BobRyan said:
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No text says all four footed animals are clean rather
Acts 10 says to "call no MAN unclean" -- he has two feet.
1) The word "man" is not in Acts 10:15 in the Greek.
because it is in vs 28
25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped
him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But
God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Peter says the vision was about not calling humans unclean -- and not about eating rat sandwiches.
2) The word of God states "no food is unclean in itself" (Romans 14:14),
that "all food is clean" (Romans 14:20),
1. Some things are poisonous.
2. Rom 14 says -- 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that
there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him
it is unclean.
Rom 14:20 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.
All things indeed are pure, but
it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
Some things are poisonous.
context matters. The Rom 14 issue is the same as in 1 Cor 8 and 1 Cor 10 --- foods offered to idols... it is not about diseased meat, poison or rat sandwiches.
3) Jesus said,
"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean.' "(
Matthew 15:10)
Matt 15 is about eating bread... not rats,... not even diseased meat.
Mark 7 gives more detail on the same incident
Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
14 When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: 15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Jesus is not teaching that there is no such thing as poison, or that people should start eating rat sandwiches. In fact we know that Peter was not eating rat sandwiches even in Acts 10 long after Mark 7 -
More than this Peter refuses to take the lesson literally in Acts 10 and points out in vs 28 that the real lesson is about not calling any human unclean - it has nothing to do with eating rat sandwiches or poison.
