Does a Christian have to obey any Biblical food laws? Are we are still subject to the law which defined which animals could be used for sacrifice or food in Old Testament times? A number of Christians teach Jesus still expects His followers to obey the food laws. Any really open minded person can read the Bible and see that the food laws were changed, but is this false teaching simply unnecessary, or is it wrong? Since I used to believe this way myself, I realize how one can be blinded to the scripture. False teaching, like any other type of sin, will blind a person to the truth. A person will not see the truth on a subject unless he desires the truth above all else. He has to be willing to face the fact he has been wrong and (even worse if he preaches) has led people wrong.
I have never met anyone (including myself at one time) who teaches the observance of the law of clean and unclean who is not a Pharisee and a hypocrite. They are Pharisees in the fact they teach observance of something they themselves only observe when it is convenient. They will probably argue with this because their practice is at times very hard, but while they try to eat only certain meats they rely on the word of nonChristians as to knowing what they are really eating. They don't inspect the markets or the meat processing plants. They believe this would be too inconvenient. Some say it would not be possible to do that - but the Jews do. It would be possible to live a simple lifestyle like the Amish and know what you are eating because you would control the whole process - but that would be to inconvenient for them.
If we know the truth of the scripture but observe the food laws when people who teach it are around, are we not being a hypocrite like Peter was? He ate with the Gentiles, but when the Jews came he withdrew from them. Paul said he was a hypocrite.
Gal 2:11-16, "But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. {12} For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. {13} And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. {14} But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? {15} "We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles; {16} nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."
What does the Bible really teach? Did the law change? Let's examine this subject in the Scriptures.
BACKGROUND
From the creation, man sacrificed animals to God. God had designated which animals He had created to be sacrificed by what is called the "law of clean and unclean."
GEN 4:4, "And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering."
Before the flood, people did not eat meat, but after the flood, God gave man the right to eat meat.
GEN 9:3, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant."
Later, Moses put these laws into writing.
LEV 11:46-47, "This is the law regarding the animal, and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters, and everything that swarms on the earth, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten."
In summary, at creation God designated certain animals as 'clean' and animals sacrificed to Him were to be chosen from those types. Later, when man was told he could eat meat, he was told to eat of those same types. This law taught that a sacrifice to God must be perfect, of a type acceptable to God, and without spot or blemish.
The purpose of this law was to point to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He was the perfect sacrifice - the one to end all other blood sacrifices.
1 COR 5:7, "Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed."
Not only did the law of clean and unclean point to the sacrifice of Jesus, it also pointed to Him as the Bread of Life.
JOHN 6:53, "Jesus therefore said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves."
A CHANGE OF THE LAW
The law of clean and unclean pointed to the final sacrifice of Jesus much like the priesthood laws pointed to Jesus as the final High Priest. The priesthood laws showed that a High Priest should be one that understands the temptations we go through in life.
HEB 2:17-18, "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."
HEB 4:14-15, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
HEB 5:1-4, "For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was."
Even though these laws pointed to Jesus as the High Priest, He could not have been a priest under them, because He was not of the tribe of Levi. He was to become a High Priest according to an eternal order, instead of a temporary one.
HEB 6:20, "where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
HEB 8:4-7, "Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, 'See,' He says,' that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.' But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second."
So the law which served as a "type and shadow" to point to Jesus, had to be changed in order for Him to become the great High Priest.
HEB 8:13, "When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear."
HEB 9:11-15, "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."
Other scriptures referred to the use of "types and shadows."
COL 2:16-17, "Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
This is an exact parallel to the law of clean and unclean. Although that law pointed to Jesus as the ultimate perfect sacrifice, He could not have became a sacrifice under that law. He was spoken of as the "lamb slain from the foundation," but He was a man and human flesh could not be sacrificed according to the law of clean and unclean. So this law too had to be changed in order for Jesus to become the true sacrifice and the bread of life.
JESUS MAKES A CHANGE
If a change was made, did Jesus speak of it? Yes, He did. Jesus said in:
Mark 7:18-19, "And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him; {19} because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.)"
Many have not understood this verse because they do not understand the meaning of the wording the King James Version of scripture uses. It states:
Mark 7:18-19, "And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; {19} Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?"
Many do not know what 'purge' means. The dictionary defines it as 'to cleanse what is impure.' What did the cleansing? Our bodily process of elimination does not produce a clean product. The punctuation in the verses shows that it was Jesus' words that did the cleansing. To help understand the King James Version, let's write the verses without Jesus' quotation.
Mk 7:18-19, "And he saith to them,'...,' purging all meats?"
You should be able to see that the phrase "purging all meats" applies to the quote and that all translations show the same thing - Jesus declared all foods clean by His words.
PETER'S VISION
Peter saw a vision of a sheet full of animals.
ACTS 10:11-15, "and he beheld the sky opened up, and a certain 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. And a voice came to him, 'Arise, Peter, kill and eat!' But Peter said, 'By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.' And again a voice came to him a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy."
Of course, God's main message point to Peter was to not call any man unclean and to accept the Gentiles, but in using this example God again shows that He cleansed some animals. The ones under the old law were clean from creation. Where did God cleanse any animals after the creation? He did by the words of Jesus as we read from Mark.
In OT times, a wall of separation existed between Jew and Gentile. The law of clean and unclean symbolized this too. Jesus died to break down this wall of separation and even in the discussion of the bread of communion it was stressed that there was one bread and one body. The cleansing of all meat symbolized this too.
Eph 2:11-16, "Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands-- {12} remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. {14} For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, {15} by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, {16} and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity."
1 Cor 10:17, "Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread."
Types and Shadows
Signposts which point forward to something, serve no purpose and are misleading if they are still used after the event has occurred. The things used as 'types and shadows' to point to the coming of Jesus are misleading if they are used for any other purpose. When the real article has come, we no longer should be holding only a shadow. When we continue to hold to instructions God once gave after He has changed them, they become the commandments of men.
COL 2:20-23, "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 'Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!' (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) - in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence."
CAN WE EAT WHAT WE PLEASE?
As servants of Jesus we are to seek to please Him, not ourselves. Paul taught it took more than just obeying the law.
1 COR 10:23-24, "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor."
Although Jesus removed all universal laws regarding food, our actions in eating (as well as in all things) should be directed toward the edification of one another. We should strive to keep from offending people by our actions. When Paul wrote about a similar problem concerning eating (meat offered to idols in this case) he gave general guidelines that can be applied in many situations.
1 COR 10:25-33, "Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience' sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and all it contains. If one of the unbelievers invites you, and you wish to go, eat anything that is set before you, without asking questions for conscience' sake. But if anyone should say to you, 'This is meat sacrificed to idols,' do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved."
If you obey Paul's instructions, you will conduct your eating in such a way as to avoid giving offense to either the ones who eat according to the Jewish law or who eat any other way. But he wasn't teaching people to be hypocrites either. If we join in with those who obey the Jewish law with the result that we too offend others, we become like Peter - a hypocrite.
SERVANTS OF CHRIST
We should remember that above all we are to be servants of the Lord. In all our actions, including eating, we are accountable to Him. We should allow others this same privilege. Paul addressed this in:
ROM 14:1-22, "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only....Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand....Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this - not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God."
There is no way to fully avoid offending those who are being Pharisees. Jesus even offended them. The real error is when we join in with them and offend the weak ones.
Those who cling to their own version of the law of clean and unclean invariably offend others when they eat with them. They inspect the food with an attitude of religious pride and their noses in the air as they look to see if they are being served food "good enough for them." They look down on those who eat any other way.
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