Clean or unclean?

Why is it ok for Christians to eat certain foods such as pigs, and other religions, such as Judiasm and Islam, forbid their eating? So let’s explore together and discover together why God allows us to eat animals such as pigs.

But, is not Christianity an offshoot or child of Judaism?  And do not the Jews have Dietary Laws which forbid the eating of a long list of food items? What is with Christians, do they think they are special or something? Judiasm does have Dietary Laws. So let’s first explore those laws and see what they say.
Isreal had been slaves in Egypt until the time that Moses, through God’s power, set them free. Israel was pursued by Pharoah (King of Egypt), and Israel successfully crossed the Red Sea. Egypt, their pursuer, was defeated by God’s great miracle of dividing the Red Sea. Israel, through Moses, received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-11) at Mount Sinai. Israel also received God’s instructions for a Tabernacle (or Temple) where they were to worship God (Exodus 20:22-40). God also instructed Moses and his brother Aaron about Clean and Unclean Foods (Leviticus 11).

Now, let’s look at Leviticus 11 and see what it says. In Leviticus 11:3, it says “Of all that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: you may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.” In other words, God said if the animial has a completely divided hoof and it chews its cud, then you can eat it.  But, if it has a completely divided hoof but does not chew its cud, you can’t eat it. Also, if it chews its cud, but  does not have a completely divided hoof, you can’t eat it. So by Leviticus 11, you can’t eat Camels, Rabbits or Pigs. Pigs were also not even to be touched, alive or dead.  You were also not to eat some sea creatures that don’t have fins and scales. Birds were not to be eaten because they were detestable, as were insects. The animals were clean and unclean, because God said they were: that is the only reason we know. We could guess some other reasons, but we have no reason to guess at God’s reasons, since He is God and we are not, and it’s right to do what He wishes,  since He is God. Until recently, also, it was necessary to cook Pig (or Pork) very well, to kill harmful elements in the Pork.

The Dietary Laws of Leviticus 11, continued through the reign of King David, and through to his son King Solomon and his temple, right through to the captivity in Babylon. The Dietary Laws lasted up until the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God.

What happened that allowed Christians to eat these unclean foods, especially Pig? Was it man who changed? Or was it God who changed these foods from Unclean to Clean? It was not the Apostles that changed what Christians could eat, but the Lord Jesus, who is the son of God.  Jesus used the Apostles and even talked of the change himself during his earthly ministry. Jesus had alluded to the making of Unclean, Clean while rebuking the Pharisees for their critical attitude to Jesus’ disciples for eating food without washing their hands. Jesus repealed the Dietary Laws by saying that it was not what went into the body that made a man unclean, but what was already in his heart ( Matthew 15:11, 17-20, Mark 7:14-16, 18-23). The Laws were declared by God and they were designed to point us to Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17). Keeping any of those Laws could not bring us Salvation at anytime (Matthew 5:17-20). Those Laws, including the Dietary Laws of Leviticus 11, pointed us to Jesus. The Law is our teacher that points us to Christ, as so stated by the Apostle Paul (Galatians 4:24).

You may ask, what right did anyone have to repeal the Dietary Laws? Was not Jesus just a good Man? No, Jesus was and is equally God and Man. Do we have the right to question what God has done?  The answer is NO! He knew and knows what He is doing and we don’t have a right to question what God is up to.
There are at least two men in the Old Testament or the Judaistic part of the Holy Bible, that came before birth of Jesus who obeyed God without question. God came to Abraham and commanded him to sacrifice his son Issac to God. Abraham obeyed without questioning God. In the end, God provided Abraham with a ram, at the last moment (Genesis 22:1-3). The second was Job.

God rebuked Elihu out of the whirlwind and then goes on to question Job. God asked Job if Job had the right to question God in any way? We have no right to question God either. Not just because we do not have the knowledge or understanding that God has, but also because God is God and we are not. And Thanks be to God for that (Job 38-41). The Godhead (The Father, the Son- Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) has decided on the plan of Salvation, in eternal times past. They had decided to outline the Law in order to show us how impossible it is to gain Salvation by our works. Nothing but Jesus can bring Salvation to us, sinful humans (Titus 1:15-16).
This change in the Dietary Law was not just a one time item in the New Testament. We see Peter who was seen to be very much like us. He had stumbled when Jesus was arrested and crucified. But now we see the Apostle Peter going up to the roof of his house, to pray.  He became hungry and fell into a trance and saw those unclean animals coming down to him, on a sheet from heaven,  Then, God commanded Peter to kill and eat them. But at first Peter did not obey, and God had to repeat the command three times before Peter obeyed God. God said to him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). Since then, Christians have been able to eat what has been called before Unclean (Mark 7:15; 1 Timothy 4:3-5).

But, just because you can now eat those formerly unclean foods, that does not mean you have to. As a Christian you may have a brother or sister who could be offended by your eating of certain foods or drinking certain drinks. Many could have problems with food or drink for health reasons, or some may have had problems with alcohol, or some other kind of addiction or destructive type of living. At no time are you forced to eat food which you don’t like. I personally dislike Liver and Kidney but love Spaghetti and Chinese Food.

So, it is God who made what was formerly unclean, clean. Like what Stephen said in Acts 7:51. We are to stop resisting the Holy Spirit and to allow the Holy Spirit to do real leading in our lives. We have no right to question what God has done. There is no way that we can earn our Salvation by doing any thing outlined in the Law.
Our Lord Jesus has paid our Sin Debt fully and we depend on Jesus fully for our Salvation.
In conclusion, God has said that these unclean animals (food) are now clean. We have no right to question what God has done for us (Job 38). God has done it all in his Son, Jesus, learn to accept it.