Eating Biblically Clean in Light of Grace

For some Christians who have made their Biblical Hebraic Roots a part of their faith, a diet change took place.  They aligned their diet with the one prescribed by God in the Bible.  This is confusing to many from traditional Christianity as they believe all dietary laws were done away with when Jesus died for our sins.  

What does it mean to eat Biblically clean?  Why have some made it a part of their faith?  And weren’t the dietary laws disposed of with Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross?  This post will provide an explanation of a Biblically clean diet and answer the above questions and more.

First of all, does God care what we eat?  Of course He does!  He cares about every aspect of the lives of His people – both small and large.  In His mercy and patience with us, He knows we aren’t perfect and provides a Savior to cover all we do that’s in disobedience to Him.  

But after we receive Jesus as our Savior, should we continue in our disobedience?  Of course not!  As we mature as Christians, we must examine every area of our lives and continually grow closer and closer to the way God wants us to live in all areas. 

What It Is

Eating biblically clean comes from the command given in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.  These chapters only cover animals and not vegetables, fruits, or grains.  Although all of what’s said there about hooves and fins and scales can be confusing, it can be narrowed down pretty simply.  Most animals we normally eat in the U.S. are fine.  But pork and shellfish are out and so is any other fish without fins and scales.  Other restricted animals are those that we don’t commonly eat anyway – dogs, horses, rabbit, vultures, eagles, owls, snakes, etc.  

Biblically Clean vs. Kosher

Although there are clear similarities, a Biblically clean diet would not be considered Kosher by an Orthodox Jew.  Basically, a diet that is Biblically clean follows literally the dietary laws given in Leviticus 11.  This is different from what’s referred to as a Kosher diet according to today’s understanding.  Eating Kosher includes not mixing meat with dairy products and other rabbinical additions to the statutes in Leviticus. 

Why We Do It

• Out of obedience

As we all recall the story of Adam and Eve, we always question why they ate the fruit.  Why didn’t they just take God at His word and obey Him?  It was such a small thing to avoid just one of the many trees in the garden.  They were given such a beautiful place to live, peace, each other, and communion with God!  What more could they need?  

This is similar to the way we view these dietary laws.  God gives us all we have and has lavishly blessed us.  He gives us numerous food choices outside of the restrictions he gives.  We can (and many do) live free and happy lives without including the restricted foods in our diet.  The cost of obeying these laws is very small, but disobeying God always has negative consequences, even if we see the issue as an insignificant one. 

• To set us apart 

In conclusion to His explanation of the dietary restrictions in Leviticus 11, God states the following:

“For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Lev. 11:45

As Gentiles grafted in to the promises given to Israel by God, this verse is for us too!  God doesn’t want us to blend in with those around us.  He wants us to look different – to be His!  

Dietary Laws, along with the Sabbath and other commands do set us apart from the rest of the world.  If you keep the Sabbath or eat Biblically clean, you’ll soon learn just how much different your life will look from those around you.  

• God knows what’s best for us

Many people propose that the dietary laws were given for health reasons.  Whether or not this is true isn’t clear, but it’s also irrelevant.  If God tells us to do anything, we know it’s for good – our own good, the good of others, or for His glory.  If He told the people of Israel, His chosen people, what not to eat, we can trust that it was not only best for them then but is best for us today as well.

• Remembering who we serve 3 times a day

Sometimes it’s difficult to stay focused on what’s important, isn’t it?  When eating according to the Biblical dietary laws, we’re reminded many times daily who we’re living for.  If I was living for myself and ordering a pizza, I’d order a pepperoni pizza but I have to stop and think before I order since I’m committed to eating Biblically clean.  What would God prefer I order?  Wouldn’t we rather please Him with even the little things in life, like what we order at a restaurant?  Is it possible He doesn’t care about something that small?  I don’t think so!

• Spiritual discipline

We live in a culture in which there’s really no right or wrong.  Where you draw the line on any issue is up to you and you can change it at any time.  But how does a Christian discipline him or herself to stay on God’s path in our culture?  Discipline is like a muscle.  Some call it the “no” muscle.  If we live giving in to everything our flesh desires, how do we exercise this “no” muscle?  

Keeping a Biblically clean diet is very helpful for building discipline in life – both yours and that of those around you, like your children!  When we have uncompromising things we adhere to in our lives, we keep our “no” muscle in good shape.  An exercise that you have to do 3 or more times daily will make spiritual discipline second nature as you must stop and think before each meal, ensuring that it aligns with your beliefs. 

Did Jesus Say Dietary Laws Don’t Matter?

People often use the story in Mark 7:1-23 as a reason not to eat according to the laws in the Bible.  Here, Jesus scolds the Pharisees for condemning those eating without first ritually washing their hands.  However, there are a few points that are very helpful in understanding what’s going on here.  

First, Jesus notes that they are putting the traditions of man above the Commands of God.  Ritual hand washing was a law made by the rabbis of the time and not a Command from God.  

Second, Jesus didn’t refer to the food itself during this chapter, but to ritual hand washing.  One can apply the meaning to food, but Jesus didn’t say that.

Third, most English Bible translations have added a sentence to this story that isn’t in original texts.  It’s in verse 19: “Thus he declared all foods clean”.  If this phrase is added to aid in interpretation, it belongs in the footnotes or in a commentary but not within the text itself.  Without this sentence, the story can more easily be interpreted in the context Jesus indicated – ritual hand washing making foods clean or unclean.

What Would Jesus Eat?

Have you ever wondered what Jesus ate while he was here on earth?  All of his meals would have been eaten according to certain rules, not just because he was Jewish by heritage but out of obedience to God – to avoid sin and obey the Laws God gave us.  

Think about it.  If he had broken these dietary laws and disobeyed God, would he have been perfect?  Would he have qualified to be our Savior and Messiah? Nope.

But What About Peter’s Vision?

Acts 10 is another place Christians look to to show we aren’t to adhere to dietary Laws.  But, again, taken in context, this chapter isn’t talking about food at all, but about people.  

Read the whole story when you get a chance, but to summarize, Peter has a vision in which a sheet is lowered three times.  On the sheet are all kinds of animals – both clean and unclean. A voice says, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat”. Peter protests, saying he’s never eaten anything unclean. He then hears the voice again. This time, it says, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider common.” (Side note – for an eye-opening view of this story, do a word study on the words used here for clean, unclean, and common.)

Instead of accepting the vision and the words at face value, Peter is perplexed. He’s quite disturbed by it and tries to figure out what the vision could have possibly meant.

Many stop here and conclude that the vision meant two things – that followers of Jesus are to disobey the commands concerning food in Leviticus 11 and that Gentiles are allowed into the faith and able to receive the Holy Spirit. That could be one way to interpret this story, but later, Peter explains more than once (Acts 10:28 & 11:2-18) that he’s figured out what the vision meant and that it’s about people (Gentiles included in the faith). He doesn’t mention it being about food at all.

How Does Grace Factor in?

So, if we’re supposed to keep the dietary Laws post Jesus, doesn’t that mean we’re doing works to earn our salvation?

No – not at all. Let me explain. The Bible discussed two different concepts relevant here – justification and sanctification. Salvation (or justification) is a one-time thing. It occurs when we repent of our sin and turn to Jesus, putting our belief in him as the one who paid for our sin.

When we discuss the things we do in our daily lives as we live obedient to God, we’re talking about a process called sanctification. A simple way to explain it is that we grow closer and closer to holiness as we mature in our faith.

So, eating unclean animals does not condemn us in the same way stealing doesn’t. We eat Biblically clean not to be saved but because we are saved and love and trust God.   We want to live God’s way and obey Him. He has given us the way to live in His Word, and Jesus upheld the authority of these instructions as well (Matt. 5:17-19).

Should You Eat Biblically Clean?

Like all of the changes a Christian makes in his or her life, the first step is to consult God.  Honestly seek what He has to say as you seek an answer to this question.  Be sensitive to whether or not you’re being convicted by The Spirit on this issue.  If you’re still on the fence about it, check out the Holy Cow: Does God Care What We Eat? for more Biblically-based information on the subject.

Challenge

If you’re thinking of going Biblically clean, try it out as you’re waiting for an answer from God about it.  Eat Biblically clean for one month and see what happens.  Did you think about God more or the same amount?  Did you find yourself in the Word more or less?  Did discipline in other areas of your life increase or stay the same?  Does the thought of going back to the way you previously ate bother you at all?