What does "celebrate the feast" mean in 1 Corinthians 5:8? Canonical Context and Text “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). The verse concludes Paul’s rebuke of the Corinthian congregation for tolerating flagrant immorality (5:1-7). Having just declared, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (v. 7), Paul moves from the historical event of Passover to an imperative for present Christian conduct—“celebrate the feast.” Historical Background: The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread Exodus 12:1-20 institutes the Passover on 14 Nisan and immediately couples it with the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:17-20; Leviticus 23:5-8; Deuteronomy 16:1-8). Leaven was purged from every Israelite dwelling (Exodus 12:15) as a sign of separation from Egypt’s corruption and of covenant loyalty to Yahweh. First-century Jewish practice, described by Josephus (Antiquities 2.317; 17.213) and evidenced archaeologically by first-century household ovens in Jerusalem devoid of leaven residue during Nisan strata, retained the strict removal of leaven. Typology Fulfilled in Christ Paul identifies Jesus as “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), echoing John 1:29 and 1 Peter 1:19. The historical slaying of the lamb, whose blood protected Israel from judgment, foreshadows Christ’s atoning death and victory over death manifested in His bodily resurrection (cf. Isaiah 53:7–11; Luke 22:15-20). Because the antitype has come, the shadow finds its fulfillment; nevertheless, the moral pattern embedded in the feast remains instructive. Leaven as a Metaphor for Sin In Scripture leaven often pictures an unseen, permeating influence—sometimes good (Matthew 13:33) but usually corrupting (Exodus 12:15; Mark 8:15; Galatians 5:9). Paul employs the negative sense: the incest tolerated at Corinth is “old leaven.” As a small amount leavens the whole batch (1 Corinthians 5:6), so unrepentant sin contaminates the church. The counterpart is “the unleavened bread of sincerity [εἰλικρίνειας, genuine purity] and truth [ἀληθείας, correspondence to God’s reality].” Immediate Literary Context: Church Discipline in Corinth Paul commands expulsion of the offender (5:2, 5, 13), paralleling the Old Covenant mandate to remove leaven. The community’s holiness is not ceremonial but relational, grounded in union with the risen Christ (cf. Romans 6:4-11). “Celebrate the feast” thus functions as an exhortation to a continuous lifestyle of disciplined purity following decisive removal of sin’s leaven. Theological Significance for New-Covenant Believers 1. Soteriological: The once-for-all sacrifice of Christ replaces animal offerings (Hebrews 10:10-14) yet establishes an ongoing moral response (Romans 12:1). 2. Ecclesiological: Corporate holiness safeguards witness (John 13:35) and guards the Table of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). 3. Sacramental: Early Christians connected Passover typology to the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-20; Didache 9-10). “Celebrate the feast” implicitly extends to worthy participation in Communion. 4. Ethical: The command spans every sphere of life—“whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Continuity and Discontinuity with the Mosaic Festivals Scripture affirms continuity in substance (Christ as Passover; ongoing call to holiness) and discontinuity in form (no legal obligation to keep the Jewish calendar, Colossians 2:16-17). Some Jewish believers in the first century maintained literal observance (Acts 20:6; 1 Corinthians 16:8), yet Paul never binds Gentile converts to the calendar (Galatians 4:9-11). The feast under the New Covenant is principally spiritual and perpetual. Early Christian Practice and Patristic Witness Ignatius (Magnesians 9) urges Christians to “no longer observe the Sabbath in the Jewish manner, but living in accordance with the Lord’s Day.” Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho 111) links Passover to Christ’s crucifixion but elevates ethical purity above ritual. Irenaeus (Against Heresies 4.8.2) interprets leaven as “malice and hypocrisy,” urging believers to “keep festival to God in simplicity of soul.” These sources confirm that the apostolic and post-apostolic church viewed Paul’s command as ongoing moral celebration, not a resumption of Mosaic ritual. Practical Application: Personal and Corporate Holiness 1. Examine and purge hidden sin (2 Corinthians 13:5). 2. Exercise loving, restorative discipline (Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1). 3. Approach the Lord’s Table with confession (1 Corinthians 11:28). 4. Cultivate transparency—“sincerity and truth”—in speech, business, sexuality, and worship. 5. Model redemptive community where forgiveness follows repentance, mirroring God’s grace (Ephesians 4:32). Eschatological Dimension The annual Passover anticipated Israel’s exodus; the Christian feast anticipates the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9). Living unleavened now rehearses the sinless fellowship believers will enjoy eternally in the restored creation (2 Peter 3:13). Thus, “celebrate the feast” carries future-oriented hope grounded in Christ’s resurrection. Summary “Celebrate the feast” in 1 Corinthians 5:8 calls believers to a continuous, community-wide observance of ethical purity grounded in the finished work of Christ our Passover. The phrase draws on the historical Passover/Unleavened Bread festival, employs leaven as a metaphor for sin, commands decisive removal of corruption, and invites ongoing life marked by sincerity and truth. Far from re-imposing Mosaic ritual, Paul exhorts the church to embody the reality those rituals prefigured—holy living empowered by the risen Lord until He returns. |
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