Pork

[SuzanneM52]

I don't mean to be annoying but as a new Christian I have so many questions!!!! Are we or are we NOT to eat pork? Was this included in the Law due to the wild boars and pigs of ancient times?

 

[DoctorJosh]

Deuteronomy 14:8 Isaiah 65:2-6 There is that argument about the New Testament putting the Old Testament out of date, however, Jesus never said that. What Jesus did was correct some things that was passed on that was creating distance between man and God, such as the stoning of a prostitute. Other than what Jesus stated was to be changed, nothing else is changed. The Ten Commandments still stand strong and eating pork is not good even for our health. Why did Jesus cast the demons into the pigs and not just cast them out? Pigs were seen as unclean, unhealthy and are still today. One slice of pork has over 32 different parasites. If you do not cook the pork well enough, you may get a parasite or a dozen parasites. One good example is the man in Arizona a few years ago that didn't cook his pork well enough and got a brain worm, which he crashed his car and died. If the Bible isn't enough good reason to not eat pork, then look at the nutritional value and safety concerns of eating pork. There is hardly any nutritional value and its unhealthy, in fact its plain gross. So those who don't care, just remember each time you eat pork, you are eating parasites by the dozens that will grow in your body and do harm. Once, I was in the desert and I didn't know the guy cooked up some pork earlier, it sat in the sun for a few hours before dinner and when I opened the covered platter it was covered in maggots. YUCK!

 

[SuzanneM52]

What Jesus did was correct some things that was passed on that was creating distance between man and God,

THANK you!!!! Now I understand what Jesus meant when he said he didnt come to do away with the law !
Your answer about the pork was good enough for me!!!!!! I wont EVER touch that gross stuff again !!!!

 

[fm107]

Suzanne,

Eating pork is perfectly fine for Christians.

This command about not eating pigs was given to the Jews only.

The laws of the old testament (given to the Jews) do not apply to Christians.

You see when Jesus finished his work down here, he had made known that these laws were done away with and that we were now entirely under grace:

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

That is why it says here:

1 Corinthians 8:8
But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

If eating something goes against your conscience then for you, you had better not eat it. But if eating something doesn't go against your conscience then by all means feel free to eat it:

Romans 14:14
As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

Romans 14:20
All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.

As for the time Jesus said he did not comes to abolish the laws or the prophets, look at what he said after that...

Mathew 5:17
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. "

He came to fulfilled them. That's because they testified that God would send a saviour who would be tortured and crucified. Lord Jesus fulfilled them when he gave up his life:

John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

This might now be confusing for you but I assure you the first answer is wrong. This law was given to the Jews ONLY. Since then God has done away with this law.

Jesus says here:

Luke 16:16
"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it."

Note the change from the "law and the prophets" to the "good news." There is a change here.

 

[alan650]

You can eat pork. Don't fret over such legalistic matters over what you can eat or what you can spend time doing. As a Christian we are to love God with all of our mind, heart, and soul and love our neighbor with all our hearts. Loving God is not an emotion but obedience to his Holy Spirit which will lead you. Just focus on the new convenant of the New Testament and you won't be led astray. Meanwhile, eat whatever is tasty and rejoice in the Lord!!!!

 

[Criada]

We are not subject to Jewish Law, sweetie
Christ set us free, and as long as we continue to love and serve Him, the other things don't matter. You will know if something is wrong because the Holy Spirit will guide you

 

[Sketcher]

Unless you were born Jewish, you're free to eat anything except a land animal's blood.

 

[clep]

Unless you were born Jewish, you're free to eat anything except a land animal's blood.

I have wondered about this exactly. Can you please clarify what you mean by this? I have heard many Jehovah's say that they will not accept blood transfusions due to not eating the blood of man or animal. Is this along the same lines?

I am confused by this though because if I was to put a steak on a plate for an hour or eat it rare or med rare, the blood pools up on the plate. Isn't that eating a land animal's blood?

The Jehovah's say the blood is drained from the meat so they can eat it, but if it is drained why is there so much left on the plate?

 

[Sketcher]

I have wondered about this exactly. Can you please clarify what you mean by this? I have heard many Jehovah's say that they will not accept blood transfusions due to not eating the blood of man or animal. Is this along the same lines?

I am confused by this though because if I was to put a steak on a plate for an hour or eat it rare or med rare, the blood pools up on the plate. Isn't that eating a land animal's blood?

The Jehovah's say the blood is drained from the meat so they can eat it, but if it is drained why is there so much left on the plate?

Don't listen to the Jehovah's Witnesses at all. They are not Christian, but a cult. They deny the divinity of Jesus.

As for what I said, the command goes back to Acts 15. The church back then had a Jewish majority, non-Jews were beginning to hear and accept the Gospel message. But since most believers were Jews, there was a controversy over whether the Gentile converts needed to become Jews in order to fully become Christians. So they met in Jerusalem to discuss the issue, and the Holy Spirit led them to conclude that Gentiles can come as we are. We don't have to follow the Law of Moses. So the Gentiles, rather than being instructed to submit to all 600+ commands of the law, were given a few admonishments on things they weren't doing, so they could live peaceably with Jewish believers. These admonishments are recorded in verse 20, and again in verse 29. Among them is the command not to eat blood. It was first given to Noah in Genesis 9:4, where eating of blood and flesh together and not prepared is forbidden. The Law of Moses is stricter about eating blood, but the blood found in fish, eggs, and insects is permitted. More information here.

As for what you find in red meat, there's plenty of juices other than blood that is in the meat. The standard way of killing an animal in this country is such that it bleeds out in a few minutes.

 

[Johnnz]

THANK you!!!! Now I understand what Jesus meant when he said he didnt come to do away with the law !
Your answer about the pork was good enough for me!!!!!! I wont EVER touch that gross stuff again !!!!

Unfortunately he was wrong on this matter. If you read the NT you will find reference after reference to the law having come to an end.

Jesus did not abolish the law in his lifetime. He fulfilled in in His person and life, by which he fulfilled all its demands and opened the way for His new and better one in place of the old through his death and subsequent resurrection.

You can now eat pork freely, and shellfish. And you don't have to keep all the ceremonial purity laws either.

John
NZ

 

[heron]

Maggots come from flies that land on meat left in the open. But yes, pork is more prone to parasites. And yes, gross!

When food was deemed unclean, it wasn't just religiously unclean -- often there were real reasons something could bring impurities into our bodies and communities. Many of the laws were similar, meant for man's benefit. If people didn't know the science behind the dangers, they had this backup.

* Sick people were unclean and expected to stay out of public (communicable diseases). Dead animals were unclean and not to be touched-- we now have names for rabies, West Nile virus, and other diseases that animals die from.
* Shellfish -- red tide and mercury, among other things.
* Scavenger animals -- disease etc. passed along
* Pork tended to have trichinosis before medicinal solutions

The Law was a great way to teach us about respecting our lives and others' lives. It also shows how God continues to protect us, if we follow His voice. Jesus wanted us to understand the heart of the Law, and focus on God's love for man and love for each other. Protecting each other from disease and decay was important in God's eyes. Jesus brought healing from disease... our health and well-being was important to God in both covenants.

 

[TheGuide]

I don't mean to be annoying but as a new Christian I have so many questions!!!! Are we or are we NOT to eat pork? Was this included in the Law due to the wild boars and pigs of ancient times?

Christians are not under the Law we're under grace. Jesus fulfilled the Law when he was crucified and resurrected. Bless your pork with a prayer like with all foods and enjoy it. Now, if you have any doubts then don't eat it, because your heart will convict you as doing something wrong. Also, if someone you're in the company of feels that eating pork is wrong, then don't eat it when you're with them. Hope that helps.

 

[singpeace]

We could analyze it to death about just why not eating certain things fell under the Law. The truth you need to hold on to is this:

The purpose of the Law was to show mankind he couldn't fulfill it. The Law is so complicated and has so many rules and commandments until it is impossible to fulfill. God did this so we would know we needed a Savior and would turn to Him for salvation.

Now that we have been freed from the Law of sin and death, we are free to eat whatever we like without condemnation.

Mark 7: 14-15 (NLT)
14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "[

 

[heymikey80]

I don't mean to be annoying but as a new Christian I have so many questions!!!! Are we or are we NOT to eat pork? Was this included in the Law due to the wild boars and pigs of ancient times?

At the time it was good ceremonial imagery for separating yourself from unclean beasts. There may have been concerns for the quality of food as well, but that's a secondary matter in the Law.

"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?" Thus he declared all foods clean. And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."Mark 7:18-23
​

So to Jesus -- however foul we think the food is -- points to our heart as being even more foul.

 

[DoctorJosh]

We could analyze it to death about just why not eating certain things fell under the Law. The truth you need to hold on to is this:

The purpose of the Law was to show mankind he couldn't fulfill it. The Law is so complicated and has so many rules and commandments until it is impossible to fulfill. God did this so we would know we needed a Savior and would turn to Him for salvation.

Now that we have been freed from the Law of sin and death, we are free to eat whatever we like without condemnation.

Mark 7: 14-15 (NLT)
14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "[

Let us correct this in what Jesus was speaking about, Jesus was referring to what people hear and what they say, it had nothing to do with food. If you eat pork that has parasites and it is not fully cooked, you get parasites. If you drink contaminated water, you will get sick. Nothing comes out of you in that perspective, Jesus wasn't talking about food.

 

[Peacedove]

We are not subject to Jewish Law, sweetie
Christ set us free, and as long as we continue to love and serve Him, the other things don't matter. You will know if something is wrong because the Holy Spirit will guide you

This isprobably the best answer to the original question and does not confuse or give personal opinion. I agree wholeheartedly. If you are in Jesus then the Holy Spirit will guide you in all aspects of your life

 

[laconicstudent]

THANK you!!!! Now I understand what Jesus meant when he said he didnt come to do away with the law !
Your answer about the pork was good enough for me!!!!!! I wont EVER touch that gross stuff again !!!!

Suzanne, the Bible says otherwise


6 And the apostles and ancients assembled to consider of this matter. 7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter, rising up, said to them: Men, brethren, you know, that in former days God made choice among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8 And God, who knoweth the hearts, gave testimony, giving unto them the Holy Ghost, as well as to us; 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why tempt you God to put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?


11 But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, in like manner as they also. 12 And all the multitude held their peace; and they heard Barnabas and Paul telling what great signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. 13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying: Men, brethren, hear me. 14 Simon hath related how God first visited to take of the Gentiles a people to his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written:



16 After these things I will return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and the ruins thereof I will rebuild, and I will set it up: 17 That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all nations upon whom my name is invoked, saith the Lord, who doth these things. 18 To the Lord was his own work known from the beginning of the world. 19 For which cause I judge that they, who from among the Gentiles are converted to God, are not to be disquieted. 20 But that we write unto them, that they refrain themselves from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.





21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him in the synagogues, where he is read every sabbath. 22 Then it pleased the apostles and ancients, with the whole church, to choose men of their own company, and to send to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas, who was surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren. 23 Writing by their hands: The apostles and ancients, brethren, to the brethren of the Gentiles that are at Antioch, and in Syria and Cilicia, greeting. 24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that some going out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment: 25 It hath seemed good to us, being assembled together, to choose out men, and to send them unto you, with our well beloved Barnabas and Paul:





26 Men that have given their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also will, by word of mouth, tell you the same things. 28 For it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay no further burden upon you than these necessary things: 29 That you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which things keeping yourselves, you shall do well. Fare ye well. 30 They therefore being dismissed, went down to Antioch; and gathering together the multitude, delivered the epistle.


DoctorJosh is quite wrong. Notice he makes scientific claims without citing a single source. It is sensationalist, and simply wrong. Ironically, some studies have shown pork to be quite healthy. http://www.bourre.fr/pdf/publications_scientifiques/254.pdf

Notice there, I cited a research study. DoctorJosh didn't. Therefore, you should dismiss his claims as completely groundless. If you want a real answer, you should consult a physician, not us. If you are going to take internet science seriously, only bother with those who cite reliable research sources.


Finally, DoctorJosh's view isn't found in Patristics, or the writings of the early Christians, who themselves knew the Apostles and would know better what they thought, being only a few decades removed from them, rather then 2,000 years.

The Roman Priest, Novatian, does an excellent job explaining how all meats are suitable to be eaten, and the Jewish dietary laws were merely an analogy for Jews and Gentiles, and with Peter's vision on the rooftop in the NT, the distinction is gone, and the dietary restrictions no longer serve a purpose.

CHURCH FATHERS: On the Jewish Meats (Novatian)

Click here... Chapter 1. Argument.— Novatian, a Roman Presbyter, During His Retirement at the Time of the Decian Persecution, Being Urged by Various Letters from His Brethren, Had Written Two Earlier Epistles Against the Jews on the Subjects of Circumcision and the Sabbath, and Now Writes the Present One on the Jewish Meats

Although, most holy brethren, the day in which I receive your letters and writings is most ardently longed for by me, and to be reckoned among the chief and happiest— for what else is there now to make me more joyous? — still I think that the day is to be deemed not less notable, and among special days, wherein I return to you similar communications, with the affection of love that I owe you, and write you letters with a corresponding interest. For nothing, most holy brethren, holds me bound with such bonds nothing stirs and arouses me with such a stimulus of care and anxiety, as the fear lest you should think that any disadvantage is suffered by you by reason of my absence; and this I strive to remedy, in labouring to show myself present with you by frequent letters. Although, therefore, the duty which I owe, and the charge I have undertaken, and the very ministerial office imposed upon me, require of me this necessity of writing letters, yet you still further enhance it, by stirring me up to write through means of your continual communications. And inclined although I am to those periodical expressions of love, you urge me the more by showing that you stand fast continually in the Gospel: whence it results, that by my letters I am not so much instructing you who are already informed, as inciting you who are already prepared. For you, who not only hold the Gospel pure and purged from all stain of perverse doctrine, but also energetically teach the same, seek not man for a master, since you show yourselves by these very things to be teachers. Therefore as you run, I exhort you; and as you watch, I stir you up; and as you contend against the spiritual things of wickedness, Ephesians 6:12 I address you; and as you press in your course to the prize of your calling in Christ, Philippians 3:14 I urge you on—that, treading under foot and rejecting as welt the sacrilegious calumnies of heretics as also the idle fables of Jews, you may hold the sole word and teaching of Christ, so as worthily to claim for yourselves the authority of His name. But how perverse are the Jews, and remote from the understanding of their law, I have fully shown, as I believe, in two former letters, wherein it was absolutely proved that they are ignorant of what is the true circumcision, and what the true Sabbath; and their ever increasing blindness is confuted in this present epistle, wherein I have briefly discoursed concerning their meats, because that in them they consider that they only are holy, and that all others are defiled.

So, its unfortunate that you got a wrong answer so fast, but in short, yes, Christians can eat meat as we aren't restrained by the covenant the OT Israelites were under.



And so on.

 

[Rao]

Mark 7: 14-15 (NLT)
14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "[

This is the final word on the matter.

Any reasonable person who thinks long enough cannot honsetly disagree on that. It really makes no sense that a pork sausage or glass of wine would be instrinsecally "evil" and make all the good done in life wasted.

 

[Rao]

If you eat pork that has parasites and it is not fully cooked, you get parasites. If you drink contaminated water, you will get sick.

So what? They make you sick, not evil. They send you to the hospital, not hell. You avoid them if you respect your own health, which is of course important for a believer.