I had a professor in college who didn’t believe in original sin, but that philosophy quickly changed once he had kids. And although we hate to admit it, the natural instinct to do wrong doesn’t fade with age.

But if you have ever visited our nation’s capitol, you have seen various scriptures on the walls and monuments that reveal the founding fathers’ original intent for the moral climate of our nation. They wanted the focus on what was sacred—not secular.

As a society we seem to have strayed from some of those foundations  by allowing sin to penetrate our families and institutions without much reprimand. But there is good news-- God has freedom waiting for us, if we’ll only choose to accept it and work at living by his principles.

The two antonyms sacred and secular perfectly symbolize that innate battle within us between good and evil, and we all know that at times, it can be difficult to make the right choice.

The Israelites often found themselves in similar situations throughout the Old Testament. Their moral climate declined every time they broke God’s laws and lacked a repentant heart. And sadly, often sin became so commonplace they lost sight of the freedom and fulfillment obedience to God empowers.

That’s why, in Leviticus 23, God told Moses to establish a feast that would give the Israelites the opportunity to return to the sacred and celebrate freedom from the sin by which they felt so trapped.

This feast was called the Feast of Unleavened Bread and began the 15^th day of Passover. The bread eaten during this time-- called matzo bread-- was  to be made without yeast and comprised simply of flour and water. Now, this fare may not sound too appetizing, but it served an important purpose that Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7.

He said, “… Don’t you know that a little yeast works through a whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

You see, God was using the yeast to symbolize sin in the Israelites’ lives. He wanted to show them that ridding  themselves of it would cause them to experience sweet freedom that their hearts longed for—a freedom God calls us all to experience.

Think about this—Passover was established during which season?  Spring. And when we think of the season, we can’t help but notice the beauty growing all around us, the change from the dead of winter to the vividness of spring.

That’s exactly how God views your life. He doesn’t hold your past against you. Whatever happened last year, last month or even yesterday can be removed – like the yeast! You can move into the beautiful, new life he has prepared for you – a life of freedom.