1 Coríntios 5
Wayne Barber · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 5
Barber says "Two things happen when sin is not dealt with within the church. First of all, the testimony of believers is damaged outside the church. But secondly, the purity of the believers is affected inside the church. You see, you have young people growing up, you have people that aren’t mature in the faith, and when you allow sin to go on and you don’t deal with it, it’s sending a message it must be okay. So a younger person says, “Well, if it’s okay for him, it’s okay for me.” The purity of believers within the church begins to decay. Paul, as an apostle under the authority of Christ Himself, says, “I’m making a decision and this decision is not based on my own opinion. It’s based on the fact of the authority of Christ. It’s God’s idea. It’s not man’s idea.....when we begin to tolerate sin in our lives, we’re going to begin to tolerate it in others lives. Then it begins to get in the church. It just decays our testimony in the world. The world looks at us and laughs and says, “You’re spiritual air bags. You know what to say but your life does not show us that you really love the Lord Jesus Christ.” Note that the NAS adds I have decided. Let's read it in the NET version "When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh - Let's take this word by word or phrase by phrase To deliver (paradidomi) means to give one over to the power and authority of another, in this case Satan and from 1 Cor 5:2+ we know one thing deliver means is that the man is to be removed from the church. Paul uses deliver (paradidomi) in Romans 1 (Ro 1:24, 26, 28+) for turning God rejecters (Ro 1:18-23+) over to "the lusts of their hearts to impurity....to degrading passions....to a depraved mind." So in Romans the delivering over is not for restoration but for retribution, divine judgment. In another use of deliver (paradidomi) in the context of discipline in 1 Ti 1:20 Paul writes "Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme." So in this passage the delivering over is intended to have a restorative or remedial effect which is similar to Paul's intent of the deliverance in 1 Cor 5:5 "so that his spirit may be saved." In other words, whatever the disciplinary action God allows Satan to carry out, the effect is that while Satan means it for evil, God means it for good. Whether the final outcome will be good however depends on the response of the sinning man. Will he repent and turn from his sin and unto God? Or will he willfully refuse to repent? If he does the former, his spirit will be saved. If he does the latter, the implication is that his spirit would not be saved. The question also arises as to how could the church deliver such a one to Satan? First of all, this deliverance to Satan clearly does not mean the church had the authority to send the man to hell, for no individual or church has that authority. Only God has such authority. So almost every commentator agrees that the deliverance is carried out by expelling or removing the man from fellowship with the church He would then in effect be in the world, the domain controlled by Satan ((Col. 1:13+, John 12:31). John adds that "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1 Jn 5:19+). The sinning man would be under the dominion of Satan. And this is where we have to speculate. Would Satan be able to inflict physical harm as he did to Job (Job 2:4-7)? Would Satan be allowed by God to take the man's life? Or would God take the man's life if he refused to repent? I cannot be dogmatic. Such a one refers to the man, not the woman which suggests that she was apparently not a part of the church family, otherwise Paul would have had the church deal with her as well. Paul uses the word Satan and not "devil" for Satan specifically means adversary, the evil antagonist who offers opposition, hostility, resentment, contention, etc. The sinning one is given over to the Adversary! This is a frightening thought! . Destruction (olethros) speaks of ruin which means harm ranging from physical harm, to decay and even death. The idea is that the quality or value of something is damaged even to the point of being irreparable. What does this mean in this man's case? It is very difficult to say with certainty, but we know it is not a good effect and we also know that Paul sees it to potentially have a positive effect in that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord. Jack Arnold on destruction of the flesh - The reason the Apostle Paul turned the offender over to Satan was that there might be a “destruction of the flesh.” This may refer to bodily discipline such as sickness and disease, using Satan as the instrument. Satan apparently would put on this offender his own destructive whims, for we know in the Bible the agency of physical sickness is sometimes Satan as seen in the life of Job (Job 1 and Job 2:4-7). However this probably refers to the destruction of the fleshly nature or the acts of carnality which caused this man’s condition so he may repent. This could and probably does include bodily discipline from Satan as well. Some say only the original Apostles had the power to deliver an excommunicated Christian to Satan, but I see nothing in scripture to support this view. Authority has now passed down to the elders and they have the authority in the name of Christ to turn an excommunicated person over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. What an awesome responsibility rests on the elders! John MacArthur feels that "The destruction of the flesh indicates that the incestuous man in Corinth would eventually die unless he repented of his sin. We are not told of the specific affliction, disease, or circumstances (ED: the "destruction"), but his body was on the way to destruction in a special disciplinary way. If he kept sinning, his life would end before he otherwise would have died. He would go to heaven, if he was truly a believer; (ED: SOME WRITERS THINK HE WAS A BELIEVER, BUT OTHERS DO NOT) but he would go before he should have gone. To protect His church, the Lord would have to take him early. Since some believers hold so tightly to this life because they have such limited vision of heaven, such deadly discipline acts as a warning of what might happen to them because of sin. Perhaps the man did repent. He may be the one spoken of in 2 Corinthians, whom Paul said should be forgiven and comforted and for whom they should reaffirm their love, “in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor 2:5–11). A disciplined brother is still a brother and is never to be despised, even when unrepentant (2 Th. 3:14–15). And if he repents, he is to be forgiven and restored in love (Gal. 6:1–2). (What Does It Mean to Be Handed Over to Satan?) (Bolding added) Another comment by John MacArthur on destruction of his flesh -The result of such discipline is the destruction of the flesh. Destruction (olethros) may refer even to death. It is used frequently in connection with divine judgment on sin. But Satan has no power over the spirits of believers. When Satan attacked Job, he was only allowed to harm that man of God physically. He could destroy his possessions and afflict his body, but he could not destroy his soul. The inner believer belongs entirely to Christ and we have the absolute assurance that he will be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. But in the meanwhile the unrepentant believer may be turned over to suffer greatly at the hands of Satan.....Scripture is just as clear, however, that sickness may be the direct result of sin. Because some of the Corinthian Christians had abused and unworthily participated in the Lord’s Supper, Paul told them, “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30+). Physical weakness, sickness, and even death can result from persistent sinning. When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church about the proceeds from the sale of their property, they also lied to the Holy Spirit. Their wickedness caused them to die on the spot, “And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:1–11+). Because they were believers, the Lord took them to be with Himself, but He could not allow such wickedness to corrupt the church. The destruction of the flesh indicates that the incestuous man in Corinth would eventually die unless he repented of his sin. (MNTC-1 Cor) Bell on the destruction of his flesh - “This may include physical death (1 Cor.11:30+; 1 Jn.5:16+). Or, it refers to defeating a sinner’s fleshly desires by letting Satan push those passions to extreme’s, creating such an anguish in the sinner that his lust is destroyed!” Robertson on destruction of his flesh feels this refers to "Both for physical suffering as in the case of Job (Job 2:6) and for conquest of the fleshly sins, remedial punishment.....Paul’s motive is not merely vindictive, but the reformation of the offender who is not named here nor in 2 Cor. 2:5–11 if the same man is meant....The final salvation of the man in the day of Christ is the goal and this is to be attained not by condoning his sin. Another difficulty in this passage is what is the meaning of flesh (sarx)? Some favor literal "flesh and blood" or physical flesh and thus destruction of this flesh would seem to describe physical harm up to and including death, assuming that he does not repent. Others favor the idea that flesh refers to the fallen nature of man and suggest this man's fallen flesh was "destroyed" but that seems less likely as even Spirit filled believers still possess the fallen flesh, which will not be completely "destroyed" until we are glorified. Jack Arnold - Paul made an apostolic disciplinary decision to deliver the offender over to Satan which is part of the excommunication process...The church was merely to carry out what the leadership had decided (ED: AS DISCUSSED ABOVE PAUL APPARENTLY BYPASSES THE STEPS IN MATTHEW 18). The Bible states there are two kingdoms at work in this world--the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Christ is within the Church and the sphere outside the Church is the kingdom of Satan (I Jn. 5:19; Col. 1:13). To be put out of the local church is to be put into the sphere where Satan controls. In excommunication, the local church is to place the unrepentant offender back under the control of Satan. The offender’s persistence in evil demonstrates he has never really left Satan’s kingdom. Therefore, the church is to think of him as back under the control of Satan and publicly treat him as an unbeliever. He is, as Jesus said, to be treated like a Gentile, a tax collector, a sinner, an unregenerate and not to be considered as Christian at all (even though the person may actually be a Christian). Excommunication does not mean a person is not a Christian. It means he is to be treated as though he were not a Christian. No pope, bishop, pastor, presbytery or congregation has the power to damn a soul so as to remove salvation. God alone has that power, but the church can put a wayward, professing Christian into Satan's kingdom for discipline. Excommunication involves an absolute loss of all Christian privileges. It does not put a person out of the invisible, universal Church but out of the visible, local church. Hopefully, the unrepentant Christian, while in Satan's realm, will find himself miserable, sensing that he cannot live without the fellowship of God’s people. A true Christian will truly repent when excommunicated. If he does not repent, then he simply proves he was never in Christ's kingdom and was always in Satan’s power. He proves his Christian experience was superficial and spurious with absolutely no genuineness to it. In short, he proves he was never saved in the first place. TECHNICAL NOTE FROM NET BIBLE on the phrase "turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, (1Co 5:5NET)" - Or perhaps “turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of your fleshly works, so that your spirit may be saved …”; Greek “for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved.” This is one of the most difficult passages in the NT, and there are many different interpretations regarding what is in view here. (1) Many interpreters see this as some sort of excommunication (“turn this man over to Satan”) which in turn leads to the man’s physical death (“the destruction of the flesh”), resulting in the man’s ultimate salvation (“that [his] spirit may be saved …”). (2) Others see the phrase “destruction of the flesh” as referring to extreme physical suffering or illness that stops short of physical death, thus leading the offender to repentance and salvation. (3) A number of scholars (e.g. G. D. Fee, First Corinthians [NICNT], 212–13) take the reference to the “flesh” to refer to the offender’s “sinful nature” or “carnal nature,” which is “destroyed” by placing him outside the church, back in Satan’s domain (exactly how this “destruction” is accomplished is not clear, and is one of the problems with this view). (4) More recently some have argued that neither the “flesh” nor the “spirit” belong to the offender, but to the church collectively; thus it is the “fleshly works” of the congregation which are being destroyed by the removal of the offender (cf. 5:13) so that the “spirit,” the corporate life of the church lived in union with God through the Holy Spirit, may be preserved (cf. 5:7–8). See, e.g., B. Campbell, “Flesh and Spirit in: 1 Cor 5:5: An Exercise in Rhetorical Criticism of the NT,” JETS 36 (1993): 331–42. The alternate translation “for the destruction of your fleshly works, so that your spirit may be saved” reflects this latter view.
1 Coríntios 5
Barber asks "What does the apostle Paul say about the church there at Corinth? He said, “You’re arrogant.” What is the word for arrogant? Phusioo, which means what? You’re a spiritual air bag. Leaven has caused you to rise up; and people look at you and think you really love Jesus. But on the inside there’s nothing to back up your walk. By the way, I found out something else. Do you know what the substance is that causes yeast not to activate? It’s salt. Now, if you have a creative mind, and you want to illustrate something, have fun with that one. What did Jesus say for us to be in the world? Salt and light (Mt 5:13+). And the more we live godly lives, the more we cause leaven not to be able to function as it needs to function. So it’s a beautiful picture, obviously, of the Holy Spirit of God that we understand how sin works, whether in an individual’s life or in the body of believers. Zeisler: Perhaps we can draw an analogy with fruit flies. If a single female fruit fly were introduced into this county, the fruit harvest could be devastated. The fruit fly does its work invisibly, reproducing in massive numbers and destroying valuable crops. Leaven works in the same way. Paul charges the Corinthians that they are an arrogant people. One rotten apple among them was threatening to rot all of the other apples and they had to do something about it. Bell - The principle is that the "Part effects the whole! As one drop of foul water spoils a cup of clean water. As one bad tooth affects your whole body. As a drop of poison to your whole blood stream. So, one saint at Calvary Murietta can corrupt our whole congregation!
1 Coríntios 5
Barber - What does he mean by new lump? Qualitatively new? No. This is a different word, neos. It means new in relation to time. It means that you’ll have a new testimony to the people of Corinth. In other words, up until now the pagans don’t respect the Corinthian church (ED: THINK ABOUT IT - EVEN THE PAGANS DON'T COMMIT THE SIN OF INCEST WHICH IS WIDELY REPORTED IN THE CHURCH!). Paul’s trying to tell them that. They have absolutely no respect whatsoever for you Corinthian church. They know that you tolerate sin and even though you don’t associate with them, they know that you tolerate sin in your midst. However, if you want a brand new look to them, if you want to have a witness amongst the lost people of Corinth, then you remove this man. And it will send a message to them and you can have a fresh testimony among them. They were in great need of revival and repentance. This is what Paul’s saying. Deal with this man, and you’ll set a standard once again in the body. You’ll send a message to this world that we’re attached to Christ and leaven has no place in our lives. Utley on clean out - It is an allusion to the Jewish custom of removing yeast from the house just before Passover each year (cf. Ex 12:15+). The annual ritual was a symbol of repentance. Clean out (1571) ekkathairo from ek = out or giving sense of "utterly" + kathaíro = purge, clean = English “catharsis”) means to clean out thoroughly, to completely purge and rid of something unclean. This word strongly emphasizes the completeness of cleansing called for. This is not just a little dusting off but a purging from the evil (people and/or teaching). Ekkathairo was used in the following phrases in Greek writings -- to clear out ditches; he clears this land of monsters. The only other use 2 Ti 2:21+ also speaks of cleansing (from destructive teachings and/or dishonorable people) Paul writing that "if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." Kathaírō is used with the meaning of pruning useless branches so that the useful branches may be made more productive (John 15:2). When the preposition ek, "out of," is used as a prefix, it means to remove an evil since evil affects others. It means to excise. Old (3820) see palaios Leaven (yeast)(2219) see zume New (3501) neos signifies new in respect to time (contrast kainos = new in respect to quality) and describes that which has recently come into existence but for a relatively short time (eg, "new wine" Mt 9:17). Vine says that the use of neos "stresses… the fact of the believer’s new experience, recently begun and still proceeding. New in contrast to that which was of long duration. Lump (5445) see phurama Just as you are in fact unleavened - Paul continues with the figure of leaven to describe the fact that in Christ they have been made new creatures, the old having passed away and the new having come. (cf 2 Cor 5:17+) Utley on you are in fact unleavened - This shows Paul’s typical combination of the MORAL command (Clean out) linked with the POSITIONAL statement (IN FACT UNLEAVENED). What we are in Christ positionally, we are to become in Christ-like lifestyle. Krell adds that "In 1 Cor 5:7-9 Paul couples the imperative to the indicative: Clean out the leaven so that you can start over unleavened bread, because that is what you are. The imperative to clean out the old leaven is predicated on the indicative: they are unleavened. In other words, Paul tells them to be who they are, to live like Christians. Who they are is revealed in what they do. What they do comes from who they are. Paul’s point is clear: Sin spreads in the church as leaven does in dough (cf. Gal 5:9; Mark 8:15). Sin always spreads and contaminates if left alone, just as poison, weeds, and cancer do. Eventually the whole moral fabric of the congregation would suffer if the believers did not expunge this sin. Thus, we must purge the church of sin for the church stands or falls together. (How to Handle a Scandal) THOUGHT - One of the greatest protections from sin that we have as Christians is simply focusing on our Lord and on the sacrifice He made for us. To understand that His death for sin applied to us calls us away from sin and to a clean break with the old ways is to understand the sanctifying work of the cross (see Titus 2:11–14). It is impossible to be occupied with this truth and with sin at the same time. (MacArthur) Unleavened (106) see azumos For (gar) term of explanation - Paul explains how they were made "unleavened" Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed - This is the only place in the NT which connects the OT Passover sacrifice with Christ (cf Col 2:17+). And so paul is alluding to the fact that now Christ is the true Passover Lamb of God Who took away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29+ What is the Passover Lamb?) when He spilt His precious blood (1 Pe 1:18-19+) and surrendered His perfect life on the Cross (Lk 23:46+). The Passover Lamb paid the price to make the Corinthians (and us) "clean and unleavened." Christ (5547) Christos from chrio = to rub or anoint, consecrate to an office) describes one who has been anointed with oil, one who has been consecrated. The majority of the NT uses refer to Jesus, the "Anointed One" (Hebrew = Mashiach/masiyah; Lxx = Christos). the Greek synonym for "Messiah ( messias)." (See also Messiah - Anointed One; Related Resources: Is Jesus the Messiah? What does Messiah mean? Why do most Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah? Does the Old Testament truly predict a second advent of the Messiah? Passover (3957) pascha is the transliteration of the Hebrew word pesach/pesah (06453) which is a masculine noun thought by some writers (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon) to have its origin from pacach/pasah which apparently means to pass over; to spare (Ex 12:13, 23, 27+ - "Jehovah will pass"). Depending on the context, pascha refers to the Passover lamb (Lk 22:7+), the Passover meal (Lk 22:8+), or the festival of Passover (Lk 22:1+). The Passover as used in Lk 22:1 is combined with the Feast of Unleavened Bread by Luke in a metonymy (one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it's closely associated) writing "the Feast of Unleavened Bread…called the Passover, was approaching." (Lk 22:1) Sacrificed (butchered)(2380) thuo gives us English "thyme") means to kill or slaughter for a sacrifice, to offer bloody and nonbloody offerings (Mt 22:4; Lk 15:23; Jn 10:10; Acts 10:13; 1 Cor 5:7). BDAG - "to make a cultic offering." THE PASSOVER SHADOWS IN EXODUS THEIR FULFILLMENT IN CHRIST EXODUS 12 CHRIST Ex 12:1-2+ The Passover marked a new year and a new beginning for Israel. Every believer is a new creation in Christ "Old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Cor 5:17+) Ex 12:5+ A male lamb in its first year was taken into the home on the 10th of Nisan and was inspected for blemishes or defects before it was sacrificed on the 14th of Nisan. Christ was closely inspected by: The priests (Lk 20:1-26+), Sadducees (Lk 20:27-38+) and Scribes (Lk 20:39-21:4+) Pilate (Mt 27:11-26; Lk 23:1-6, 13-25+; Jn 18:28-19:16) Herod (Lk 23:8-12+) Annas (Jn 18:12-13, 19-24) Caiaphas (Mt 26:57) They could find no fault for He was "a lamb unblemished and spotless" (1 Pe 1:19+). Ex 12:6+ The "whole community" of God's people was required to participate in the sacrifice. Receiving and believing in Christ's sacrifice is required for all who desire to participate in God's Kingdom (Ro 3:21-26+). Ex 12:7, 23+ The blood of the lamb was applied to "the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it" and "the LORD will pass over the door" marked with blood. Christ shed His blood to deliver sinners. One needs to be covered by the blood to be delivered from condemnation (Ro 3:25+; Ro 5:9+, Ro 8:1+). The Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29+). Ex 12:14+ The Passover was to be kept as a permanent memorial. The Lord's Supper is to be done frequently "in remembrance of" Christ (Lk 22:19+). Ex 12:46+ God commanded Israel not "to break any bone of" the lamb. Roman soldiers came to break Jesus' legs, but He was already dead, so no bones were broken (Jn 19:32-33). Adapted from Christ in the Passover - Benjamin Galan 1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Amplified - Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of vice and malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened [bread] of purity (nobility, honor) and sincerity and [unadulterated] truth. Wuest Paraphrase - Wherefore, let us be keeping the feast, not with the yeast which has been relegated to a time that is past when we lived a life not for us today, neither with the yeast of malice and perniciousness, but with cakes permeated and affected by the yeast of an unadulterated life, having no admixture of evil in them, and having in them the yeast of truth. (Eerdmans Publishing - used by permission) Therefore let us celebrate: Ex 12:15 13:6 Lev 23:6 Nu 28:16,17 De 16:16 Isa 25:6 the feast, Ps 42:4 Isa 30:29 not with old leaven 1Co 5:1,6 6:9-11 De 16:3 2Co 12:21 Eph 4:17-22 1Pe 4:2 nor with the leaven of malic: 1Co 3:3 Mt 16:6,12 26:4,5 Mk 8:15 Lu 12:1 Joh 18:28-30 2Co 12:20 1Pe 2:1,2 but with the unleavened bread: Jos 24:14 Ps 32:2 Joh 1:47 2Co 1:12 8:8 Eph 6:24 1Jn 3:18-21 1 Corinthians 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Therefore - Term of conclusion. Based on their position (in Christ) which has been paid for by the Passover Lamb, Paul now gives them an exhortation on how they are to live in light of this great truth. Let us (present tense - continually) celebrate the feast - What did the Passover Feast remind the Jews about? The fact that they had been delivered from bondage in Egypt and thus they were commanded to celebrate this feast yearly as a memorial of their deliverance. Paul continues his use of the analogy of the Passover in the lives of the Corinthians, but uses the present tense which calls not for an annual remembrance, but for a daily remembrance! The saints were to make this their lifestyle. "Our every thought, every plan, every intention should be under Christ’s control." (MacArthur) Wayne Barber has a great explanation for celebrate the feast - celebrate the feast is in the present tense. He says, “Whereas they celebrated it once a year, we celebrate it every day. Daily we get the leaven out of our life. And as we’re willing to get the leaven out of our life, and then we can celebrate Christ being our deliverance, Christ being our victory, Christ being our sacrifice. But you can’t celebrate victory until you’re willing to deal with the leaven, the sin, that’s in your life.” It’s a beautiful picture of a Christian dealing with leaven. We all have it. It can be as subtle as an attitude, but it’s still leaven and it must be dealt with and be put under the blood of Jesus. We must be cleansed of it so that we can continue to celebrate our victory over the penalty of sin and the power of sin day by day in our life. Well, let us continually celebrate the feast. He goes on to say that we celebrate it “with the unleavened bread of sincerity (eilikrineia) and truth.” That’s the life that we now live. If you hold us up before Him (ED: "SON TESTED" LIKE THE POTTERY WAS TESTED BY THE SUN), you can see right through us, because whatever was there to mar what you might see has been dealt with under the blood. We are transparent. God is using us. We’re sincere and real, which is really the basic meaning of the word “truth,” (aletheia) absolutely genuine and real. That’s the way we live. And if we live that way, then we have a testimony to the lost world. THOUGHT - What difference might it make in my daily walk if I arose each morning and "celebrated the feast" (so to speak), if I cleaned out the leaven and recalled the great sacrifice by the Lamb of God to set me free (cf eleutheroo in Jn 8:32, 36+, Ro 6:22+) from sin's sway/reign (Ro 6:11-14+), Satan's servitude (Col 1:13+, cf Acts 26:18+) and the world's passing attractions (Gal 6:14+, 1 Jn 2:17+, cf Heb 11:25+)? JUST THINKING! Jesus, the very thought of Thee Jesus, the very thought of Thee With sweetness fills my breast; But sweeter far Thy face to see, And in Thy presence rest. Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, Nor can the memory find A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name, O Savior of mankind! O Hope of every contrite heart, O Joy of all the meek, To those who fall, how kind Thou art! How good to those who seek! But what to those who find? Ah, this Nor tongue nor pen can show; The love of Jesus, what it is None but His loved ones know. O Jesus! light of all below! Thou fount of life and fire! Surpassing all the joys we know, And all we can desire. No other source have we but Thee, Soul-thirst to satisfy. Exhaustless spring! the waters free! All other streams are dry. Jesus, our only Joy be Thou, As Thou our Prize wilt be; Jesus, be Thou our Glory now, And through eternity. Let us celebrate (1858)(heortazo) heortē = festival, feast) means to keep a day or period of time set aside for feasting and joyful celebration, sometimes involving pilgrimage. Friberg - celebrate a festival, take part in a feast; metaphorically, of the Christian life likened to a Passover feast kept with unleavened bread Only in 1 Cor 5:8 in NT - In Lxx = Ex 5:1+, Ps 42:4. Brian Bill - Day 1 of the Passover Feast they would light a candle and search the house for leaven, every bit had to be removed. Today at Passover the Jews still put bread in a corner for the kids to find, to throw out.. We need to remember, we cannot enjoy the feast of fellowship with Christ before taking the candle, and examining our heart for sin (ED: CF Pr 28:13+ - DON'T HIDE YOUR "LEAVEN" ["LITTLE SIN"] UNDER THE RUG, BUT BRING IT TO LIGHT AND PUT IT UNDER THE BLOOD - 1 Jn 1:6-7+ and 1 Jn 1:9+)!. You cannot have the benefits of fellowship, without its responsibilities! (ED: A GOOD PRAYER TO FREQUENTLY PRAY IS Ps 139:23-24). Not with old leaven - Wuest = "not with the yeast which has been relegated to a time that is past when we lived a life not for us (SELF - SELFISH)." In context old leaven speaks of impurity. A good "commentary" on out with the old, in with the new is Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 4 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk (LIKE "OLD LEAVEN"), in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way (LIKE "UNLEAVENED BREAD"), 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life (anastrophe), you lay aside (apotithemi in reflexive middle voice = you initiate and then participate in benefits) the old self (Old Man - Cast it off, like a foul smelling garment), which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Pr 23:7, Ro 12:2+) 24 and put on THE ("UNLEAVENED") new self (New Man) which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Eph 4:17-24+) Nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness - Wuest = "neither with the yeast of malice and perniciousness." Malice (kakia) denotes a vicious mean-spirited disposition, ill-will, spitefulness, hatefulness, a sinful attitude (and action) which is not only a moral deficiency but one which destroys fellowship. To varying degrees, the unsaved spend their life maliciously and such were some (most) of us before Christ transplanted our hearts. Wickedness (poneria) refers to a depraved evil disposition, active malice, not only doing evil, but being evil. Kakia speaks more of the vicious disposition of one's mind whereas poneria pictures the active exercise of this evil. Remember that leaven pictures permeation, so if we allow these sinful attitudes into our heart, they will surely permeate our entire being! If these "weeds" are present, they need to be radically removed! But with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth - Wuest = "but with cakes permeated and affected by the yeast of an unadulterated life, having no admixture of evil in them, and having in them the yeast of truth." Unleavened bread speaks of good attributes we should seek to cultivate. Sincerity speaks of that which is genuine, pure, uncontaminated, unmixed by seductive influences of the world, the flesh and the devil. Truth is literally (a = negative + letho = conceal, hide) that which is unconcealed, not hidden. The idea is clearly that we live our lives (private and public) "out in the open" as holy people ("unleavened"), people supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life "free of leaven." (not perfection, but direction). What people see and hear is what we truly are. We are authentic. We are like Job who "was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." (Job 1:1) (See also Truth in Paul's Writings) Hodge - Sincerity is purity, transparent clearness, something through which the sun may shine without revealing any flaw. Truth, in Scripture, is far more than veracity. In its subjective sense, it means that inner state that corresponds to the truth—that moral condition that is conformed to the law and character of God.