What Does the Bible Teach About -- Clean and Unclean Meats?

Clean and Unclean Meats: God’s Word Draws a Distinction

God gave all of His laws for good reasons. They teach us His standards—how to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, beneficial from harmful. They teach us to distinguish the holy— that which God sets apart—from the common and ordinary. They define the way we, too, are to be holy, set apart for God’s purposes.

As we apply the biblical laws in our lives, they encourage us to think differently, to think more like God. They alter our perceptions. For example, keeping God’s Sabbath days changes the way we think about and use our time. His laws of tithing, concerning portions of our income, alter our perception and use of our physical resources.

In the same way, God’s laws concerning meats that are appropriate or inappropriate for human consumption—referred to as “clean” and “unclean” in the Scriptures—change our perspective regarding many things we eat.

God expects spiritual leaders to teach His people to distinguish between biblically right and wrong behavior. He says, through the prophet Ezekiel: “They shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 44:23, emphasis added throughout).

Even though some of God’s laws may appear unusual on the surface, and we may not immediately grasp their full purpose, they help us to avoid physical troubles and, more importantly, moral and spiritual infection. The Word of God provides a pattern for physically, spiritually and morally healthy living. God gives His principles of health and cleanliness for our good, in this life as well as the one to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

One reason for our existence is to learn to base our lives on the words of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). God’s Word —the Bible—encompasses all aspects of our lives, including what we eat. Often people don’t realize that God made distinctions that reveal which meats are appropriate for human beings to eat. Some believe these distinctions no longer apply. But, rather than relying on human opinion, let’s consider these matters in the light of the Bible.

Popular ideas about distinctions

Since many people enjoy eating pork (ham, bacon, sausage, etc.) and experience no immediate adverse effects, some have looked for scientific reasons that God may have had in mind when He told the ancient Israelites not to eat pork (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8). One theory is that God forbade the eating of pork so that the Israelites would not catch certain diseases, such as trichinosis, that pigs can carry. After all, the Israelites did not own refrigerators, and researchers had not yet warned people to thoroughly cook pork to kill any potential disease-carrying organisms.

Since modern research has apparently solved these problems of dis- ease, and we rarely hear of parasites passing to people through under- cooked meat, many people assume eating pork is now acceptable to God (see “A Matter of Proper Cooking?” on page 29). Since many people eat pork all their lives and live to a ripe old age, the average person—if he thinks about it at all—assumes eating pork has little or no effect on health or longevity.

Research has convinced some doctors and nutritionists, however, to recommend that some of their patients avoid pork and shellfish (another category of biblically unclean food) in their diets; they understand that some people do not properly digest these meats. So some will acknowledge that avoidance of certain meats makes sense for people with particular health problems, but not as a rule for everyone.

Most religious teachers have adopted a perspective that parallels this scientific reasoning. Theologians have assumed that the laws of clean and unclean meats originated under the Old Covenant with ancient Israel and came to an end with the establishment of the New Covenant. Thus they believe many laws from the Old Testament are no longer applicable to Christians.

Many think Paul confirmed this approach when he said, “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” (Romans 14:14). (See “Understanding ‘Unclean’ in Romans 14” on page 8.)

This reasoning places God in the role of master physician in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the role of liberator from God’s law in the New Testament. If we assume that God was simply looking out for the health of the ancient Israelites, the Bible’s lists of clean and unclean animals become only primitive health issues for which modern, enlightened, liberated mankind no longer has need. The popular reasoning is that Christ understood this and gave His followers the freedom to decide for themselves in such matters. Some believe God will honor any decision we make for ourselves regarding such things.

This popular view is taught by most churches. But the crucial question remains: Does it accurately reflect biblical teaching?