CAN I EAT UNCLEAN CREATURES?
#TOLD
TRUTH OVER LIES DAILY
Q: Why does Paul tell Timothy that we can eat every creature? Does that cancel out God’s clean and unclean food laws in the Old Testament?
A: Look at the Scripture in Context… Notice how its connected to FORBIDDING to MARRY, and COMMANDING to abstain from meats.
1 Timothy 4: 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Who is forbidden to MARRY today? Roman Priests and some other Religious ministers. Who COMMANDS people to abstain from meats? Spiritual leaders are the only people who give commandments such as these.
1st Principle of Sound Biblical Interpretation:
Jesus and the Father agree. 12 and Jesus agree. Paul and Jesus agree.
Anyone that teaches a disagreement between them has a lack of understanding. Peter said that some the writings of Paul were hard to understand, and that ignorant and unlearned people twist Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:16).
To me this means that it is wise to ONLY interpret Paul’s writings in the lense of what Christ said and did. Instead of TWISTING Paul AWAY from Jesus, interpret Paul ACCORDING to what Jesus SAID and DID.
What did Jesus say?
Luke 10: 7 And in the same house remain, EATING AND DRINKING SUCH THINGS AS THEY GIVE: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, EAT SUCH THINGS AS ARE SET BEFORE YOU:
9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
What did Peter say?
Acts 10:28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
– As an apostle, Paul was coaching Timothy on how to spread the gospel to new lands, especially Gentile lands. Timothy was an apostle also. THIS IS KEY to understanding.
– Yashua had already told His Apostles to spread the gospel to Gentiles. He had already told them that no poison shall harm them, and if they drink ANY DEADLY THING it shall not harm them.
– Christ had already taught that Spreading the gospel involves eating with friendly and peaceful hosts in different cities. That means DIFFERENT CULTURES.
– God gave Peter a vision to rise and eat unclean animals as a symbol of preaching and converting a Gentile household. This meant that Gentile people were clean in the gospel (Acts 10). This does NOT mean that God had suddenly recreated unclean foods. It means that HE CLEAN’S PEOPLE’S HEARTS.
– The Hebrews tended to have PRIDE in their separation from Gentile eating habits. This was a HINDRANCE TO THE GOSPEL. (Galatians 2)
– Even Peter himself had to be challenged by Paul for being a HYPOCRITE and separating himself from eating with Gentile Believers.
Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
– PRIDE is also an iniquity of the heart that Jews tended to be filled with, and unfortunately MANY still are.
– Being able to preach the gospel house to house without having a laundry list of eating stipulations was ESSENTIAL TO SPREADING THE GOSPEL. This is why Jesus taught His Apostles when they travel to preach: “Eat what they put before you.”
– This DOES NOT mean that God’s Natural Creation Laws were void or canceled! It doesn’t mean that believers had to throw away God’s wisdom and start buying pork and shrimp and lobster and snake meat for their families.
– This is NOT AN INSTRUCTION to purposefully bring poison into our homes or to purposefully harm our bodies’ health by eating unclean food.
– IT DOES MEAN that as you are traveling and visiting with people of other cultures to preach the gospel; even if you happened to eat unclean, or tainted food, God will preserve your health for the sake of the gospel and also not offending the KIND AND PEACEFUL GENTILE that is BEING HOSPITABLE to you the best way he knows how!
– This doesn’t cancel God’s wisdom laws or His creation design laws. It only makes it EASIER TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL IN THE WAY MESSIAH COMMANDED by focusing on being acceptable to hospitality when eating house to house with peaceable Gentiles (Galatians, Acts 15).
– Don’t make FOOD a BARRIER TO THE GOSPEL.
– THIS CUTS TO THE HEART of the STUCK UP and PRIDEFUL JEWS/HEBREWS because it humbled them to let them know that the New Covenant Gospel was more important than their God-given natural wisdom. This was very hard for Jews, even Believing Jews. PRIDE is a beast.
– In essence, we DON’T NEED TO JUDGE PEOPLE on what they eat and make that the biggest deal.
– There is still a WISDOM FACTOR in Creation Law, but it’s not the most important thing in life.
– PREACH THE GOSPEL FIRST. Then help people out with natural law and creation wisdom later.
-This is why Apostle John distinguished between sin that is not unto death (sins against natural law) and sins that are unto death (sins against moral law).
Even though both ARE STILL SINS, we treat them differently.
1 John 5: 16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
– Natural sins we pray for people first, and share wisdom when needed.
– Moral sins we preach against, so that people can repent.
IN SUMMARY:
The New Covenant was designed to be spread 2 Ways:
1. Through Apostolic Gospel Preaching in the Order of Yashua.
2. Through Believing Family Discipleship via Elders in Congregations of Yashua.
Paul knew by the Holy Spirit that Gentile ROMANIZERS were going to prevent the spreading of the true gospel by causing MINISTERS to be celibate (not raising their own families).
This is why Roman Catholic priests cannot marry.
Paul also knew that Hebrew JUDAIZERS were going to prevent the spreading of the gospel by causing the MINISTERS to resist fellowship and eating with Gentiles when they couldn’t control the menu.
This is why many Jews/Jewish Judaizers still use their cultural wisdom as a barrier to the ministry of the gospel of Jesus.
Now let’s look at the whole scripture again – and now you can understand why Paul warned Timothy (an APOSTOLIC MINISTER):
1 Timothy 4: 1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to SEDUCING spirits, and doctrines of DEVILS;
2 SPEAKING LIES IN HYPOCRISY; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 FORBIDDING TO MARRY, and COMMANDING TO ABSTAIN FROM MEATS, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
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