“YEAST”

6 “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”

1 Corinthians 5:6

Sin is sin, and it is an abomination to God. But sometimes, we Christians trivialize this matter, thinking it doesn't really matter. This mindset is dangerous.

In our previous blog, we mentioned that as people of God, we must desire to be as real and authentic before God.

Here’s another undeniable sign of hypocrisy:

You undervalue “small sins.”

You’re a hypocrite if you condemn “big” sins like murder, stealing, or adultery but brush off tiny, unnoticeable sins. But to God, there is no such thing as a “small” sin.

Consider today’s verse. The first eight verses of 1 Corinthians 5 show Paul giving an example of how the Corinthians’ pride and arrogance are damaging their testimony and community. The believers in this city have failed to rebuke a member who is living in sin by having sexual relations with his stepmother. In so doing, they are underestimating the sin of sexual immorality, specifically incest.

In verse 6, Paul illustrates godly living by the OT concept that no yeast was allowed in the bread eaten at the Passover. When the Bible uses yeast as an image, it generally conveys the idea of sin or evil. The thing is, when you classify sins as big or small, you would begin to think that some sins are okay. If left unchecked, these tiny sins will develop into more serious, egregious sins.

What makes this more concerning is when you think that since you can always ask for forgiveness, you begin to act in a way that even when something is wrong, you’ll still go ahead and sin anyway. You undermine God’s grace and think lightly of His holiness. Therefore, if you’re someone who thinks small sins don’t matter, the Bible describes you as a hypocrite.

The danger of undervaluing sins is not only seen in the person committing it. In fact, it damages our collective testimony as the body of Christ as well as Jesus’ precious name. As Christ-followers, we have a responsibility to uphold God’s holiness and give His name its due reverence. Remember, it is the only name by which you and I can be saved. That’s why we can’t think lightly of sin. If God condemns it, we have no reason to entertain it—let alone be enslaved by it.

Pursue the Savior today!