WHY ARE ALL FOODS CLEAN NOW?

[Deborah_]

17 minutes ago, Tzephanyahu said:

If you are referring to Mark 7:19 and the line: (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods 'clean'), I suggest you dig deeper into this passage in the original text. Because this line was added in by translators and has no original Greek text under it.

The Greek text underlying it is "katharizon panta ta bromata".

This is a participle phrase that is common in Greek, but in English usually has to be converted into something more complex (sometimes a whole sentence). This particular phrase can be translated in various ways because of the range of meanings of the verb katharizo. It can mean "cleanse' or "purify" in a physical sense, or on a moral sense (as in the Levitical code). It can also mean "declare (something or someone) clean", as when the priest pronounced someone clean after they had completed a purification rite. 

We get the word "cathartic" from it, but that doesn't mean it should be translated as "purge" here in the sense of removing waste products from the body ("all foods" isn't a waste product!). "Declaring all foods clean" is a perfectly legitimate and literal translation; we have to add the extra words in English ("In saying this, Jesus") because English can't just stick a participle phrase in anywhere like Greek can.

[Justin Adams]

2 hours ago, Tzephanyahu said:

The Creator made all beasts. He knows which are clean and suitable for eating and which are unclean and unsuitable

This has always interested me. So I looked into the 'vacuum cleaner' animals and the ones that did not consume the waste of others. I have found that my own health has been a whole lot better since I just stuck to the items that appear to be "clean" versus "not clean". And there is a difference between "not clean" and "unlcean". Check it out.

[DeighAnn]

6 hours ago, Deborah_ said:

The Greek text underlying it is "katharizon panta ta bromata".

This is a participle phrase that is common in Greek, but in English usually has to be converted into something more complex (sometimes a whole sentence). This particular phrase can be translated in various ways because of the range of meanings of the verb katharizo. It can mean "cleanse' or "purify" in a physical sense, or on a moral sense (as in the Levitical code). It can also mean "declare (something or someone) clean", as when the priest pronounced someone clean after they had completed a purification rite. 

We get the word "cathartic" from it, but that doesn't mean it should be translated as "purge" here in the sense of removing waste products from the body ("all foods" isn't a waste product!). "Declaring all foods clean" is a perfectly legitimate and literal translation; we have to add the extra words in English ("In saying this, Jesus") because English can't just stick a participle phrase in anywhere like Greek can.

Hi Deborah,

I think this is where faith comes in, and since faith comes from hearing the words of God and the words of God say, God created these for you and these for the earth.  Of course there will always be those looking for the 'make my flesh' happy way over the crucify the flesh daily way of God, and with a verse or two in the NT, do it possibly close to guilt free, BUT THAT doesn't change THE FACT that GOD said for you, not for you.  Maybe it's just extra credit because we all know HOW GOD feels about His laws, and certainly with the Holy Spirit is should be doable, it was doable for me.  

And just because it might be written in a manner that seems to make it ok, IS it really a good idea?  

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1 Corinthians 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

1 Corinthians 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

along with
 

Isaiah 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

Isaiah 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

Isaiah 65:4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

Isaiah 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.

Isaiah 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

Isaiah 65:7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

Isaiah 65:8 Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.

Isaiah 65:9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

 

 

[Hopefully]

“Jesus called the people to him. He said, “Listen and understand what I am saying. It is not what people put in their mouth that makes them wrong. It is what comes out of their mouth that makes them wrong.”
 

Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body. But the bad things people say with their mouth come from the way they think. And that’s what can make people wrong.

All these bad things begin in the mind: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, lying, and insulting people. These are the things that make people wrong. Eating without washing their hands will never make people unacceptable to God.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:10-11, 16-20‬ ‭

“But food will not bring us closer to God. Refusing to eat does not make us less pleasing to God, and eating does not make us closer to him. But be careful with your freedom. Your freedom to eat anything may make those who have doubts about what they can eat fall into sin.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭8:8-9‬ ‭
 

 

[Hopefully]

““All things are allowed,” you say. But not all things are good. “All things are allowed.” But some things don’t help anyone. Try to do what is good for others, not just what is good for yourselves.
 

Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Don’t ask questions about it to see if it is something you think is wrong to eat. You can eat it, “because the earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.” Someone who is not a believer might invite you to eat with them. If you want to go, then eat anything that is put before you. Don’t ask questions to see if it is something you think is wrong to eat.

But if someone tells you, “That food was offered to idols,” then don’t eat it. That’s because some people think it is wrong, and it might cause a problem for the person who told you that. I don’t mean that you think it is wrong. But the other person might think it is wrong. That’s the only reason not to eat it.

My own freedom should not be judged by what another person thinks. I eat the meal with thankfulness. So I don’t want to be criticized because of something I thank God for. So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do it for the glory of God. Never do anything that might make other people do wrong—Jews, non-Jews, or anyone in God’s church.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:23-32‬ ‭

[AdHoc]

On 5/25/2022 at 3:12 PM, Open7 said:

I know because Jesus said so. But what is the practical aspect that comes with this? The law categorised all animals as either being clean or unclean, why was this, and why are they all clean now?

Thanks 

The matter of Israel's diet is a unique one. I will explain it presently. Our diet is regulated by the Covenant of the Rainbow. Up until the Great Flood man was a vegetarian. It was expected that man would eat from the Trees and the Herbs. But once sin came in, man had to shed blood (Heb.9:22). The Covenant with Noah was made with ALL FLESH (Gen.9:16-17). It was simple and without ambiguity. ALL things except BLOOD were to be man's diet. This Covenant is still valid as long as we have summer and winter and harvest, and in 1st Timothy 4 it is strengthened by the statement that any person who forbids any food except blood does this as a "doctrine of demons" (1st Tim.4:1-5). The Apostles, who had been trained by Jesus, refused any dietary regulation except blood (Act.15:20, 29, 21:25).

However, a Christian is at liberty to eat what he/she likes. If they want to restrict themselves they may. They just must not put restriction on others. Also, those who have restrictions for reasons of faith (not medical), are regarded by the Holy Spirit as "weak" (Rom.14:1-2, 21, 15:1). If you avoid sea muscles because you break out into a rash after eating them, you are not weak in the faith - just clever. If you avoid sea muscles because the Law said they were unclean you are weak in the faith. This can be remedied by good teaching.

Israel had multiple dietary restrictions. The reason for this is that God's dwelt WITH Israel. God, hidden behind a Veil, dwelt WITH a PHYSICAL nation. Their service was physical and God's House (Tabernacle /Temple) was physical. To uphold His holiness the men surrounding God and His House had to maintain RITUAL cleanliness. This extended from eating certain foods right up to crippled men not being able to serve in the Tabernacle (even men with injured private parts were forbidden - see Deuteronomy 23). The whole idea of the restrictions of the Law was to create a RITUALLY clean nation which had dealings with Jehovah.

Since God had nothing to do with the Nations, and since the Law is a Covenant made ONLY with Israel, what the nations did was moot.

When God changed His economy and came to dwell IN men, the ritual cleanliness of the flesh created by the Law was inadequate. God did not live WITH the Church, but IN the Church and IN the individual Christian. How was God going to get around the polluted flesh? He did it in a most sovereign way. He first counts every Christian to have come out of Jesus (Jn.12:24). And not only counts every Christian to come out of Jesus, but to have dome so in the DEATH of Jesus. Just as all men came out of Adam in the flesh, so all Christians had their origin in Christ as the seed of Jesus. That is, the flesh of Christians is regarded by God as DEAD. But because God needs the BODIES of Christians to build the Church (1st Cor.6:15), he preserves the bodies and gives a SIGN of the Christian death - Baptism (Rom.6:1-8). Then, that which is LIVING he cleanses with the blood of Jesus (1st Jn.1:7) and by His Word (Jn.15:3, Eph.5:26).

So, the flesh of a Christian is dealt with in two ways; (i) It is put on the cross with Jesus, and (ii) it is cleansed by the blood and Word of Jesus. It is a profound process but we can glimpse it in the Tabernacle of old. The Priest must offer sacrifice at the altar. Then he must proceed to the Laver and wash his whole body - but just once. Every time thereafter, he must just was his hands hand feet before his service to the Tabernacle.

• The Christian may eat all things except blood.
• The Christian may refuse anything but may not insist on other Christians abstaining (doctrine of demons)
• The Christian who refuses foods is not sinning but is weak in faith
• The Christian may not call any food unclean because God has sanctified it
• The Christian may eat food offered to idols because an idol is nothing (1st Cor.8)
• The Christian who is mature must adapt his eating to the weakest Christian so as not to offend
• The Christian who tries to establish ritual cleanliness by the Law is rejecting the blood of Christ
• The Jew is in a terrible predicament until Christ returns. He must keep the Law because it is a Contract. But God does not dwell with Israel until He returns as Emmanuel. The Temple is not standing so God cannot dwell WITH Israel. The next Temple Israel with give to the Beast (Dan.9, 2nd Thess 2).

[TreeFivew]

All foods are not clean.  The Most High did not do away with the Old Testament.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

-Matthew 5:17

[AdHoc]

17 hours ago, TreeFivew said:

All foods are not clean.  The Most High did not do away with the Old Testament.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

-Matthew 5:17

You are correct. For those who are party to the Covenant of Law, every Law applies. But let us see what predicament they are in.

James 2:10 says; For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Gal.3:10 echoes this; For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them

When God commissioned Solomon to build Him a Temple, we learn that God calls the Temple in Jerusalem that place where my NAME is (1st Ki.8:16-20, 29). In five consecutive verses it is stated that the Temple in Jerusalem is the place where God's name is. Now we turn to the Law in Deuteronomy 12: 

5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: 7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee. 8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

Any man under this Law must take his tithes and go down to Jerusalem and the Temple three ties a year and eat his tithe there. Between Deuteronomy 12 and 18, in at least a half-dozen Laws, the males of Israel must fulfill this Law. Should they not, they are, by the same Law, GUILTY OF ALL. You might say, well ... there is no Temple. But this is NOT FORESEEN BY THE LAW. A covenant is a Contract and if God wanted exceptions, He would have made them. He had the foreknowledge, but never made an exception. Every Jew breaks the Law every year. Every Jew breaks multiple Laws every year by not living in the Promised Land. And because a man under Law is guilty of ALL the Law by breaking one Law, every Jew breaks every Law every year.

There are about 620 Laws and ordinances in this Covenant. How many do you really keep? But there is an even bigger problem. This Law is the CONDITIONS of a Covenant ratified by God with blood. A Contract is usually made between TWO PARTIES. When God made this Covenant, He made it ONLY with Israel (Ex.34:27 etc.). If you are not seed of Jacob, the Covenant of Law just does not apply to you. If I make a Contract with my local Ford dealership for a brand new Ford, at what stage do other en enter this contract? - They may not - by Law. Any man trying to enter a Contract not made with him is an imposter and criminal.

[Marathoner]

Excellent contributions, @AdHoc. 

You've managed to answer not only the question posed by the OP, but also some who insist that:

The Law is for the wild branch (it is not)

The Law is for those who are in Jesus Christ (it isn't)

We understand what "the Law" means, and that it was given to Israel of the flesh (the seed of Jacob). We who are not the seed of Jacob should not seek to yoke ourselves under the dominion of the Law.

I appreciate the time you've taken here. 

[Leonardo Von]

I believe that the most adequate question is: "Why were some food unclean in the Old Testament?".