible agree with this? Hear Colossians 2:20-23. "If you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." So, no, fasting is not helpful for developing self-discipline and focus. According to the Bible, fasting (and other forms of asceticism) has an “appearance of wisdom,” which may be why so many who have only a superficial knowledge of the Bible promote it and think it is helpful. (NOT SO FAST: Why Fasting Is Unnecessary and Inappropriate for Christians, John Tors)

     In reality, the passage he quotes above teaches the exact opposite of what he is saying. The heretics Paul was warning against in Colossians were strict Jews who were teaching them that they needed to keep the unclean food laws, and Paul's answer to this was that abstaining from only certain foods because they were "unclean" while placing no limits on everything else they ate would completely defeat the purpose of "mortifying their members" (Colossians 3:5). Paul therefore described it as an approach that had zero value in actually bringing the flesh under submission. His teaching was actually a defense of Christian asceticism, which is what makes it such a shame that bringing the flesh under submission by such means is now viewed as "inappropriate and unnecessary."
     There are also churches that although well-meaning do something similar today. They observe what is called a "Daniel's Fast," where believers are supposed to eat only vegetables or no "pleasant foods" for twenty one days. Certainly this is better than ridiculous "fasts" like fasting one's cell phone, and when combined with prayer and done right, a Daniel's Fast can be beneficial. The problem, however, is that unless leadership stresses to the congregation that they should specifically cut down on calories, some will simply eat the entire produce department at Walmart out of business and end up worse off rather than better in the process of compensating for no longer being able to eat meat. I've seen this happen in Hispanic churches, and unfortunately the end result is often times an exercise in futility.
     All things considered, is it any wonder Christianity usually has the worst reputation among world religions when it comes to sexual misconduct? Sexual sin runs rampant in the church, especially amongst younger believers, but this is swept under the rug. Pastors and counsellors do their best to help under the circumstances, but the church's so-called "solutions" (which are usually psychology-based) often come up sorely lacking in actually keeping the flesh at bay, so it becomes a matter not many choose to discuss except in hush-hush tones during gossip.
    My intention is not to vilify nor bring shame upon the church for her sexual indiscretions. In fact, none of it should surprise anyone, given that sexual sin is a natural consequence of maintaining a strong sex drive through a continual high-calorie diet. The big problem today and the point I am trying to focus on is the same as Paul was in his day: The real culprit here is what is being taught. Spiritual leaven is again being taught at the expense of the unleavened bread both Christ Jesus and the apostle Paul taught and lived out by example, and this will have to change. Granted, fasting is not something every believer can do. It's unsafe for people with medical conditions like anorexia, and extensive, prolonged fasting is not to be recommended for anyone already underweight. But keeping the body under through fasting was the teaching of the early church, and those who teach against it teach against the entire message Paul was giving the Corinthians, from Chapter 5 all the way through Chapter 11. His main point was that carnal teachings were their real problem, for it was the "leaven" that was threatening to spread throughout the entire congregation and corrupt it, leading to a multitude of sins.
     For the most part, we appear to be slowly headed in the same direction today, which means that until proper teaching on the subject is restored to the church in earnest, we will continue to wallow in same problems the church in Corinth had some 2,000 years ago, and it will not be anything those with understanding view as being a coincidence. 



Links to sources:
https://www.columbiawitness.org/2016/10/02/why-dont-christians-fast/
https://truthinmydays.com/not-so-fast-why-fasting-is-unnecessary-and-inappropriate-for-christians/#Jesus_Mentioned_Fasting_as_a_Tool_in_Exorcism