A Little Leaven

I wish my long-term memory was better.  Then, I could remember how many sermons I have heard on this verse, which has been so often quoted by elders to youth that it has become part of the cultural lexicon:

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Galatians 5:9  KJV

A little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise!

The Message

The word "leaven" is an old English word for "yeast".  A leavening agent is something that causes a chemical and physical change (usually in bread dough) by producing gas bubbles which lead to fermentation.

In the Bible, leaven can have both positive and negative connotations.  Some theologians focus on verses that emphasize its positive or neutral applications.  For example, in Matthew 13 Jesus is teaching by the seashore in Capernaum.  Part of that teaching, verse 13, finds Him describing His kingdom as leaven.  The connotation is that the kingdom of Heaven will spread like yeast spreads through a recipe of bread, hidden, working quietly, transforming.  Hallelujah!

The Jews and Messianic Jews have for centuries celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  (That's an entire blog post in and of itself.) This feast commemorates the Israelites' sudden departure from Egypt.  They had to leave so quickly, their bread did not have time to rise!  So, at that feast, leaven (or its absence) can be connected with haste, a semi-neutral concept.  Other theologians, say that this typifies leaving the sin of Egypt behind them as they fled.

There are other negative connotations to leaven, and these are the most often cited.

We find in Leviticus 2:11 and 6:17 that bread with leaven could not be offered on the altar as a grain offering.  Leaven accelerates the spoilage process in bread.  (That's what fermentation is - - a type of spoilage.)  Then, carrying that theme forward, Jesus used leaven to describe the rottenness of the ruling religious classes' doctrines, that of the Sadducees and Pharisees, in Matthew 16:6-12.  So, of course, because Jesus used "leaven" as a type for sin, this interpretation has sort of stuck.

In Galatians 5, Paul carried forward this analogy to describe the false teachers who were leading astray the Galatians.  Just a little false doctrine, properly nurtured, can cause a great deal of damage.

When I make bread I only use a level tablespoon of dry yeast, along with 4.5 cups of fresh flour.  It doesn't take much to cause the bread to swell and rise.

My takeaway from Galatians 5:9 is that sin is not to be played around with.  A little bit of sin can do a lot of damage.  We may choose whether or not to sin, but we are not free to choose the consequences of our choices.  Those are prescribed by God. Many times we fool ourselves into thinking, "It won't matter just this once", or "It won't affect me this way" only to find that our "little sin" has had life-altering consequences.  If you have experienced this, you know exactly what Paul means.

A contemporary application of Galatians 5:9 is playing out on the campus of Wheaton College, a contemporary liberal arts college just west of Chicago, IL.  One of its professors, Dr. Larycia Hawkins, last month made statements in social media that contradict the institution's Statement of Faith.  It is common for Bible schools to require faculty and staff to sign a Statement of Faith pledge. These types of documents lay out the school's core beliefs and standards.  By signing, the employee is promising to not only adhere to those beliefs but also to defend and promote them.  Dr. Hawkins deviated significantly from the statement of faith which she signed, along with her other employment papers.  Essentially, she stated that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.  Decrying the deity of Jesus Christ and denying the essential role He fulfills in the salvation of mankind is quite a breech.  Since she has refused to back off from that position, Wheaton has begun termination procedures against her.  She has chosen to become a detrimental form of leaven in that Bible-based institution.

Kudos to Wheaton College for standing for the truth, revealed in God's Word! Let's pray for them as they move through this very difficult situation, and for Dr. Hawkins, that the Holy Spirit will work in her heart through this, also.  Jesus told us His disciples to "beware" false teaching and any kind of spiritual "leaven".  We, as Christ-followers, should do the same.  Regardless of the opportunities to sin, the temptations strewn into our path by the enemy, we should beware and resist/stand firm or, better yet, RUN in the opposite direction!

Dear Jesus, open my eyes to my sins, the leaven in my own life; and press my heart to, not only confess them, but to avoid temptation scenarios at all costs.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/march-2007/02

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/december/wheaton-college-hijab-professor-same-god-larycia-hawkins.html

Alliances

Good morning,

One of the scariest things a parent can face is to see his or her children make bad alliances.  In today's passage Paul continues his instruction to the young Corinthian church, referring to them as his children in 2 Cor. 6:13-18 (NET) :

Now as a fair exchange - I speak as to my children - open wide your hearts to us also.

He then goes on to say, by way of contrast, that they should guard their hearts, being wise as to whom they open their hearts or "hitch their wagons".

14Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness?  15And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar?  Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?  16And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols?  For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."  17Therefore "come out from their midst, and be separate," says the Lord, "and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you, 18and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the All-Powerful Lord.

There is a reason I used the phrase "hitch their wagons" earlier.  In the King James Version's translation of verse 14, an agricultural term is used: "yoked" - - - "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers".  In modern times, some readers will think of eggs (although that would be "yolked"). But, in centuries past, people were familiar with the necessity of pairing two oxen of like temperament and strength to "yoke together".  A yoke was a heavy beam, placed over the backs of two oxen, to bind them together, so that they could pull the cart or wagon in the same direction.  By "pulling together" the pair would effectively carry the wagon where the driver wanted it to go.  If one ox was wanting to pull in one direction and the other ox in another, OR if one ox was weaker than the other, moving the wagon was harder to achieve.  Deuteronony 22:10 says this:

"Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together." (KJV)

So, what is Paul saying here?  That we should have no associations with those whose beliefs differ from ours?  That sounds a bit extreme.  How else will we win the world to Christ, unless we share the message of the gospel? Warren Wiersbe puts it like this:  "Some sincerely zealous Christians have turned separation into isolation, until their fellowship has become so narrow that they cannot even get along with themselves."1  No, Paul is saying that we should not "open wide our hearts" to those who believe radically different things about Jesus.  Doing so will, at best, compromise our testimony and, at worst, lead us into disobedience.  We should reserve our deepest friendships and alliances for those whose views are similar to our own.

I was talking to someone a few days ago whose parents were from differing religious backgrounds, one a Baptist and the other a Catholic.  Often, in such families, the children are raised in the Catholic faith, although they are not usually devoted Catholics as adults.  Why is that?  Sometimes it is because the Protestant parent "converted" to Catholicism, with their heart really not in it.  I remember being warned, as a teenager, to not date anyone outside the Protestant faith because, it's harder to fall out of love with an "unequal" person than to fall in.  Good advice.  Even for same-sex friendships, it is best to bind your heart to those of like-mind and like-spirit.

What about business alliances?  It is one thing to work for a boss who does not share your belief system, but you may have to eventually make a choice between following the orders of your boss/organization or staying true to what the Bible says.  I was reading a piece yesterday about a Swedish midwife who was told she had to participate in abortions.  She had to make a choice.  Even in business, it is wise to work for an organization whose mission is similar to the one God has given to you.

The Lord Jesus was found associating with "sinners" (Luke 7:34), but ,he was also "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26).  His closest friends were his disciples.  With wisdom from the Holy Spirit, we must practice what Wiersbe calls "contact without contamination". Otherwise, we risk isolating ourselves from the very people who need Christ the most.

Father God, please protect us from making relational choices that draw us off-course.  We want to remain fixed in our devotion, steady in our following after you, relentless in the completion of our mission.  Give us discernment, wedded to the same love for our fellow man which motivated our Lord Jesus.  In His name I pray, amen.

Source:

Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. 2nd ed. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2007. 520-21. Print.