Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5: 5-7
5 Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed[d] and he himself[e] will be saved on the day the Lord[f] returns. 6 Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.[g]
Scripture Commentary: Yeast adds strength.
Yeast is a powerful ingredient. It’s added to flour to increase its size. Paul uses yeast as an analogy to explain how sin, if not addressed, will spread to the entire flock. If we are aware of a wrong and do nothing, we become part of that sin.
We are all sinners; however, we were all different people before we accepted Jesus Christ and repented. In 1 Corinthians the believers of the church of Corinth had not confronted sin. They ignored the problem. Paul writes to them to tell them, out of love, not vengeance, to deal with the situation.
God’s yeast is the Holy Spirit.
With prayer and God’s help, we are to do our best in love. However, if the person or people refuse to change and continue to let Satan lead them, we must cut them out of the flock. If allowed to stay, they will eventually contaminate it. If the member(s) are put out, they may realize the wrong they have done, repent, and return to serve the Lord.
It’s like the return of the prodigal son when the lost in Christ return. Yeast’s purpose is for good. When we work and do what God has for us, we will spread His gospel. God’s yeast is the Holy Spirit and He has placed it in each of us.
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