The church at Corinth faced immense moral challenges, living in a city notorious for its pervasive sins and temptations. Corinth was infamous for cultic prostitution to Aphrodite, along with widespread idolatry, extortion, and drunkenness, making it a vice-ridden environment. The Corinthian believers, though called out of this sinful world by the Father and redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, struggled with their carnal nature and the constant lure of their former lives. As babes in Christ, they carried the baggage of past corruption and faced ongoing temptation in this immoral setting. Paul addressed their situation with urgency, recognizing the risk of corruption spreading within the congregation. He noted a specific perverse sin among them, compounded by a proud, self-righteous attitude of tolerance toward the sinner. This leniency allowed the sin to infect the entire church, as Paul described their attitude as "old leaven" dragged in from their worldly past. He urged them to purge this corruption, to clean out the old habits and ways of thinking from before their conversion, so they could truly become new creations. Paul emphasized that Christ, their Passover, was sacrificed for their forgiveness and redemption, having done His part; now they must do theirs by remaining unleavened and purging any lingering sin or wrong attitude. Their inability to make righteous judgments was a central issue. Paul criticized their puffed-up pride and reliance on worldly knowledge, which skewed their decisions. They misunderstood his instructions, wrongly applying them to those outside the church while tolerating egregious sins within. He clarified that their responsibility was to maintain order among themselves, judging conduct within the church to guard its virtue and witness. Their carnal thinking and immature understanding hindered their ability to apply Godly principles, leading to poor choices. Paul pointed out that their pride in supposed knowledge—possibly influenced by rudimentary Gnostic ideas—led them to excuse sin as merely physical and inconsequential. He countered this by stressing that human knowledge means little compared to being known by God. He urged them to focus on loving God through action, adhering to His will, rather than relying on worldly wisdom. Their puffed-up state stemmed from valuing Greek learning over Godly love, which prevented them from judging with sincerity and truth. Ultimately, Paul encouraged the Corinthians to model their lives after Jesus Christ, who lived sinlessly amidst corruption by always seeking to please the Father and making righteous judgments. He presented himself as an example, humbly allowing God to work through him with spiritual power, contrasting with their reliance on human wisdom. Paul urged them to purge carnal patterns of thinking and false standards of knowledge, to base their decisions on the word of God, and to cultivate the mind of Christ for sound, Godly judgments.