“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7
Jesus is our final and forever Passover lamb. Everything the annual Passover festival points to has been fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The first Passover celebrated God’s wrath “passing over” the homes of the Israelites when they were in slavery in Egypt. Each family sacrificed a perfect lamb and smeared some of its blood on their door frame. God’s killing angel passed over every home covered by the blood of a lamb.
Jesus was born to be the ultimate Passover lamb. He was born in the town where those lambs were bred for slaughter. He lived a perfect life without sin so He could pay the penalty for our sins. He went to the cross and shed His blood so that everyone who believes in Him is covered by that blood and God’s just wrath passes over us. The first Passover led Israel to freedom from slavery in Egypt but the Passover of Jesus leads all His people to freedom from slavery to sin and death.
However, Paul reminds us that there should be an appropriate response in our lives to this extraordinary, saving grace given to us through faith in Jesus. Just as the Passover meal must be eaten with matzah bread that has absolutely no yeast in it (yeast is a symbol of sin), we must live our lives without sin. We are to be a fresh “lump” of dough without any yeast at all – a new creation in Christ without ongoing sin. Our sins have been forgiven and now we must strive to live holy lives that reject and resist all of sin’s ongoing temptations.
In Jesus Christ, your sins have been forgiven. You are holy in God’s eyes. Are you living like that? Are you committed to living a life without the stain of sin? Are you battling in the power of the Holy Spirit to crucify those sins that still tempt you? Are you using the ways God provides to escape temptation rather than indulge in sin? If you aren’t, confess that to God right now. Repent of it and ask God for His help in living a holy life going forward. God is always gracious and faithful to forgive when we ask (1 John 1:9). But we must truly repent and #FollowJesus