Christian A: pork & unclean meats

Q: Can we eat pork? The Bible says not to eat unclean meats. I ate octopus and didnt know it was on the forbidden list, am I in trouble with God??

A: No. Christians are not Israel,nor are we under Israel's old laws. Jesus fulfilled the law in our place on our behalf; so by him living a perfect life under the Law, we would be free from it. He was the perfect sacrifice without blemish. He completed the salvific mission (by living the perfect life under the Law, dying on the cross, and rising victorious over death). He traded places with us on the cross ...so His perfect life was switched with our sinful life, to redeem us from the demands of the Law.

Let's look at Scripture...

When Noah came out of the ark God told him...

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I have given everything to you, as I gave the green plants." Genesis 9:3

After Israel was formed God gave that nation specific laws such as dietary, ceremonial and the moral law. We know the moral law has always been written on humanity's hearts from various Scripture OT&NT. When Jesus came he fulfilled the whole law and destroyed the old (which only lead to death) to replace it with the new (which brought life). Israel no longer needed to follow those old laws and in the new covenant (all believers) receive the new nature - "the righteous nature of Christ" which naturally flows out of us to love God and others. We do not keep the Law to be saved, but because we are saved righteousness flows out of us naturally.

Those before Israel's founding had no unclean foods; they could eat anything. And we as Gentiles were never under the Law of Israel. We are not Jews, we are Christians in Christ. The Jews were the ones who had to get over the stumbling block of issues around food. Not us. In addition here are verses where God told or revealed to us all food is clean.

When Jesus took the Apostles to a gentile area and taught them for a couple months, & sent them on short term missions there, (so they would have experience before they go into the world after his death and ascension), this is what he told them:

"Do not stay at the same house, but as you go, stay at the homes of those who will receive you. Whatever town you enter and they accept you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'" Luke 10:7

So in addition to these

Jesus thus declared all food clean.

“And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”

(All foods clean.) ‭‭Mark‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭

Regarding laws on unclean meats, most of those were highly likely meant to keep Israel from diseases and death due to bacteria and brain worms, since they didnt cook things well nor have good sanitation back then.

We should cook it, and be careful how we cook it, so we dont get ill or die. The world had no idea about germs, bacteria, parasites or any of those things b4 the 1800's... so God was preserving & protecting Israel by those special laws.

Plus the context around such laws in Israel do seem to indicate some connection to idolatry of the pagan nations, which means... it is possible it was among the meats pagans were using to do sacrifices to idols; false gods.

In Acts 10:1-14 Jesus was going to send Peter to a gentiles home to share Christ with him and his whole family. To prepare him to be around them and eat gentile foods there, (and to be grateful to God for the food being offered), he had to get rid of his old Jewish bias so God brought a vision to him.

" And he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.'"

Peter saw unclean animals there. God tells him to take and eat. Peter at first refuses, but God tells him again and says what He has made clean isn’t unclean.

Peter was stuck thinking in the old Jewish ways instead of in freedom in Christ. He had even forgot all the things Jesus said [in the gospels] about what is not unclean. And time was of the essence... Peter was going to be sent quickly on a gospel mission and he had to get over his former ways of thinking right then, so he was told here to recieve it.

We also see

”Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,“

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭25‬ ‭

So we can eat any creature God has given us.

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, Because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer.” 1 Timothy 4:4-5

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Cor 10:31

Eating pork

Now theres a couple things to keep in mind on this issue:

1. Many Christians are new or weak in the faith, or have been decieved by false teachers on this topic. So for those believers this faq article will be very helpful and their conscience can now be at peace to eat meat, all meat.

2. We gentiles are not coming out of Judaism, thought a few Jews might be, regardless, Christians are not Jews. We also need to remember there are no Christianized western nations today sacrificing animals to idols. This is not an issue we need to deal with, as they in Israel did. We do need to deal with modern Judaizers, folk who have a total misunderstanding about the Bible, and trie to tie Christians up inti Judaism.

3. The OT era doesnt only = Israel. The world has been putting its faith in the coming Messiah since Eden. Since Eden till Egypt, (and note the Hebrews in Egypt all those long yrs prior to God calling them out of there to be His own people [The Nation of Israel]), were not under unclean meat laws. It was never a thing in Human history for 2669 yrs(1); there were no unclean meat laws given to anyone by God in all that time. There was a temporary reason why He had those laws put in place, for Israel, as noted above and as you will come to understand as you study the Word.

4. Christians are under freedom in Christ.

There seems to be a terrible misunderstanding among many church teachers, preachers and believers about this, and about this topic in its fullness.

Remember Acts 10, noted above?

Christians have freedom and liberty.There was no more dietary laws. There was no more of the clothing law, the wool, and so forth and so on, that...there was no more kitchen cooking laws. All of that stuff had been set aside. All the peculiarities of Israel had been set aside in the institution of the church. So those...those outward laws were gone, and, yet, the Jews couldn't handle those things; and when they saw some people doing certain things [they freaked out].(2)

5. While you have been educated on this topic others havent been yet, and it is possible the new & young in the faith have not studied this topic yet, so you need to heed Scriptures teaching on your behavior, thoughts, attitudes and speech towards such ones. They will in time grow to understand this issue You certianly can send them a loving and kind and non judgmental note with this link to help them understand what Scripture teaches about this, so they can live in peace, and freedom and liberty.

Believers can choose what they want to eat, but if visiting or gathering with others, & someone offers something, they can politely eat it giving thanks to God. If there are options such as at a potluck, they have options to choose from. But if you know someone has just learned of this revelation, and are slowly starting to add eat meat, you can provide a vegetarian item, and it would be loving others to do so. >>I knew a woman in her 30s or 40s who didnt eat meat, but after marrying a man who ate meat and she became a Christian, she found her body wasnt accepting the meat well for a long time.<< * So for some believers it might take time for them to adjust, so be kind and accomodating to them. If they choose not to start eating meat, not having any objections to those who do, and not judging them, then it is fine. They are free to choose to eat limited foods, and they can bring vegetarian type items to potlucks or over to your place for a gathering (specific for themselves). They can also choose to eat in advance of joining the group gathering, and instead enjoy just a snack treat and tea or coffee with the brethren while there.

And Finally,

Theres a possibility non-Christian or judgmental believers who read this, and are rejecting what is said here, who are vegans and vegetarians. And feel it necessary to lovingly caution them that if you are not "eating meat" because you are taking a position that tries to "sit in judgment above God" by saying "people should not kill animals and eat them", then you are on dangerous ground, since God has been very clear across Scripture on the topic of giving us animals for various reasons incl. for meat, and if you cling to that anti biblical belief, you are thus also judging the "sacrificial system" which "pointed to and was fulfilled in Christ as the Lamb of God on the Cross". Thus your view is trying to erase or nullifuly God's forgiveness and salvation he provided to mankind. You dare not do such a thing.

Topic Resources

The Law Damns

Praying over Food

Related Resources

What is the Gospel

New & Growing Believers Resources

Footnotes:

(1) The timeline calculations:

TheSacredCalendar.com

Shows the Bible timeline from within Scripture to all the actual dates of everything in the Bible.

4115 BC Creation/Eden
1445 BC Hebrews leaves Egypt & are now Israel
= 2669 Years from Creation to Nation of Israel was formed.

(2) Questions & Answers, Christian Freedom