The reason Paul gives the Corinthians church for expelling sin from their local church is that "Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Christ crucified is our salvation and our motivation for godly living. For this reason, we are focusing intently on Christ and His fulfillment of the Passover.
So far, we first noted that the Passover reset the Jewish calendar and began a new month of a new year. When we put faith in Jesus' death for us, we start a new month of a new year of a new life!
Second, we saw that the Passover sacrifice had to be a lamb, and Jesus is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Third, the Lamb was to be a "one year old male with no defects" (Exodus 12:5). It was to be perfect and die in the prime of its life. 1 Peter 1:19 says Jesus was "the sinless, spotless Lamb of God," and Isaiah 53:8 says about Jesus "that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people".
Fourth, the Lamb was to be killed and roasted with fire (Exodus 12:6-9), indicating the intensely painful sufferings of Jesus Christ. He suffered for us not only with His back beaten and striped, His head crowned with thorns, His hands and feet pierced, but even His soul was made an offering for sin (Isaiah 53:10). As He hung on the cross, He endured the fire of God's wrath (Psalm 78:21) to free us from condemnation and judgment.
Question 1. How does considering Christ's intense suffering and His death to remove your sin encourage you to put away sin from your life? Please share.
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Fifth, the bones of the Passover Lamb were to remain unbroken; Jesus fulfilled this through His life and suffering, showing His unbroken strength. "But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn't break his legs. 34 One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out" (John 19:33-34).
Sixth, the blood of the Passover Lamb had to be applied to the sides and top of the house’s door frame (Exodus 12:7) of every family that trusted in the blood to save them from destruction. Just so, each person must receive the benefits of His death personally, having the blood applied to our hearts so that we might fully rejoice in the work of Christ for us. "So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God" (Romans 5:11).
Seventh, the Passover Lamb was to be eaten. This feeding on the Lamb shows one of the significant purposes of the death of Jesus; He not only saves us from death and hell, but He also nourishes us from the cross. That is, we receive spiritual strength as we feed on Jesus' death and recount all the benefits of the cross. Savoring our forgiveness and friendship with God, because of Jesus' sacrifice, strengthens us inwardly. "But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6:54-55).
Question 2. Are you feeding on Christ, the Passover Lamb sacrificed for you? If yes, please share how. If not, what’s holding you back?
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There are many more similarities between the Passover Lamb and Christ, who died for us, and I encourage you to study this out further. But, for now, let's understand the main point of Paul's connecting Christ's death with the Passover Lamb in 1 Corinthians 5:7. He did this to teach that just as the Lamb's death brought freedom from slavery for the Israelites and instituted the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so too, the death of Jesus frees us from slavery to sin and empowers us to remove sin from our lives. As we feast on Christ, our Passover Lamb sacrificed for us, His love compels us to rid our lives of evil (1 Peter 2:1, James 1:21). We begin to grow and mature in the gospel as we celebrate the victory Jesus won for us through His death.
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