Childlike Faith
The Unleavened Bread
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How I use Scripture: unless quoted directly with quotation marks (““) the chapter and verse references are where you can find the verses in the Bible. I encourage you to read them, how else will you know if I’m quoting correctly? My job is to bring alive the treasures of scripture, from the new and the old, to help you study and seek God for yourself.
This is the duty of the Scribe (writer) / Teacher (explainer) Matthew 13:52
I have added parentheses to the KJV verses to emphasize the points being made, and unless otherwise noted, all scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV) which exists in the Public Domain.
The Holy Spirit raised up a banner of words “childlike faith” across my thoughts while asking him what topic would please him. As I began to write, thinking I would use my favorite examples of active faith, he steered me into a new revelation cutting back the tall grass of my ideas with the two-edged sickle I know so well. He bundled up the verses in my word search tool, and I saw the bales of hay he wanted me to exegete, to interpret, to feed His sheep.
Childlike faith is the unleavened bread element of the levitical sacrifices.
So here we go: New feed to graze upon, Isaiah 43:19.
Knowledge is Leaven - It Puffs Up - 1 Corinthians 8:1
God designed man to have dominion over the earth, to populate it, to “subdue it,” Genesis 1:28. Man chose Sin, and humans began chasing knowledge for its own sake, utilizing it according to their pride, selfishness, and greed. They forgot it was God who commanded them to obtain knowledge, and then they forgot God altogether. God didn’t retract his plan however.
When you read about the fall of man, read the end of it first and you will see that God never intended to hide the Tree of Life or to keep man from becoming like God as to knowledge and wisdom, but man followed Satan’s way of reasoning and thievery. We are law breakers and rebels from the beginning. Such is free will; always looking for the easy way out, instead of being willing to walk the narrow path that leads to life, Matthew 7:14.
God knew we would fail, and he repented that he made man in the earth, Genesis 6:6. This is why Jesus went to the Cross, God repented and took responsibility for our fall. Knowing we would need a shepherd and continued repentance to renew the mind to become holy again, with all sin worked out of us, made immune to temptation. This is the future of eternal life.
Each person has gifts of knowledge obtained from the path God sets them on, as part of the call he gives each one, even if they reject him, even if they use those gifts for evil. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,” Romans 11:29.
Their gifts bring forth amazing inventions that lift life’s physical burdens and aid in discovery and medical breakthrough, or terrible destruction. God established education when he required his Word to be written down and studied, 2nd Timothy 2:15, 2nd Corinthians 10:18, 13:7, 1st Thessalonians 4:11. Proverbs is full of commands to seek knowledge. All flesh is his, whether saved or unsaved, Jeremiah 32:27. And all truth is God’s truth, John 16:13.
All were made in the image of God, saved or not. God makes the sun to rise upon all, the evil and the good, Matthew 5:45. And flashes of inspiration are given to all in hopes they will turn and repent. We are instructed to honor all men where honor is due, Romans 13:7. It is the goodness of God that leads man to repentance, Romans 2:4.
Romans 8:28-30
“28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called … “
If they only believed, their predestinated gifts would become eternal, but in any case, God uses their works to bless all of mankind, for they are his works through them, even though they steal his credit. His Word once spoken does not return void, Isaiah 55:11.
How I use Scripture References: For purposes of these articles, unless I quote the scripture in quotation marks (“ “), the verses point the reader where the biblical foundation is located. In your own study, I encourage you to look up them up and add them to your arsenal.
God’s Command to Subdue the Earth
The phrase “subdue it” in Genesis 1:28 implicitly contains the command to study everything in the earth that can be learned since without the knowledge of it, it cannot be subdued.
God requires man to strive for knowledge, to ask, to seek, and to knock, Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9. These are references to asking God for the knowledge you find necessary, then he orders your path so you can find it. Striving to understand something is a teacher whether you name it the “school of hard knocks,” “trial and error,” “experience,” “scientific observation,” “formal training” or “revelation.” So even before there is an assigned teacher, there is a teacher. Man has no excuse, Romans 1:20-21.
The pioneers came to America armed with their bibles and they built our nation out of nothing, and God fought for them. They knew it would be hard, but they did it anyway, to be free. We in our comforts whine and complain because today we are willing prisoners, no longer free.
Childlike Faith Is Not Prideful or Selfish - It Is Unleavened, Selfless
First I need to deal with what knowledge is because it must be defined before faith can be discussed. Leaven is yeast that permeates the loaf and puffs it up, causing it to rise. Knowledge itself is good, but when mixed with self interest it becomes the leaven Jesus warned about. The leaven that makes man wise in their own eyes, Genesis 3:6, without God. Puffed up in the pride of life, that same sin from the Garden that Eve reasoned herself into. Yes, Eve convinced herself the serpent was right, Adam didn’t do his job as Law Keeper to correct her, and they never asked God if the serpent was correct, even though God met with them daily in the evenings. They didn’t hit pause before they hit play.
Now Contrast “The Perfect” Against “The Fallen”:
In a perfect world without sin, man (male and female) would have used all their knowledge to benefit everyone freely in godliness.
Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21. This leaven is the knowledge of God.
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea,” Habbukuk 2:14
In the fallen world, man (male and female) uses their knowledge on the basis of greed where gaining knowledge comes at a price and where sharing knowledge is based on a hierarchy of profit and favoritism. This is the self-interested mixture Paul was referring to when he said, “knowledge puffs up,” 1 Corinthians 8:1.
Jesus, as Prophet, “charged (warned) them, saying, Take heed (pay attention), beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod,” Mark 8:15. Religious and worldly knowledge that replaces God.
“Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees,” Matthew 16:12 Doctrines (teachings) that put focus on rules of men, works and methods as a replacements for chapter and verse. Small groups abound today.
“Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy,” Luke 12:1 Hypocrisy is teaching one thing and believing another thing and in their case, they did it for profit at the expense of others. The outward does not match the inward.
“7 You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draws near unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” Matthew 15:7-9, Isaiah 29:13.
“Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: you entered not in (to the kingdom of God) yourselves, and them that were entering in you hindered,” Luke 11:52
Political winners were the Pharisees, Separatists in the Greek, they successfully spoiled the harvest by replacing the Torah and simple faith with the Talmud and all the impossible rules of men. This is why God had to send John the Baptist, the greatest Prophet, to prepare the people by repentance.
Jesus came at the precise moment when Satan hid the word of God.
Shurer’s five volume set, “A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ,” records the historical truth of the political battle of the Pharisees versus the High Priest’s stand for the Torah. The Jews are blind even today because the Israeli rabbis teach the doctrines of men and excoriate anyone who seeks to know Jesus Christ, up to and including death threats. They control the people-Nicolaitans!
Dr. Eitan Bar, founder of “Israel College of the Bible,” and “One for Israel,” recounts the rabbinical threats against him in his book, “Refuting the Rabbinic Objections to Christianity & Messianic Prophecies,” along with examining the vile rabbinic mindset that teaches acceptance of Christ means boiling in excrement for eternity. His goal is to evangelize Israel and turn them back to the Lord. You can see testimonial videos at the “One for Israel” channel on YouTube.
Some Historical Background:
In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and priests were the educated class, they taught scripture, they spoke Greek, not Hebrew, but didn't believe because they wanted the praise of men and the tithe, rather than the praise of God in faith. They cheated the people at the Temple in monetary conversions. They purchased estates and farms for themselves. God said they would have no inheritance in the land because God himself is their inheritance and their husband, Deuteronomy 18:1-2, Jeremiah 3:14-15. Instead of accepting God’s provision for them written in the Law, they wanted more in their greed.
The Jews living outside Jerusalem in the nations and Roman cities where they did business, had to return to Jerusalem three times every year for the Feasts of God, carrying money as commanded in Deuteronomy 14:24-26, to pay their tithe and to purchase animals to sacrifice for their sins. The Temple money changers would exchange the worldly currencies into Jewish shekels, but they held back a corrupt portion for themselves and they cheated the illiterate poor. God had commanded them to use honest scales and measures in Proverbs 16:11, but the High Priest in Jesus’ day was very corrupt. He was appointed by Rome, not God. In those times, Lepers were everywhere, as proof there was no High Priest of God at the Temple who could could perform the cleansing in Leviticus chapters 13 and 14.
I encourage you to learn more about the administration of the Temple in those days. They had become who Malachi prophesied them to be in that day, robbers of God, Malachi 3:8. They had become who Jacob prophesied them to be in the last days also, instruments of cruelty, Genesis 49:5. The 400 quiet years between Malachi and Matthew ensured Levi and Simeon would once again revert to their original self-selected mandate, the Slayers of the Sacrifice, the same as they willfully slew the men of Shechem.
There is always more that can be written, but you see now, the comparison of pure knowledge of the Kingdom against the fallen, corrupt leaven of men. The corrupt leaven grows in strength until religion becomes a murderous mindset. So it is not incorrect to say that corrupt religion is responsible for the wars in the earth.
Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with Jesus Christ. God never set out to control man, but to help man become what God intended him to be.
How God Removed My Blindness:
Before I believed, I had a problem with Jesus not giving the Pharisees any answers to help them believe. You might wonder why God doesn’t help the atheists. The Holy Spirit showed me these verses and they removed Satan’s blindness. Leviticus 26:18, 21, 27-28: “And if you will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me, then I will walk contrary unto you also, in fury, and I even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.” These verses not only describe how Jesus handled the Pharisees, they prophecy the seven-year Tribulation, written by Moses, before Jeremiah called it the time of Jacob’s trouble, Jeremiah 30:7.
How many believers suffer from Satanic spiritual blindness because they refuse to read the Old Testament? I conclude, many. It has been said, faith eats only one thing, chapter and verse!
Jesus read their hearts and minds, as a Prophet of God, so he knew what they thought, just like Peter knew what Ananias and Sapphira thought in their hearts, Acts chapter 5. Jesus knew they refused to believe, and he knew the prophecies about them, without ever debating them. He does the same thing today. If you come to him in humility, he will help your unbelief, but if you come with the leaven of hypocrisy and pride, he will resist you. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble, James 4:6.
How Jesus Chose His Disciples
If you look closely at the four Gospels, you will see Jesus choosing the disciples that were looking for the Messiah, it’s right there on the pages. You’ll see Jesus asking them questions, testing their answers, to see if it was the Father speaking through them. This is how Jesus knew who were chosen. And he didn’t cast Peter away, because the Father had chosen him to explain the keys that open the Strait Gate, to the narrow way that leads to life, that very few find.
To Peter were given the keys of the kingdom, Matthew 16:19. His tiny epistles. Peter was a double-minded weak person, who God transformed into the one to teach sanctification. The church begged him for 1st Peter. Read the end of it to see why he wrote it. 1st Peter teaches how to behave when the world is casting you out because you have found the power of the Cross and you have been Holy Spirit Baptized. No other book of the Bible teaches how to put off the flesh like 1st Peter. Second Peter tells the order that God adds the character of Jesus to you, 2 Peter 1:3-15. Brotherly love comes last, because you must be built up in godliness first.
Christians today are missing the repentance boat, thinking their purpose is only to what is good in their own eyes. I was unable to get out of 1 Peter for five years, and even now God takes me back to that woodshed when he needs to remind me not to revile when I have been reviled. The Key is REPENTANCE.
Matthew 18:3
And Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, except you be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
We become as little children by being born again and through repentance of continuing sin.
You cannot do what Peter says if you don’t repent of the sins keeping you from doing what he says to do. Therefore in your prayers of repentance, use the word “repent” because it gets God’s attention. Saying you’re sorry is fleshly. Repenting is godly.
We have examined knowledge and obedience, and a bit about the need for repentance, now we can start talking about Childlike Faith.
New Testament Feast of Unleavened Bread is Held in Sincerity and Truth
Paul said, “Your glorying is not good. Know you not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven (of the Law they could not do), neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness (of the world); but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1st Corinthians 5:6-8. The Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread were intertwined, this is why he mentions both together. He states the words of Jesus from the Gospel in verse 6.
“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God,” 2nd Corinthians 1:12. Paul reiterates that fleshly wisdom through knowledge cannot be mixed with faith or it becomes leavened by the flesh.
The Corinthians were glorying in their knowledge and worldly wisdom and mixing their fleshly sensual wisdom with their unleavened born again faith, which would cause their faith to fail. Paul reminds them their obligation is to keep the Old Testament Feast not with the old leaven of doing the Law, and not with worldly malice and wickedness, but with the purity of sincerity and truth.
Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24.
To worship in spirit is to put off the flesh, the old man, the body of this death, the deeds of the body, immorality, the sins, the rebellion against the Word. The Corinthians were immoral and unruly. But so are we.
The Feasts of God in the Old Testament are a complex study and beyond this writing. But there is a great book that teaches all the verses and concepts by Kevin J. Conner, entitled, “The Feasts of Israel” and it provides a worthy study that is easy for any level of student to follow.
The Jews were to search their homes and cleanse all leaven from the premises, every bit. It was to be an exhaustive search. A type of repentance being an exhaustive search of the self. Today, we are to examine ourselves continually to be sure we are in the faith. These are the same things, said two different ways. Making sure and repenting of anything that has damaged our faith or has caused us to adopt behaviors of works, legalism, or worldly wisdom. Psalm 17:3, 15; Psalm 26:2; Psalms 51, 119, 138, 139; Job 23:10; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Revelation 3:18.
Placing the Unleavened Bread on the Sacrifice is Placing Childlike Faith in the Sacrifice
Onto the Passover Lamb was placed unleavened bread, then the whole thing was burned. They say the unleavened bread is a type of Christ’s sinless life because leaven is a type of sin. Defined this way, it is correct teaching. But the Holy Spirit showed me the unleavened bread is Childlike faith in the Sacrifice. Read on.
Sincere faith results in action, taking God at his word. If God said it, I believe it.
The unleavened bread placed on the animal, was a product of the effort to cleanse the house as commanded, it represented their childlike faith in obedient action.
God considers animals to be sinless already, created not by the will of man. The animal sacrifice was already a type of a sinless sacrifice in itself, it didn’t need to have unleavened bread applied to it to be a type of sinlessness.
The intent of the man performing the sacrifice requires a statement of faith or an oath on his part indicating his sacrifice was made by faith in the blood of the slain animal.
Baking the bread is done by the will of man, as is repentance.
The unleavened bread is the statement of pure faith, childlike faith, representing the actions taken to obey God. The person is saying, I come to you believing my offer of repentance is true, evidenced by searching my household to root out all the leaven.
A head knowledge of Jesus as Savior is not the same as full faith in the shed blood of Jesus the Savior. God must have possession of the heart, unmixed. A tall order for a worldly person who is newly converted.
Simple faith is childlike faith. Repentance is the work of faith. Ceasing from actions of sin through repentance daily is the work of faith. Jesus said the work of God is to believe, John 6:28-29. If you believe, you will do what Jesus said to do, repent.
Jesus told us the same thing he told Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Keep my commandments and statutes. Further he said, if you love me, show it by keeping my commandments, John 14:15. Ridding yourself of sinful actions, unforgiveness, and immorality is the proof you love him. How is he to inhabit a vessel of filth while you make excuses for your lack of repentance?
Not many are going into the kingdom in our day of greatest bible knowledge ever, overcome by demons and unrepentant sin.
What Will You Do With This Article?
Ignore it, and continue on in your life?
Use it to diagnose where your faith is at?
Will you renew your commitment to Jesus and set about to study and repent daily so that you truly are able to adopt the crucified life of ridding yourself of sin?
Jesus said, three times, deny your ways, pick up your cross (repent of continuing sin daily) and follow me (adopt my lifestyle to imitate me in holiness).
Denying yourself, picking up your cross daily in repentance, is the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament Daily Sacrifice. You are now the Temple.
If you are in the process of being sanctified, returned to holiness, in Christ, there is now no condemnation for continuing sin as long as you are keeping it in repentance, under the blood, Romans 8:1.
Matthew 16:24-27
“24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself (deny his own flesh and willfulness and ideas), and take up his cross (repent), and follow (imitate) me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
Mark 8:34-38
“34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself (deny his own flesh and willfulness and ideas), and take up his cross (repent), and follow (imitate) me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Luke 9:23-26
“23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself (deny his own flesh and willfulness and ideas), and take up his cross daily (repent daily), and follow (imitate) me. 24For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”