What the Bible says about Putting Out Sin
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Looking at the underlying commonality of the Ebal-curses—that they focus on secret sin—we may conclude that the six tribes on Ebal represent those church members whom we could call “wolves in sheep's clothing,” in whom God finds unrepented sin, individuals living a secret life, closeted in some way, hypocrites.
Conversely, we may conclude that the six tribes atop Mount Gerizim symbolize those people in God's church who exhibit sincerity and wholeness of heart, unwavering commitment to keeping the principle inherent to the Feast of Unleavened Bread—and, by extension, living their entire lives—“not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (I Corinthians 5:8).
Those on Gerizim, unlike their fellows on the Mount of Cursing, represent individuals who break their bread with “singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46), fully committed to abandoning all sin, no matter how stubbornly closeted it may have been at one point in their lives, no matter how tenacious its addiction, no matter how much carnal pleasure it might bring. On Gerizim stand, symbolically, those of God's people who, recognizing the damnation of the charade, have firmly rejected living a double-life. Those who so shun sham and find no pleasure in the mask really do stand on the Mountain of Blessing!
Charles Whitaker
Unity and Division: The Blessing and the Curse (Part Five)Related Topics: Avoiding Hypocrisy | Bread of Sincerity and Truth | Feast of Unleavened Bread | Hypocrisy | Leaven of Malice and Wickedness | Mount Ebal | Mount Ebal, Curses from | Mount Gerizim | Old Leaven | Putting Out Sin | Sin, Putting out | Singleness of Heart | Singleness of Mind | Singleness Of Purpose | Unity and Division | Wolves in Sheep's Clothing
Bearing fruit is another way to describe overcoming. Our Savior points out the impossibility of a branch producing fruit without being attached to the Vine—to Himself, Jesus Christ. He declares that without Him, we can do nothing. In other words, without the Unleavened Bread of Life (see John 6:53-58), we have no means to overcome—we are powerless both to avoid and put out the corruption of sin that leaven represents.
Putting this all together, the spiritual strength required to overcome is a result of eating the Bread of Life continually, and that Bread is available only to those whom He has delivered from spiritual Egypt. But to approach overcoming without that is to imply that we can overcome on our own—thus that we have no need of a Savior after our forgiveness. It is self-glorifying and self-righteous to focus more on our own efforts—which are necessary to the process—than on what makes our efforts possible in the first place and by whose strength those efforts will succeed.
Consider that during the exodus, God did not escort the ancient Israelites to the border of Egypt and then leave it up to them to make their way to the Promised Land and conquer it. In the same way, neither does God leave us to fend for ourselves when it comes to preparing to inherit His Kingdom and to overcoming corruption along the way. As the Potter, He is the principal craftsman of our transformation into the spiritual image He desires. The question is, do we trust Him enough to follow His lead, or will we try to find our own way?
As an example, imagine that we notice in ourselves a persistent lack of patience with others in our lives, and we want to get rid of that particular leavening. Currently, Amazon.com lists some 19,000 books on the subject of patience. High on the list is a book titled, How to Be More Patient: An Essential Guide to Replacing Impatience with Patience. It seems promising—it has received great reviews—and undoubtedly, the author has some insightful things to say. The word "patience" appears prominently in the title, and since patience is what we are lacking, perhaps we can find our solution in this "essential guide."
Yet, think it through from what God's Word reveals: Unless the author of this book has been given God's Spirit, what he is describing in its pages has only to do with the human spirit. Even the most patient, carnal person alive cannot guide us in producing the true spiritual fruit that God desires us to possess and display. The human spirit is entirely insufficient for the task.
The patience that God is developing in us is of a far higher quality than the patience that human wisdom can even grasp. So, if we ask God to help us to overcome our impatience—the right thing to do—He will not send us a step-by-step plan for us to carry out. Rather, the Author of the Book will Himself lead us into and through circumstances where He will develop His patience in us, because He is the only One who knows what true patience is. Ironically, His means of developing that fruit will not happen as quickly as an impatient person would like. It will happen on the Creator's terms, which is why we have to walk by faith while He does the work (II Corinthians 5:7).
This explains God's emphasis on overcoming, particularly in the book of Revelation. God does not stress overcoming because we have to achieve the Kingdom. There will be no glorying in His presence over our works (I Corinthians 1:29; Ephesians 2:9). Rather, God is pleased to give the Kingdom to those who are victorious through working with Him, which is the only way we can be victorious (Romans 8:31-37). Overcoming points to a smoothly working relationship with our Creator, one that will continue to work for all eternity—and that is what He desires.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminds us of our duty to put out sin. But even more than that, it is a joyous memorial of the spiritual deliverance that has been given and the salvation that comes through the Bread of Life that sustains us all the way through the sanctification process—as long as we continue to feast on Him.
David C. Grabbe
Why Do We Observe Unleavened Bread? (Part Two)Related Topics: Bearing Fruit | Branch and Vine Analogy | Impatience | Overcoming | Patience | Putting Out Sin | Sanctification Process | Why Do We Observe Unleavened Bread