[Darris McNeely] Did the Apostle Paul teach his people to keep Easter? The answer is no, he didn't. The Apostle Paul did not keep Easter, never did in his life, and actually never taught any of those churches that he founded to keep Easter as we know it today. What did he teach them to do?

Well, in 1 Corinthians 5 there's a very direct, interesting passage of scripture that shows exactly what he did teach to a group of non-Jews and a group of gentile believers in the ancient city of Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 5:7, the Apostle Paul writes about one of the fascinating holy days, festivals of God that are mentioned in the scripture, the Days of Unleavened Bread in the Passover season. He says in verse 7, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you're truly unleavened for indeed Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us." Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.

Here we find the Apostle Paul teaching a group of gentile believers, new converts into the faith, to keep the Days of Unleavened Bread, to keep Passover. To put out the leaven which is associated with that important seven-day festival, the Days of Unleavened Bread. It goes on in verse 8, he said, "Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Two of the most interesting passages out of all of Paul's writings to talk about a basic holy day, the Day of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover, and the entire festival season that is in the springtime. That's what he taught, he didn't teach Easter. Do you know something else? Jesus Christ himself didn't keep Easter and He wasn't resurrected on Easter Sunday. But that's another chapter in the story.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.