Gary Leonard (Banned by HWA) recently asked "Is Jesus impressed with your deleavening routines?" The question is, of course, directed at ACOG members who obsess over the removal of leavening agents from their homes and vehicles in preparation for their observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For most of that culture, it's all about the symbolic meaning of an ancient religious ritual of the Israelites. The removal of leavening being likened to ridding their lives of sin.
It is ironic that many of them point to the fifth chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians to justify this activity. They use this passage as one of their chief proof texts in demonstrating the continuing obligation of Christians to participate in the ritual, while many of them ignore/overlook the point that the apostle was attempting to make.
Paul wanted the Corinthians to remove pride, malice and wickedness from their midst and replace them with sincerity and truth. Which brings a question to mind for all of the folks who are still engaging in the physical ritual: Are you busy cleaning your house and car and purchasing matzah bread? OR Are you preoccupied with getting rid of the pride, anger and bitterness from your life and replacing them with the qualities that God wants you to exhibit? Which one of those activities do you suppose God is really interested in?
Lonnie, I personally quit deleavening the crumbs over 25 years ago. The feast days are all about symbolism. I concluded then that leavening doesn't picture us sinning, it's the eating of leaven during that week that pictures sin. Therefore any crumbs that might be in my house from past leaven, during that week they would symbolize past sins. When we take of the bread and wine symbolizing Christ's death for our sin, all past sins are forgiven. So any attempt by us to remove past sin is self righteousness and denying Christ. Even if we were to eat of leavening during the seven days of unleavened bread, which would picture us sinning, there's absolutely nothing that we can do to remove that sin other than going to Jesus. The removing of leaven products (bread, cookies, etc) on the first day (not weeks or even days before) doesn't picture removing sin (only Christ can remove sin) it pictures our striving (though most likely in vain) to flee friend m sin. If I have an alcohol problem, I should remove alcohol from my life. If I have a porn addiction then I should remove any access to porn from my life. This is what the symbolism of removing bread, cookies, etc. pictures, not removing sin because once we've actually sinned, or given in to those temptations there's only one place that we can go, that's on our knees confessing our sin and weakness to Christ. Armstrongism is a self righteous, legalistic religion, but orthodoxy is no better.
ReplyDeleteKevin McMillen
I don't have the ability to fix typos in the comments of others (and I agree that autocorrection can be a pain). However, in the above comment, "to flee friend m sin" should read "to flee from sin." No problem!
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