1 Corinthians 5:7 Meaning: Because Christ Our Passover Was Sacrificed
Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ:
cleanse out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened, for also our passover for us was sacrificed--Christ,
Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened. For also our passover, Christ, has been sacrificed;
Meaning in one sentence
Paul commands the church to purge old leaven because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. This verse grounds holiness in the gospel.
Context
Paul is writing to a church in Corinth that is proud and tolerant of a man living in sin with his stepmother. The apostle moves from confronting that one case to a wider lesson about purity. He draws on imagery every Jewish Christian would recognize: the Passover, when families searched their homes with candles to remove every crumb of leaven before the feast. Paul says the church must conduct a similar search, not for bread crumbs, but for sin. Then he pivots to what makes this possible. The Passover lamb that once saved Israel from death has found its true meaning in Christ. His sacrifice has already been made. That changes everything about how we approach sin.
Key Words
The word Paul uses for "purge out" is the Greek verb ekkatharate, which means to cleanse thoroughly. It carries the sense of a complete, painstaking removal, like sweeping a house from corner to corner. The Jews did this before Passover, and Paul says do the same with the zume, the leaven.
Leaven itself was a common symbol for corruption in Jewish teaching. A little bit works through the whole batch of dough, just as a tolerated sin can seep into a person's whole life or a whole congregation. Paul names two kinds of leaven he wants removed: malice and wickedness.
Then comes the word that changes the tone: pascha, the Passover lamb. Paul calls Christ our Passover, the lamb that was slaughtered so the angel of death would pass over. The verb used for sacrificed, etuthē, means to slay for a religious offering. Christ was killed in our place, as the real Passover lamb. His sacrifice is the reason we can be called unleavened and the reason we must live like it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across traditions see two layers in this verse. Many emphasize the immediate context: church discipline. The incestuous person is the old leaven that needs removing, and Christ's sacrifice is the ground for a purified community. Others read it as a call to personal holiness. Every believer must search their own heart for the leaven of sin, because we are already declared unleavened in Christ.
The phrase "as you are unleavened" is where different readings meet. Some see it as positional truth: in Christ, you are already holy, so live it out. Others see it as an assumption of what should be true: you are called to be unleavened, so become it. Both groups agree that Christ's atoning death makes the call possible and urgent.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to read this verse as only about removing a scandalous sinner from church membership. In fact, Paul uses the specific case to launch a general principle. The command to purge the old leaven applies to every believer. The leaven of malice and wickedness can hide in any heart. Paul's point is that because Christ died for us, we are to be a new lump entirely, not just a cleaner version of the old one.
Living This Out
This week, consider what old leaven might be quietly working its way through your life. It could be a grudge you keep feeding, a habit you excuse because no one sees, a bitterness you rehearse in quiet moments. Paul does not tell you to clean yourself up first and then come to Christ. He says Christ was sacrificed for you, so you are already unleavened. Now, because of that gift, you can sweep out what does not belong.
You do not have to pretend you have no leaven. That is why the sacrifice was needed. But you can stop pretending it does not matter. Let the death of the Lamb give you both the courage to look for the leaven and the freedom to throw it away.
Main takeaway: Because Christ our Passover has been sacrificed, we are called to live as the unleavened people we already are in Him.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Before the Passover feast, Jewish families clean their houses to get rid of all the old bread with yeast. Paul says we should clean sin out of our lives like that, because Jesus died for us like the Passover lamb.
For ages 9, 12
Paul uses the picture of leaven, or yeast, because a little bit spreads through the whole batch of dough. In the same way, a little sin can spread through your life. But here is the good news: Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was already sacrificed for us. That means you are free to clean out the sin, not to earn God's love, but because you already have it. What is one thing you could ask God to help you sweep out this week?
Questions People Ask
Why does Paul call Christ 'our Passover'?
In the Old Testament, the Passover lamb was killed so the angel of death would pass over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt. Paul says Jesus is the true Passover Lamb. His death saves us from judgment and frees us from slavery to sin, just as the first Passover freed Israel from Egypt.
Does this verse mean we have to be perfect to be Christians?
No. Paul says we are already unleavened because of Christ's sacrifice. That is our identity. But because we are saved, we are called to live consistently with that identity. The command to purge the old leaven is not about earning salvation but about growing into what we already are in Christ.
Is Paul talking about church discipline or personal holiness here?
Both. He starts with the specific case of a man in open sin that the church tolerated. But in verse 8 he applies the image to malice and wickedness in general. The passage grounds both church discipline and personal holiness in the same truth: Christ has died, so we must not let sin spread among us.
What does the word 'unleavened' mean in this context?
Unleavened means without yeast. In Jewish practice, unleavened bread was used at Passover to recall the haste of the exodus. Paul uses it as a metaphor for purity and sincerity. Because Christ died, believers are in a state of being unleavened before God, and we are called to live out that reality.
Was the church in Corinth actually celebrating Passover when Paul wrote this?
Probably not as a formal feast, but Paul writes around the time of Passover (see 1 Corinthians 16:8). The Jewish Christians would have been preparing for the feast, and the imagery would be vivid for them. Paul uses the cultural calendar to make a spiritual point about Christ.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study