Foundation Institute Center for Biblical Education

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Association Clean and Unclean Meats Handouts/Study

1 Foundation Institute Center for Biblical Education Fundamental Beliefs Church of God, a Worldwide Association Clean and Unclean Meats Handouts/Study Material 2013 Church of God, a Worldwide Association

2 Summary of Fundamental Belief Biblical Food Laws From the Constitution of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association M eat identified as unclean in the Bible is not to be consumed by humans. Lists of clean and unclean meats are found in God s instructions concerning what should and should not be eaten. Scriptural support: Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14. Summary: The Bible reveals that God created all animal life, and further states that some animals were created for the specific purpose of providing food for mankind (1 Tim. 4:3). We know from Scripture that a Christian is not obligated to eat any meats, but vegetarianism, if practiced as a matter of religious requirement, is considered to be spiritual weakness (Romans 14:2). There are only a few clear commands in the early pages of the Bible, but the examples which are recorded reveal that standards of right and wrong, including the laws of God, were clearly understood. For example, there is no statement against murder prior to Cain's killing his brother, Abel, but no one would argue that murder was acceptable prior to that point. The book of Genesis can be described as a book of beginnings written by Moses to provide an historical record of what took place. The book of Genesis was not intended to be a book of laws, but a book of origins. The existence of clean and unclean animals is first found in Gen. 7:2, where Noah is commanded to take seven (or seven pairs) of clean animals and only one pair of unclean animals. God gave Noah explicit instructions on the size, composition, and design of the ark, yet God saw no need to instruct Noah about which creatures were clean and which were unclean. It seems obvious that Noah understood which creatures were clean and which were not. After the flood, God told Noah, Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs, (Gen. 9:3). This verse shows that the animals were to be for man's benefit. They were given into man's control in the same way the green plants were given. Some green plants are suitable for food, some are suitable for building materials, some are for beautification and enjoyment, and some are poisonous and can sicken and kill when ingested. In the same way, some animals are useful for providing food while others provide fibers for clothing, strength for working the land, protection from dangers, etc. All animal sacrifices as referred to in scripture prior to Mt. Sinai, are always clean animals (Genesis 15:9 - cow, goat, sheep, dove, and pigeon; Genesis 22:13 - sheep; Exodus 12:5 - sheep or goat). The law of clean and unclean foods predates the Old Covenant. Once the Levitical system was in place, it was necessary to record matters which had already been in effect for some time. Two sections of scripture, Leviticus 11:1-47 and Deuteronomy 14:3-21, tell us which creatures are set apart for food and which are not.. The term used to designate those animals whose flesh is acceptable for food is clean, and the term used for those which are not suitable for food is unclean. Page 1

3 Summary of Fundamental Belief Biblical Food Laws From the Constitution of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association The Bible does not reveal exactly why God designated certain animal flesh as food while other flesh was not. It may well have been a matter of health, though this has never been thoroughly proven. God knows why and how He created each creature, and He has the ability to designate certain ones as good for food and others as not good for food. The New Testament provides adequate evidence that the laws of clean and unclean foods were still being observed by Jesus Christ and His followers. There is no record that the religious leaders of that day ever confronted Christ about His teachings or practices on the matter of clean and unclean. The oft misquoted passage in Mark 7 would have outraged the religious leaders if they had interpreted Jesus' statement the way many people try to explain it today. The use of Mark 7 as a basis for eating unclean meats is founded on a narrow use of grammar which is only found in a few of the Greek manuscripts. In Acts we have clear evidence that the early New Testament Church understood about clean and unclean meats, although this is not the primary purpose of the vision. Peter was instructed by God in a vision to take the gospel message to the nations and peoples outside the Jewish community. During this vision, Peter three times refused to partake of the unclean animals shown him. He was puzzled about the meaning of the vision until God revealed that it was about people and not about animals at all. It was revealed to Peter that no man should be called common or unclean (Acts 10:28-29). This chapter ends with the household of Cornelius receiving the Holy Spirit as proof that the gospel was now going to all nations (Acts 10:44-48). Today this section of scripture is used as proof for the eating of unclean animals, but this is clearly not the case. This event takes place several years into the history of the New Testament Church, and yet Peter rejects the idea of eating unclean meat, even going so far as protesting that he had never eaten anything that is common or unclean (Acts 10:14). Paul writes of creatures,... which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth, and described these creatures as,... sanctified by the word of God and prayer, (1 Timothy 4:3,5). The word used to describe these creatures, sanctified, carries the dual connotation of being set apart from something as well as being set apart for something. The clean animals are those set apart by the word of God from all other animals (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14), and are to be used for man's nourishment. The flesh of creatures which are designated as suitable for food is to be received thankfully by those who believe and know the truth. Therefore, the Church of God teaches abstinence from unclean meats based upon the evidence of Scripture. Page 2

4 LISTING (INCOMPLETE) CLEAN ANIMALS (OKAY TO EAT) Animals that Chew the Cud and Part the Hoof Antelope Bison Caribou Cattle Deer Elk Gazelle Giraffe Goat Hart Ibex Moose Ox Reindeer Sheep Fish with Fins and Scales Anchovy Barracuda Bass Black pomfret Bluefish Bluegill Carp Cod Crappie Drum Flounder Gar Grouper Grunt Haddock Hake Halibut Hardhead Herring UNCLEAN ANIMALS (NOT OKAY TO EAT) Swine Boar Pecary Pig Coyote Dog Fox Hyena Jackal Wolf Cat Cheetah Leopard Lion Panther Tiger Donkey Horse Mule Onager Zebra Llama Armadillo Badger Bear Beaver camel Elephant Gorilla Groundhog Rabbit Raccoon Rat Squirrel Skunk Snail Kangaroo Monkey Weasel Worm All insects except locust family

5 LISTING (INCOMPLETE) CLEAN ANIMALS (CONTINUED) Kingfish Mackerel Mahimahi Minnow Mullet Perch Pike Pollack Rockfish Salmon Sardine Shad Silver hake Smelt Snapper Sole Steelhead Sucker Sunfish Tarpon Trout Tuna Whitefish Clean Birds Chicken Dove Duck Goose Grouse Guinea Fowl Partridge Peafowl Pheasant Pigeon Prairie Chicken Ptarmigan Quail Sage hen UNCLEAN ANIMALS (CONTINUED) Bullhead Catfish Eel Marlin Paddlefish Sculpin Shark Stickleback Squid Sturgeon Swordfish Turbot Abalone Clam Crab Crayfish Lobster Mussel Prawn Oyster Scallop Shrimp Jellyfish Limpet Octopus Calamari Dolphin Otter Seal Whale Walrus Albatros Bat Bittern Buzzard Condor Coot Cormorant Crane Crow

6 LISTING (INCOMPLETE) CLEAN ANIMALS (CONTINUED) UNCLEAN ANIMALS (CONTINUED) Sparrow Other song birds Swan Quail Teal Turkey Types of locusts and grasshoppers Cuckoo Eagle Flamingo Gull Hawk Kite Loon Magpie Osprey Ostrich Owl Parrot Pelican Penguin Raven Roadrunner Sandpiper Seagull Stork Swallow Vulture Woodpecker Alligators Caiman Crocodile Lizard Snake Turtle Blindworm Frog Newt Salamander Toad

7 REVIEW SHEET 1. Where do we find the listing of clean and unclean animals in the Bible? 2. What characteristics must an animal have to be clean? 3. What characteristics must a sea creature have to be clean? 4. What general characteristics do clean birds share? 5. Explain what Paul meant in Romans 14 in reference to meats. 6. Explain what Paul meant in 1 Timothy 4:3-4 in reference to eating meats. 7. Explain what Christ meant in Mark 7 about meats. 8. Explain Peter s vision in Acts 10 in reference to meats.

The Biblical Perspectives on Nutrition (#6) Dr. Luisito O. Llido Philippine Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

The Biblical Perspectives on Nutrition (#6) Dr. Luisito O. Llido Philippine Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Disclosures Not sponsored by any nutrition company Not sponsored by any church or