Foundation Text

1 Corinthians 5:7

Greek Key Terms:

Context: First Corinthians 5:7 appears within Paul's confrontation of sexual immorality in the Corinthian church (5:1-13). A church member was in incestuous relationship with his stepmother—sin so egregious even pagans condemned it (5:1). Yet the church was "proud" rather than mourning (5:2), failing to discipline the offender. Paul commands excommunication (5:2-5) then employs Passover imagery to explain sin's corporate danger: "Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?" (5:6). Verse 7 provides theological grounding: "Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." The logic: just as Israelites removed all leaven before Passover (Exodus 12:15-20), Christians must remove sin because Christ (our Passover Lamb) has already been sacrificed. The indicative ("Christ... has been sacrificed") grounds the imperative ("Get rid of"). This verse crystallizes Pauline soteriology: Christ fulfills Passover typology—His sacrificial death delivers from sin's bondage as Passover lamb's blood delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Connections:

TO:

FROM OT:

FROM NT:

  • John 1:29 (John: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!")
  • John 19:36 (no bone of Christ broken, fulfilling Passover lamb regulations)
  • 1 Peter 1:18-19 (redeemed with precious blood of Christ, like lamb without blemish)
  • Revelation 5:6-14 (Lamb standing as though slain, worthy to open scroll)
  • Revelation 13:8 (Lamb slain from foundation of world)
  • Hebrews 9:12-14 (Christ entered once for all by his own blood)

Christological Connection: First Corinthians 5:7 identifies Christ as ultimate Passover Lamb fulfilling Moses-led deliverance. Every element of original Passover finds escalated realization in Christ. The Passover lamb was selected on tenth day, examined four days for blemishes, then slaughtered on fourteenth (Exodus 12:3, 6); Christ was presented at Jerusalem (triumphal entry), examined by religious leaders (trials before Sanhedrin), found without fault by Pilate ("I find no basis for a charge against Him," John 18:38), and crucified on Passover. The lamb must be unblemished (Exodus 12:5); Christ was "without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19), "knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The lamb's blood applied to doorposts protected from death angel (Exodus 12:13); Christ's blood protects believers from divine wrath (Romans 5:9: "since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him"). No bone of Passover lamb could be broken (Exodus 12:46); soldiers didn't break Jesus' legs (John 19:33, 36), fulfilling typology. Passover lamb was roasted with fire (Exodus 12:8)—some interpreters see this prefiguring divine judgment's fire Christ bore. The lamb was eaten completely, nothing left for morning (Exodus 12:10)—symbolizing full appropriation; believers must receive Christ entirely, not selectively. Passover delivered from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12:41); Christ delivers from sin's bondage (John 8:36: "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"). Moses led Israel through Red Sea (Exodus 14:22); Christ leads believers through baptism (death-and-resurrection) into new life (Romans 6:3-4). Unleavened bread symbolized putting away Egypt's corruption (Exodus 12:39; Deuteronomy 16:3: "bread of affliction"); Christians put away sin's corruption (Colossians 3:9: "you have taken off the old self with its practices"). The escalation is systematic: Moses' Passover delivered one nation temporarily, Christ's Passover delivers all nations eternally; Moses' lamb's blood averted physical death, Christ's blood averts eternal death; Moses led to earthly Canaan, Christ leads to heavenly inheritance; Moses' deliverance required annual repetition, Christ's deliverance accomplished once for all (Hebrews 10:10: "we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all"). The phrase "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (etythē, perfect passive) emphasizes completed action with ongoing effects—sacrifice finished at Calvary but benefits continue eternally. Believers don't re-sacrifice Christ (contra sacerdotal error) but appropriate His once-for-all sacrifice through faith. The participatory language "our Passover" indicates personal appropriation—not abstract theological concept but intimate possession. As Israelites ate Passover lamb, believers spiritually feed on Christ (John 6:53-56). The ethical implication "Get rid of the old leaven" flows from Christ's finished work—because He died removing sin's penalty (justification), believers must remove sin's presence (sanctification). The indicative (unleavened, "as you really are") grounds the imperative "Get rid of the old leaven"—Christians don't become holy by removing sin; they remove sin because they are holy in Christ. This reflects Pauline pattern throughout: "you died" (Colossians 3:3), then "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature" (3:5); "you were washed... sanctified... justified" (1 Corinthians 6:11), therefore honor God with bodies (6:20). Christ as Passover Lamb establishes believers' identity and empowers their ethics—united to slain-and-risen Lamb, indwelt by His Spirit, they progressively conform to His image, removing sin ("old leaven") as they walk in holiness ("unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth"). The typological fulfillment doesn't negate Moses' Passover but reveals its purpose: God instituted annual commemoration pointing forward to Christ, training Israel to recognize Lamb of God when He appeared, and providing interpretive framework for understanding His atoning death. Every Passover celebration anticipated Christ; every element symbolized aspect of His redemptive work; every generation's participation testified to need for substitutionary sacrifice only Christ could ultimately provide.

Connection Method(s): Typology (Providential, Forward-Looking) — Paul explicitly identifies Christ as "our Passover lamb" sacrificed for believers, fulfilling every element of Moses' Passover institution with systematic escalation from temporary physical deliverance to eternal spiritual redemption.

Trajectory Table: 104 - Moses (The Prophet Like Unto Me)

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Trajectory Tables 1
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