Clean or Unclean?

[jacobs well]

From cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation, nowhere in the Bible do we find an example of a servant of God or follower of Jesus Christ eating the flesh of an unclean animal. Yet many of professed Christians eat pork, ham, bacon, sausage, and various shellfish, etc.. today.
People believe these dietary distinctions no longer apply for us. But the specific purpose God gave for avoiding unclean meats is holiness-Lev 11
Also God's word describes the flesh of unclean animals as an "abomination"Lev11:10-13 and "detestable" Deut 14:3
God's word encompasses all aspects of our lives, including what we eat.
And most assume that the laws of clean and unclean meats originated under the Old Covenant and came to an end with the establishment of the New Covenant
But there is no scriptural evidence that indicates that early church members changed their practice of following God's instructions about clean and unclean meats. Prophecy
and future events in Revelation show that the food laws will still apply at the return of Christ and He will enforce them.
In addiction to spiritual laws, God gave us health laws in the bible that doctors confirm are beneficial for us of the clean and detrimental for us of the unclean.
The next time you order a hot dog at least ask for a beef one

Do you believe God's clean and unclean laws still apply to us today?

 

[jebadoa]

There are PLENTY of people that abstain from eating unclean animals. They are called Jews. In the New Testament, Paul (who had been raised a Jew) receives a revelation from God that there are no longer unclean animals.

Acts 10:9-15
“About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.””
‭‭
Since this is New Testament, Christians know that God declared all animals clean. Jews believe only in the Old Testament and therefore still believe in unclean animals.

 

[Soyeong]

There are PLENTY of people that abstain from eating unclean animals. They are called Jews. In the New Testament, Paul (who had been raised a Jew) receives a revelation from God that there are no longer unclean animals.

Acts 10:9-15
“About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.””

All kinds of animals were let down, so why didn't Peter just kill and eat one of the clean animals as God had instructed? Why did he object? The answer is that the Pharisees had a man-made ritual purity law that said that if someone clean came into contact with something unclean, then it would become defiled/impure/common (Mark 7:3-4). So because all of the animals were bundled together, all of the clean animals there had become impure, thus when Peter objected by saying that he had never eaten anything impure or unclean, he was saying that he had never violated man-made ritual purity law or God's dietary laws. So by refusing to kill and eat one of the clean animals, Peter was disobeying God to obey man. Note that God did not rebuke Peter for referring to clean animals as unclean, but for referring to clean animals as impure, so God was only making a point about the status of clean animals. Also note that Peter gave the interpretation of his vision three times and not once did he say anything about there no longer being unclean animals.

Since this is New Testament, Christians know that God declared all animals clean.

Every time the word for "clean" is used in the Bible it refers to ritual purity, so this is at most saying that all animals are ritually clean. We must obey God rather than men, so like Peter, we should be careful not to obey man instead of God.

 

[miamited]

Hi,

jacobswell,

How do you know that Noah didn't eat anything 'unclean'? How do you know that Adam didn't eat anything unclean?

God told Noah that everything that moved upon the ground was to be food for him. Genesis 9:3

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

 

[Soyeong]

Hi,

jacobswell,

How do you know that Noah didn't eat anything 'unclean'? How do you know that Adam didn't eat anything unclean?

God told Noah that everything that moved upon the ground was to be food for him. Genesis 9:3

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

Hello,

God did not give permission to eat animals until Genesis 9. In Genesis 7, Noah was given instructions about taking clean and unclean animals onto the ark, but no instructions were given to him about how to differentiate between them. Noah was described as a righteous man, so presumably he had already been given instructions for how to live righteously and in regard to clean and unclean animals. I think it is reasonable to think that God has been constantly against eating unclean animals and that Noah understood God's statement as permission to eat clean animals, which is more reasonable than saying that God waffled back and forth from it not clean animals, to eating clean animals, to not eating clean animals, and not eating them.

 

[jacobs well]

Hi,

jacobswell,

How do you know that Noah didn't eat anything 'unclean'? How do you know that Adam didn't eat anything unclean?

God told Noah that everything that moved upon the ground was to be food for him. Genesis 9:3

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

The first biblical account noting distinctions between clean and unclean animals occur long before Exodus and the covenant with Israel.
God didn't tell Noah, for the first time, that He was making a distinction between clean and unclean animals.
God just said " of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs and of every unclean animals two pairs-Gen 6.7
we see God did not have to define for Noah the meaning of clean and unclean.
Noah understood God's instruction and what was required of him, and he obeyed.
This, in my view, shows God's laws existed before their first mention in the Bible.
In Gen 9 we must assume that Noah knew that he could only eat clean animals that moved upon the ground otherwise you would have a contradiction and God does not change nor confuses.
Some people reason that God allowed Adam and Eve to eat any animal but changed the rules for Noah.
But such reasoning overlooks the permanent nature of the principles that form the basis for the instruction God has given to mankind.
God bases His instructions to people on spiritual principles that have always existed. Just as God is eternal so are the principles that reflect His eternal character and nature, and He does not change depending on events and attitudes prevalent in human history.

 

[miamited]

The first biblical account noting distinctions between clean and unclean animals occur long before Exodus and the covenant with Israel.
God didn't tell Noah, for the first time, that He was making a distinction between clean and unclean animals.
God just said " of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs and of every unclean animals two pairs-Gen 6.7
we see God did not have to define for Noah the meaning of clean and unclean.
Noah understood God's instruction and what was required of him, and he obeyed.
This, in my view, shows God's laws existed before their first mention in the Bible.
In Gen 9 we must assume that Noah knew that he could only eat clean animals that moved upon the ground otherwise you would have a contradiction and God does not change nor confuses.
Some people reason that God allowed Adam and Eve to eat any animal but changed the rules for Noah.
But such reasoning overlooks the permanent nature of the principles that form the basis for the instruction God has given to mankind.
God bases His instructions to people on spiritual principles that have always existed. Just as God is eternal so are the principles that reflect His eternal character and nature, and He does not change depending on events and attitudes prevalent in human history.

Hi jacobswell,

Oh, I absolutely agree that God had established clean and unclean animals when instructing Noah what animals he should take for food while in the ark. However, after leaving the ark, God freely tells Noah, and there doesn't seem to be any reason that He would have had some ulterior motive for doing so, that He was now giving living creature that moved upon the earth as food. It's just what God's word says.

However, when God was establishing His covenant with Israel, and because He wanted all the nations to see and understand that Israel was different somehow, He put them back under the dietary restrictions of clean and unclean animals. But, this was merely a command for and to the Israelites. God had a purpose to raise up the Israelites to be His emissaries upon the earth. In order that we would see and hopefully understand this, He gave them special laws. There were restrictions on their clothing, their work and rest, and yes, their food. But I am confidently assured that these were not some set of rules that God wanted every nation and people to follow as a part of their worship and love for Him. They were merely instituted to begin the separation of Israel from all the other nations upon the earth. They were given to them that as time went on people would say of them, 'they are God's people'. They aren't like us. They don't eat with us because their food must be special. They don't wear the clothing that we wear. They have a whole special day that they are commanded to rest in honor of their God.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

 

[farout]

From cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation, nowhere in the Bible do we find an example of a servant of God or follower of Jesus Christ eating the flesh of an unclean animal. Yet many of professed Christians eat pork, ham, bacon, sausage, and various shellfish, etc.. today.
People believe these dietary distinctions no longer apply for us. But the specific purpose God gave for avoiding unclean meats is holiness-Lev 11
Also God's word describes the flesh of unclean animals as an "abomination"Lev11:10-13 and "detestable" Deut 14:3
God's word encompasses all aspects of our lives, including what we eat.
And most assume that the laws of clean and unclean meats originated under the Old Covenant and came to an end with the establishment of the New Covenant
But there is no scriptural evidence that indicates that early church members changed their practice of following God's instructions about clean and unclean meats. Prophecy
and future events in Revelation show that the food laws will still apply at the return of Christ and He will enforce them.
In addiction to spiritual laws, God gave us health laws in the bible that doctors confirm are beneficial for us of the clean and detrimental for us of the unclean.
The next time you order a hot dog at least ask for a beef one

Do you believe God's clean and unclean laws still apply to us today?

I think you might want to reread Acts and Romans. I do not agree with your summation. I do believe the open sheet proved with thanks to God we can eat what is provided. However Romans tells us that we are not to offend our brother or sister in Christ. Even meat used in idol worship is addressed, and we are not to ask where is came from. But if we know where it came from like idol worship we are not to eat it

I have a friend who is a 7 day ad. he and I came to the conclusion that we would focus on what we have in common...Jesus Christ. Lets do that!

 

[jacobs well]

I think you might want to reread Acts and Romans. I do not agree with your summation. I do believe the open sheet proved with thanks to God we can eat what is provided. However Romans tells us that we are not to offend our brother or sister in Christ. Even meat used in idol worship is addressed, and we are not to ask where is came from. But if we know where it came from like idol worship we are not to eat it

I have a friend who is a 7 day ad. he and I came to the conclusion that we would focus on what we have in common...Jesus Christ. Lets do that!

Far from abolishing God's instructions against eating unclean meats, Acts 10 shows that even about 10 years after
Christ's crucifixion and death, Peter had never eaten anything common or unclean.
Peter had not assumed that God had annulled His own food laws or that Christ's death and resurrection rendered them obsolete. Nor do we find any evidence that he ate unclean meats after his experience.
This divine vision did not really concern food at all, it concerned people, in particular whether gentiles should be treated as clean rather than unclean as some religious leaders believed.
The point God was trying to make is that it was time to begin offering salvation to members of all races.
An interesting fact is that the only animal mentioned in the Bible that was sacrificed to idols was an oxen, a clean animal.
Also, Paul explained that " an idol is nothing ' clarifying that it was not harmful to eat meat that had been sacrificed to an idol- 1 Cor 8:4 That an animal had been sacrificed to a pagan god had no bearing on whether the meat was suitable for food. this controversy was about the conscience of each individual believer concerning this matter.
Jesus and His disciples ate only meat the scriptures specified as clean.
And Jesus said to follow Him and keep His law. The apostles told us to do the same. This should be part of our common focus with Jesus as well.

 

[Soyeong]

Hi jacobswell,

Oh, I absolutely agree that God had established clean and unclean animals when instructing Noah what animals he should take for food while in the ark. However, after leaving the ark, God freely tells Noah, and there doesn't seem to be any reason that He would have had some ulterior motive for doing so, that He was now giving living creature that moved upon the earth as food. It's just what God's word says.

Hello,

Mark 1:5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.

Do you take this verse to mean that they checked everywhere on the Judean countryside and in Jerusalem to make sure that there wasn't a single person who didn't go out to him? I think there are a number of times in the Bible, where "all" clearly doesn't mean "every last person" or where where there are certain obvious exceptions, and that is true of its usage today as well. For instance, if a guest were staying at your house and you told them that they could eat anything in the fridge, there is an unspoken obvious exception to eating your tupperware and shelves. So it may be the case that eating unclean animals was an unspoken obvious exception.

However, when God was establishing His covenant with Israel, and because He wanted all the nations to see and understand that Israel was different somehow, He put them back under the dietary restrictions of clean and unclean animals. But, this was merely a command for and to the Israelites. God had a purpose to raise up the Israelites to be His emissaries upon the earth. In order that we would see and hopefully understand this, He gave them special laws. There were restrictions on their clothing, their work and rest, and yes, their food. But I am confidently assured that these were not some set of rules that God wanted every nation and people to follow as a part of their worship and love for Him. They were merely instituted to begin the separation of Israel from all the other nations upon the earth. They were given to them that as time went on people would say of them, 'they are God's people'. They aren't like us. They don't eat with us because their food must be special. They don't wear the clothing that we wear. They have a whole special day that they are commanded to rest in honor of their God.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

According to Ephesians 2:12, Gentiles were once separated from Christ, alienated from Israel, strangers to the covenant, and without a hope, but all of that in no longer true in Ephesians 2:19, where they are no longer strangers or aliens, but are now fellow citizens of Israel along with the saints. According to 1 Peter 2:9-10, Gentiles are now part of God's chosen people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and a treasure of God's own possession, so what was said of Israel is now including Gentiles (Deuteronomy 7:6). According to 1 Peter 1:14-16, we are told to have a holy conduct, and then verse 16 quotes from Leviticus 11:44-45, where it talks about keeping God's dietary laws are part of what it means to have a holy conduct. The purpose of God's righteous and holy laws was not just for people to see how special Israel is, but to make them a light to other nations to draw them into becoming followers of God (Deuteronomy 4:5-8). God has given commands that are just and right and good that are in line with His character, so why wouldn't you want to follow them too?

 

[jacobs well]

Hi jacobswell,

Oh, I absolutely agree that God had established clean and unclean animals when instructing Noah what animals he should take for food while in the ark. However, after leaving the ark, God freely tells Noah, and there doesn't seem to be any reason that He would have had some ulterior motive for doing so, that He was now giving living creature that moved upon the earth as food. It's just what God's word says.

However, when God was establishing His covenant with Israel, and because He wanted all the nations to see and understand that Israel was different somehow, He put them back under the dietary restrictions of clean and unclean animals. But, this was merely a command for and to the Israelites. God had a purpose to raise up the Israelites to be His emissaries upon the earth. In order that we would see and hopefully understand this, He gave them special laws. There were restrictions on their clothing, their work and rest, and yes, their food. But I am confidently assured that these were not some set of rules that God wanted every nation and people to follow as a part of their worship and love for Him. They were merely instituted to begin the separation of Israel from all the other nations upon the earth. They were given to them that as time went on people would say of them, 'they are God's people'. They aren't like us. They don't eat with us because their food must be special. They don't wear the clothing that we wear. They have a whole special day that they are commanded to rest in honor of their God.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

Hi - I'm familiar with some religious scholars who claim that the biblical food laws have nothing to do with health, but rather were merely rituals to separate the Israelites with their pagan neighbors, and that only Jews need to observe these laws today.
God Himself explained to the Israelites that if they obeyed his commandments they would experience " none of the diseases" that plagued other nations-Exodus 15:26
God gave these clean and unclean food laws to Israel as an example to the world-God wanted their better health to be noticed by other nations with the hope they could follow and gain the same results-Deut 4:1-8
The biblical dietary laws today are usually viewed as Old Testament regulations that are no longer applicable.
However science knows that the same animals labeled unclean in scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today. The laws of biology have not changed.
SARS related to the eating of cats, AIDS related to the eating of monkeys, etc.
The biblical dietary and health laws cover a lot more than just clean and unclean meats.
prophecies indicate when Christ returns He will bring judgment on those who persist in eating unclean animals -
Isa 66:15-17
God's health laws were intended for all mankind, not just the Jewish people and did not end with the New Covenant

 

[Soyeong]

Hi - I'm familiar with some religious scholars who claim that the biblical food laws have nothing to do with health, but rather were merely rituals to separate the Israelites with their pagan neighbors, and that only Jews need to observe these laws today.
God Himself explained to the Israelites that if they obeyed his commandments they would experience " none of the diseases" that plagued other nations-Exodus 15:26
God gave these clean and unclean food laws to Israel as an example to the world-God wanted their better health to be noticed by other nations with the hope they could follow and gain the same results-Deut 4:1-8
The biblical dietary laws today are usually viewed as Old Testament regulations that are no longer applicable.
However science knows that the same animals labeled unclean in scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today. The laws of biology have not changed.
SARS related to the eating of cats, AIDS related to the eating of monkeys, etc.
The biblical dietary and health laws cover a lot more than just clean and unclean meats.
prophecies indicate when Christ returns He will bring judgment on those who persist in eating unclean animals -
Isa 66:15-17
God's health laws were intended for all mankind, not just the Jewish people and did not end with the New Covenant

The health difference between clean and unclean animals are night and day, but I think that was not the only reason why God gave those commands. For instance, eating is one of our most common activities and when we pause before we eat something to consider whether it is something that God would have us consume, then it keeps our focus on Him and we form a habit for how we should live out our lives. Here's a great video about the health differences:

 

[miamited]

Hi - I'm familiar with some religious scholars who claim that the biblical food laws have nothing to do with health, but rather were merely rituals to separate the Israelites with their pagan neighbors, and that only Jews need to observe these laws today.
God Himself explained to the Israelites that if they obeyed his commandments they would experience " none of the diseases" that plagued other nations-Exodus 15:26
God gave these clean and unclean food laws to Israel as an example to the world-God wanted their better health to be noticed by other nations with the hope they could follow and gain the same results-Deut 4:1-8
The biblical dietary laws today are usually viewed as Old Testament regulations that are no longer applicable.
However science knows that the same animals labeled unclean in scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today. The laws of biology have not changed.
SARS related to the eating of cats, AIDS related to the eating of monkeys, etc.
The biblical dietary and health laws cover a lot more than just clean and unclean meats.
prophecies indicate when Christ returns He will bring judgment on those who persist in eating unclean animals -
Isa 66:15-17
God's health laws were intended for all mankind, not just the Jewish people and did not end with the New Covenant

Hi JW,

It may be that the unclean foods were not healthy, although I think there are a lot of meats that don't have cloven hoof or chew the cud that aren't particularly unhealthy for us. If God's reason for dissing the foods was purely for health, then He missed a lot of other foods that are not really 'good' for us besides meats.

I've studied the Scriptures for many, many years and I believe that God told Noah that he could eat of anything that moves upon the ground. If God's interest was purely health, then why tell Noah that he could eat of these 'unclean' foods? Noah was a godly man in his day and it would seem rather devious of God to tell someone beholden to Him that he could just go right ahead and kill himself with unhealthy food.

No, I'm solidly convicted that many of the commands given to Israel were for the purpose of setting them apart. It's true even today that devout Jews don't eat much with others because of their dietary restrictions. Many Jews have to know what's in the kitchen and how the food was prepared and this also precludes them from eating with others. It was certainly true in Jesus' day when the dietary restrictions were even more closely adhered to. Many of the commands of God to the Jews were given to them and for them only.

However, each is free to believe what they will.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

 

[jacobs well]

The health difference between clean and unclean animals are night and day, but I think that was not the only reason why God gave those commands. For instance, eating is one of our most common activities and when we pause before we eat something to consider whether it is something that God would have us consume, then it keeps our focus on Him and we form a habit for how we should live out our lives. Here's a great video about the health differences:

The health difference between clean and unclean animals are night and day, but I think that was not the only reason why God gave those commands. For instance, eating is one of our most common activities and when we pause before we eat something to consider whether it is something that God would have us consume, then it keeps our focus on Him and we form a habit for how we should live out our lives. Here's a great video about the health differences:

Hi-the video was very interesting and pretty well confirms that what God was teaching was true.
One thing though, do you think God made unclean animals at creation or after the fall as the video suggests. Because something would have to clean up the waste in the perfect world as well?

 

[Soyeong]

Hi-the video was very interesting and pretty well confirms that what God was teaching was true.
One thing though, do you think God made unclean animals at creation or after the fall as the video suggests. Because something would have to clean up the waste in the perfect world as well?

Isaiah 11:6-8 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

I think this is the way that it was at creation without animals eating other animals. I'm don't think animals died before the Fall or that there was the need for scavengers. It seems to me that some animals became unclean because of their role after the Fall.

 

[Knee V]

Peter's vision in Acts is not about clean animals being falsely considered unclean because of being mixed with unclean animals. It is about eating unclean animals. And we know that because of the broader context.

Peter's vision was to prepare him to spend time with Cornelius, a Gentile. If Peter's vision was about clean animals being falsely considered unclean, then the parallel would be Peter being told to hang out with a Jew who spent too much time around Gentiles. But that is not what happened. Rather, Peter was given unclean animals to eat in order to show him that nothing in God's creation is unclean. And in the same manner, no kind of human is unclean, and Peter needed to learn that for his ministry to the Gentiles. Everything in creation is good as God declared in the beginning; all people are God's image and are to be received and welcomed, and all food is to be received and eaten with a spirit of thanksgiving.

 

[Soyeong]

Peter's vision in Acts is not about clean animals being falsely considered unclean because of being mixed with unclean animals. It is about eating unclean animals. And we know that because of the broader context.

Peter's vision was to prepare him to spend time with Cornelius, a Gentile. If Peter's vision was about clean animals being falsely considered unclean, then the parallel would be Peter being told to hang out with a Jew who spent too much time around Gentiles. But that is not what happened. Rather, Peter was given unclean animals to eat in order to show him that nothing in God's creation is unclean. And in the same manner, no kind of human is unclean, and Peter needed to learn that for his ministry to the Gentiles. Everything in creation is good as God declared in the beginning; all people are God's image and are to be received and welcomed, and all food is to be received and eaten with a spirit of thanksgiving.

Acts 10:10-16 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

When Peter said that he had never eaten anything that is common or unclean, he was talking about two different concepts. If there were no clean animals there that had become common, then Peter would have only objected by saying that he had never eaten anything that was unclean. Likewise, if God had been giving instructions to Peter to eat unclean animals, then He would have instead told Peter not to call unclean what He had made clean. However, God rebuked him for his use of the word "common" not his use of the word "unclean". Note that I did not say that his vision was about clean animals being falsely considered unclean, but about being falsely considered common, just as the Gentiles were. Note also that the broader context supports this because Peter interpreted his vision three times as being about Gentiles and not once did he say anything about it unclean animals being made clean.

Furthermore, they accepted that Peter's vision was from God instead of denouncing him as a false prophet, as the law would have instructed them to do (Deuteronomy 13:4-6). We must obey God instead of man, so if God had said not to eat unclean animals and Peter said it was ok to eat them, then we should obey God instead of Peter, but it doesn't come down to that because that's not what was said in his vision or what he interpreted his vision as meaning. Instead, it was man-made teachings that considered Gentiles to be common and unclean, so we should be careful not to mistake something that was against obeying man as being against obeying God.

all food is to be received and eaten with a spirit of thanksgiving.

All food is indeed to be received and eaten with a spirit of thanksgiving, which meant to a Jew all the things that God had said were food in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. This is not talking about what you consider to be food, what a cannibal considers to be food, or what any other culture considers to be food, but about what God has said is food.

 

[Knee V]

Making a distinction between "unclean" and "common" is arbitrarily making a distinction where there is no distinction.

 

[klutedavid]

Matthew 15:11
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes
out of the mouth that defiles.

 

[Knee V]

Matthew 15:11
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes
out of the mouth that defiles.

And of course the very next words were "And thus he declared all foods clean."