Is Our Food Considered "Clean"?

[Faith712]

Back in the bible days during new testament, jesus declared all food clean. That was back then. Now we breed our food, put chemicals into our food, genetically modify our food, and etc. So if jesus were here, would he declare our food and what we put in our bodies clean?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I think yes. But he also might want us thinking about the moral aspect of where our food comes from.

 

[Dkh587]

The statement that he “made all foods clean”, doesn’t make sense, because to God, food(in regards to meat/animals) is only what is within the bounds of the clean animals listed in Leviticus 11.

All “food” was already clean. The Messiah wasn’t even talking about food in the content of the discussion with Pharisees. Pigs were never food, and were never “made clean”.

Most meat these day is not fit for consumption. It’s strangled, beaten, and raised in horrible, unethical conditions.

 

[Phil W]

Back in the bible days during new testament, jesus declared all food clean. That was back then. Now we breed our food, put chemicals into our food, genetically modify our food, and etc. So if jesus were here, would he declare our food and what we put in our bodies clean?

Yes, it is "clean", because it is written..."For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." (1 Tim 4:4-5)

 

[Greengardener]

Each person gets to decide, but here's how I ran down the thoughts, for you and any reader to consider.

Mark 7.19 Jesus declared all foods clean - this is a known textual variant. Hold that thought while we stack up the evidence. Had it been in all the versions, it would have more weight, but as it is, it remains within question. For me the evidence that Jesus Himself didn't demonstrate eating outside of the diet God recommended meant that He intended that the clean/unclean rules are still what God wants, probably for our health, but regardless, that's what He wants.

Acts 10 the story of Cornelius and Peter. Peter sees a vision which includes unclean animals. Read the story and see that the conclusion was that the Gentiles God was sending to him were not unclean. So the message as understood by Peter wasn't that pork was now clean, it was that Gentiles are not pigs. I recommend that we keep that interpretation, since it's consistent.

1 Tim 4:4-5 All foods clean and to be received with thanksgiving. Jews wouldn't have called pork (etc) food. Combine this with similar thoughts Paul had about people and the way they were distorting God's prescribed way of life, like

Colossians 2:16-23 Let no man judge you in food or in drink. If you look more closely at that section, you'll see that it was more likely that there were philosophers who were trying to entice the Colossians to be part of a self-imposed religion, false humility, neglect of the body, instead of the appropriate balance that God has been telling people for thousands of years.

That's a start. I can't see God telling them for generations to observe a certain way of life that works then saying, "Oops, just kidding" to the Gentiles. He's drawing us to the root of His words/His Word, so I tend to think He meant what He said about not changing, but sticking to what it was He said (His intent) without adding to it in order to try to win a sense of religious acceptance by self-imposed uber-religious stuff instead of simple obedience. As for me, I take His offer of grace and respond by obedience, because He loves truth and doesn't change.

I hold the same thought for genetic modification and other alterations. What God made is good and what He said is good to eat is good to eat. That doesn't necessarily include the plethora of additives that man adds, so I stick to fruits, vegetables, unmodified grains, and moderate amounts of the clean meats appropriately prepared. When I have to eat out, I try to stick to the items that are most likely to be less adulterated from the dietary standard God gave us - hence following the "Owners Manual" concept. Will all those modifications and additives, with or without keeping a clean food choice hurt us? Or will it prove totally without benefit to have kept this kind of eating pattern? I don't know. I tend to believe from my own observations that Americans in particular are killing themselves with their lusts for food and the easy availability of fast food and convenience food, and it's a sad observation. As for me, I'm just trusting and obeying, something we each get to decide whether we'll do or how we'll do it. Regardless of my personal outcome, my heart will likely not be crying out for a donut or a fast food burger and fries on my deathbed but will be happy that i did what I could to run this vehicle with the prescribed sustenance to work in His fields until I can't work any longer. I'll leave it to others to be the experimental group.

So I'm curious, why do you ask? What do you think is the answer?

 

[Phil W]

Each person gets to decide, but here's how I ran down the thoughts, for you and any reader to consider.

Mark 7.19 Jesus declared all foods clean - this is a known textual variant. Hold that thought while we stack up the evidence. Had it been in all the versions, it would have more weight, but as it is, it remains within question. For me the evidence that Jesus Himself didn't demonstrate eating outside of the Law meant that He intended that the clean/unclean rules are still what God wants, probably for our health, but regardless, that's what He wants.
Acts 10 the story of Cornelius and Peter. Peter sees a vision which includes unclean animals. Read the story and see that the conclusion was that the Gentiles God was sending to him were not unclean. So the message as understood by Peter wasn't that pork was now clean, it was that Gentiles are not pigs. I recommend that we keep that interpretation, since it's consistent.
1 Tim 4:4-5 All foods clean and to be received with thanksgiving. Jews wouldn't have called pork (etc) food. Combine this with similar thoughts Paul had about people and the way they were distorting God's prescribed way of life, like
Colossians 2:16-23 Let no man judge you in food or in drink. If you look more closely at that section, you'll see that it was more likely that there were philosophers who were trying to entice the Colossians to be part of a self-imposed religion, false humility, neglect of the body, instead of the appropriate balance that God has been telling people for thousands of years.

That's a start. I can't see God telling them for generations to observe a certain way of life that works then saying, "Oops, just kidding" to the Gentiles. He's drawing us to the root of His words/His Word, so I tend to think He meant what He said about not changing, but sticking to what it was He said (His intent) without adding to it in order to try to win a sense of religious acceptance by self-imposed uber-religious stuff instead of simple obedience. As for me, I take His offer of grace and respond by obedience, because He loves truth and doesn't change.

By imposing this part of the Mosaic Law on us, are you next going to advocate circumcision too?

 

[Greengardener]

By imposing this part of the Mosaic Law on us, are you next going to advocate circumcision too?

I'm not exactly sure why you ask that question, Phil, since I'm not imposing, just offering a viewpoint. You get to choose what you do, and I don't have nor do I want the ability or authority to tell you what to do. You are made in the image of God, having the ability to weigh evidences and make conclusions. The one thing Jesus told His people was NOT to lord it over others. I can only offer my view, point you to the Scriptures, especially the same foundation the early Church had, which was what is contained in the Old Testament part of the Bible. The New Testament portion makes a wonderful commentary on it, but the foundation there when Jesus showed us what it meant and when His Church began.

As to food, Daniel was faced with Gentile food options and handled it in an interesting way. His experiment seemed to have come off well, and Daniel's wisdom was evident.

As to how the Scriptures view circumcision, the early Jewish believers had to handle that question and they seemed to give it a good going-over before concluding that circumcision was not imposed on the Gentiles, even though Paul took Timothy and circumcised him because his father was Greek. There is obviously more to that story than what makes ready sense to me but must have seemed important to Timothy because he went through the painful procedure. And it must have meant something important to Paul, who recommended this process although he thoroughly knew that One greater than the Law had touched his life. Interestingly enough, health advocates note that the rate of problems among non-circumcised men is greater than circumcised which suggests it might still be a good idea, if contact with sexually transmitted diseases is part of that man's life. It would be a good topic for a separate thread, so knowledgeable folk on the forum could add scriptural concepts and maybe round out our thinking on the issue.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Responsible eating cant be bad.

https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall

 

[ViaCrucis]

Back in the bible days during new testament, jesus declared all food clean. That was back then. Now we breed our food, put chemicals into our food, genetically modify our food, and etc. So if jesus were here, would he declare our food and what we put in our bodies clean?

There was no understanding of germ theory, pasteurization, etc back then. So when the Bible mentions "clean" and "unclean" it isn't referring to hygiene, or how food is processed. It's referring to ritual cleanliness. An animal was regarded as unclean because it was ritually unclean and so contact with an unclean animal rendered one ritually unclean--and thus a Jew had to undergo ritual purification if such a thing occurred.

Animals with cloven hooves, such as pigs, were regarded as ritually unclean animals and thus they were forbidden; not only were Jews forbidden from eating the meat from such animals, but contact with them of any kind was forbidden. Note, however, that it was only forbidden for Jews--as these dietary restrictions only applied to Jews; Gentiles were never under such requirement.

With Christ the former covenant given to the Jewish people was fulfilled, and so Christ establishes a new covenant, as He Himself says at the Last Supper when He distributed the wine saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood." And in Christ, as we read throughout the New Testament, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, for both have been united together as one people in Christ--a Christian people with the new covenant Christ has established, by which our sins have been forgiven and we have peace with God and the promise of life everlasting. Which is why the dietary laws, sabbaths, new moons, etc do not apply to us. These were given as part of God's covenant with the Jews at Mt. Horeb in Sinai which, like all God's covenant promises, pointed to and have their fullness in the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus. And thus the former has given way to the new, a new day has dawned in which we now live and walk in the resurrected Christ who lives and reigns at the right hand of the Father and is coming again, in glory, when the dead shall be raised and God shall restore all things.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Phil W]

I'm not exactly sure why you ask that question, Phil, since I'm not imposing, just offering a viewpoint. You get to choose what you do, and I don't have nor do I want the ability or authority to tell you what to do. You are made in the image of God, having the ability to weigh evidences and make conclusions. The one thing Jesus told His people was NOT to lord it over others. I can only offer my view, point you to the Scriptures, especially the same foundation the early Church had, which was what is contained in the Old Testament part of the Bible. The New Testament portion makes a wonderful commentary on it, but the foundation there when Jesus showed us what it meant and when His Church began.

As to food, Daniel was faced with Gentile food options and handled it in an interesting way. His experiment seemed to have come off well, and Daniel's wisdom was evident.

As to how the Scriptures view circumcision, the early Jewish believers had to handle that question and they seemed to give it a good going-over before concluding that circumcision was not imposed on the Gentiles, even though Paul took Timothy and circumcised him because his father was Greek. There is obviously more to that story than what makes ready sense to me but must have seemed important to Timothy because he went through the painful procedure. And it must have meant something important to Paul, who recommended this process although he thoroughly knew that One greater than the Law had touched his life. Interestingly enough, health advocates note that the rate of problems among non-circumcised men is greater than circumcised which suggests it might still be a good idea, if contact with sexually transmitted diseases is part of that man's life. It would be a good topic for a separate thread, so knowledgeable folk on the forum could add scriptural concepts and maybe round out our thinking on the issue.

OK.
Thanks for your POV.
As everything I eat is sanctified by the word of God and prayer, I have no problem eating pork. (1 Tim 4:5)

 

[bèlla]

I prefer unmodified foods and heirloom fruits and vegetables. I like grass-fed meats and dairy products that are lightly pasteurized. Most of this requires me to shop at farmer’s markets and stores carrying Amish products.

We’re relocating when my studies finish for this reason. I need to be in a eco-friendly environment with wholesome agriculture. Living in a place where I can procure everything from a farmer or fisherman is ideal.

~Bella

 

[Dkh587]

OK.
Thanks for your POV.
As everything I eat is sanctified by the word of God and prayer, I have no problem eating pork. (1 Tim 4:5)

When were pigs ever sanctified(made holy) by the word of God?

 

[1213]

Back in the bible days during new testament, jesus declared all food clean. That was back then. Now we breed our food, put chemicals into our food, genetically modify our food, and etc. So if jesus were here, would he declare our food and what we put in our bodies clean?

Jesus said:

That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
Matt. 15:11

I think that is good also for our time. No food defiles spiritually. But it is possible that it is not good/healthy to eat everything all the time.

 

[Phil W]

When were pigs ever sanctified(made holy) by the word of God?...

...and prayer.
In 1 Tim 4:4-5.
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

 

[Dkh587]

...and prayer.
In 1 Tim 4:4-5.
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

When did God make pigs holy?