Must Christians Abstain from Unclean Foods?

God is more concerned with worship from the heart than outward observances.

• It is not that God did not care how they outwardly served him; he did. That is why he gave precise directions. However, God is much more concerned with the worship from the heart than outward observances. God repeatedly makes this point.
• This is why in Deuteronomy, when Moses repeats all the instructions in the Law before they enter the promised land, God makes no mention of the circumcision of the flesh, although the people had not practiced circumcision for the forty years in the wilderness (Joshua 5:2-5). Rather, in Deuteronomy 10:16, God tells them to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts. Circumcision does not justify, but faith does (Hab. 2:4).
• Moreover, Psalm 50:8, God says, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.” indicating that they did not lack sacrifices done outwardly right, but rather he commands “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
• God is not pleased with sacrifices if they are not done with faith, therefore David says in Psalm 51, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (vs. 16-17)
• However, God is pleased with sacrifices and worship, even when not done perfectly outwardly, if those who offer it have faith. We see this in 2 Chronicles 30, where Hezekiah holds a Passover. They held it in the second month instead of the first, with Levites sacrificing instead of priests, and men from the northern tribes participated while they were unclean. Yet, God accepted their sacrifices, because they had been done in faith.
• This is the point Jesus is trying to teach the Pharisees when he calls them whitewashed tombs (Matthew 12). They look good on the outside, but they lack faith; and why he tells them to learn that God desires mercy and not sacrifice (Matthew 12:7 and Hosea 6:6). God desires true faith rather than faithless sacrifices.
• This is also why Jesus tells the woman at the well:
  • “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:21-23

The Old Testament declared certain foods unclean and forbid Israel from eating them.

• Leviticus 11; 17:10ff

The Old Testament Ceremonial Law has been fulfilled in Christ. God no longer requires anyone to observe these ordinances.

• It might be hard for some to accept, but not every command that God gave was meant for everyone and at all times. The word often translated from the Hebrew as forever or everlasting, Olam עוֹלָם, does not necessarily mean that it does not have an end. Sometimes it does. It depends on the context. For example:
  • God gave circumcision as an “everlasting עוֹלָם covenant” in Genesis 17:13. However, Scripture clearly says that this covenant no longer stands, because Christ has fulfilled it.
    • 1 Corinthians 7:19: For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.
    • Galatians 5:2-6: Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
  • Solomon said that God would dwell in the temple forever עוֹלָמִֽים Olamim (literally forevers), yet the temple was destroyed twice and currently does not stand. These are not errors in the Bible. Solomon was not wrong. Olam in these contexts meant indefinitely, or until they have been fulfilled in Christ.
• Scripture repeatedly declares that the Old Testament Ceremonial Law is not binding on Christians, because it has found its fulfillment in Christ.
  • All foods are clean:
    • Mark 7:18-19: “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
    • Acts 10:14: 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.”
    • Romans 14:14, 17: I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself … For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
  • Ceremonial observances of foods, festivals, and sabbaths are no longer required:
    • Colossians 2:16-17: 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
    • Acts 15: 10-11: Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
    • Ephesians 2:11-16, esp. 15: 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated 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 once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
    • Galatians 5:1-6: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
    • 2 Corinthians 3:7-8, 11-14: Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? … For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, ¹³ not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.
  • Hebrews says that the Levitical Priesthood, to which all Old Testament ceremonies are attached, failed to bring perfection, so the new priesthood of Christ changes the law.
    • Hebrews 7:11-12, 18-19, 22: 11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. … 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. … This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

Seventh Day Adventists’ Arguments for keeping the Sabbath and Dietary Laws of the Old Testament

• https://www.adventist.org/the-sabbath/the-sabbath-in-colossians-2/
• https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1999/06/clean-and-unclean-meat

Even if we wanted to observe the ceremonial law of the Old Testament, we can’t, because the Temple has been destroyed.

• Ceremonies like the feast of booths and the Passover were inextricably connected to sacrifices (Lev. 23). After the temple was built, these sacrifices were reserved for the temple. Since the temple has been destroyed, no new place has been established by God for sacrifices, since Christ has once for all been sacrificed.
  • Hebrews 9:26: ²⁶ Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
  • Hebrews 10:10: ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
  • 1 Corinthians 5:7-8: Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
• To establish observances of these feasts without the temple would be to establish one’s own traditions in opposition to God’s command. Those who try to celebrate the so-called Seder (a ceremonial observance of the Passover invented by anti-Christian Jews in the 12c) would be to ask Caiaphas how best to observe the Passover instead of Jesus, who instituted the eating of His body and blood for us.

Why then the Law? Why did God give commandments to Israel if He did not intend for us to continue to observe them for all time?

• St. Paul answers: Galatians 3:19, 24-25: “19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, … Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
  • Paul goes on to say that there is neither Jew nor Greek, indicating that the Law no longer separates them.

Those who insist on the observance of Old Testament Laws and Festivals will often reject the traditions of the Christian Church, such as the liturgy and lectionary, because they say these were invented by men. They want to go back to worshipping God as He intended.

• Jesus observed traditions started by men: God did not command the observance of the Feast of Dedication of the Temple (Hannukah), but Jesus still observed it (John 10:22-23).
  • And Paul tells the Corinthians and the Thessalonians to pay careful attention to the traditions passed on (1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15).
  • The laying on of hands to appoint elders (pastors) is an apostolic tradition, which the Church has continued, because it teaches good things.

It is impossible to get rid of all traditions.

• So, good traditions are good and bad traditions are bad. There is no such thing as no traditions. Everyone at all times and in all places has followed and passed on traditions, because it is impossible to live without them. Jesus does not forbid traditions, but traditions which contradict God’s Word. (Matthew 15; Mark 7)

Descriptive vs. Prescriptive.

• We must make a distinction between descriptive and prescriptive teachings in Scripture. Prescriptive is what God commands of us. Descriptive is what is exemplified for us to follow. As Christians, we are set free from the bonds of the Law, yet, we follow the example of the saints in Scripture as we deal with each other in charity and love and worship God with songs and praise.
• What is prescribed in regards to worship is that we Baptize, receive the Lord’s Supper, pray, praise, and give thanks, and hear the Word of God. This is why Christians have followed the Liturgy from earliest times.
• Yes, the Apostles still observed Old Testament feasts. Yet, that does not mean that we are commanded to observe them as described in the Old Testament today.
  • Because God destroyed the temple. 
    • Not even Jewish Christians continued to observe these ceremonies after the temple was destroyed.
  • The Apostles used the celebration of these festivals to teach the Jews that these festivals had been fulfilled.
  • The Apostles (and Jesus!) never commanded the Gentiles to observe any of these feasts. In fact, they explicitly told them that they didn’t need to (see above).

We are justified by faith in Christ alone, and thereby have peace with God.

• Romans 4:4-5: Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
  • Romans 5:1: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Romans 12:1: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Joe Abrahamson’s Articles

• https://diatheke.blogspot.com/
• https://steadfastlutherans.org/blog/redeeming-holy-days/