Our Passover

Has anyone ever given their life so that you could live? Countless stories were told of that happening when first responders rushed into the Twin Towers to save lives on 9/11. But what about you? Has anyone ever heroically, intentionally jumped in front of a car to save your life or pulled you to safety from flood waters only to be swept away?  If they have, no doubt you cherish them for what they did for you. Perhaps you have honored their memory in some way. In 1 Corinthians 5:7, in Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth, he reminds them that they should be living in a Christ honoring way since Christ gave His life so they could live. Paul’s words hold true for us, too. He writes, “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ, our Passover also has been sacrificed.”  Christ. Our. Passover. Christ being the Passover is a reference to the Passover lamb that was slain as a sacrifice for sin. Paul is rebuking the believers because rather than being a Christ honoring church, they allow immorality. Rather than mourn over sin, they permit it. Paul is spinning their heads (and maybe ours) back in the right direction.

• Someone has DIED because of our sin and immorality: Jesus. How can we think accepting what He died for is okay?
• “Clean the sin from your life,” Paul urges.
• Demonstrate our love, honor, and respect for the Christ, our Passover Lamb, by living righteously for Him.

Paul isn’t the only one who urges believers to stop tolerating sin. In Revelation 2:20 Jesus says, “I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality…” Are we individually or as a body of believers tolerating the sin for which Christ died? If so, we must repent. We must learn what it means to live by His divine nature rather than our old sinful nature. We must begin today knowing that the time of His reappearing is near.

Christ, our PASSOVER, forgive us when we live for what You died for – our sin.

Has anyone ever given their life so that you could live? Countless stories were told of that happening when first responders rushed into the Twin Towers to save lives on 9/11. But what about you? Has anyone ever heroically, intentionally jumped in front of a car to save your life or pulled you to safety from flood waters only to be swept away?  If they have, no doubt you cherish them for what they did for you. Perhaps you have honored their memory in some way. In 1 Corinthians 5:7 in Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth, he reminds them that they should be living in a Christ honoring way since Christ gave His life so they could live. Paul’s words hold true for us, too. He writes, “Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ, our Passover also has been sacrificed.”  Christ. Our. Passover. Christ being the Passover is a reference is to the passover lamb that was slain as a sacrifice for sin. Paul is rebuking the believers because rather than being a Christ honoring church, they allow immorality. Rather than mourn over sin, they permit it. Paul is spinning their heads (and maybe ours) back in the right direction.

• Someone has DIED because of our sin and immorality: Jesus. How can we think accepting what He died for is okay?
• “Clean the sin from your life,” Paul urges.
• Demonstrate our love, honor, and respect for the Christ, our Passover Lamb, by living righteously for Him.

Paul isn’t the only one who urges believers to stop tolerating sin. In Revelation 2:20 Jesus says, “I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality…” Are we individually or as a body of believers tolerating sin for which Christ died? If so, we must repent. We must learn what it means to live by His divine nature rather than our old sinful nature. We must begin today knowing that the time of His reappearing is near.

Christ, our PASSOVER, forgive us when we live for what You died for – our sin.

“Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.”

  1 Corinthians 5:7

Anyone want to guess what the context was for Christ being described as our Passover?

Paul was rebuking the Corinthian church because of the immorality among them. He called them arrogant because rather than mourning over the situation, they turned their heads the other way. Paul is spinning their heads (and maybe ours) back in the right direction.

• Someone has DIED because of our sin and immorality: Jesus. How can we think that accepting abiding sin is okay?
• Jesus, the pure Lamb of God, was sacrificed. His death, His blood, is our atonement; covering our black sins.
• “Clean it out. Get rid of the sin.” Paul urges. Christ, our PASSOVER, has been SACRIFICED on an altar that has our name on it.
• Demonstrate our love, honor, and respect the Passover Lamb, Christ Jesus, by living for Him.

Christ, our PASSOVER, forgive us when we live for what You died for – our sin.

Image: Ecce agnus Dei 12.4.2009: from Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim altarpiece, 1512-1516, Musée Unterlinden, Colmar