Day 190: Clean/Unclean Food 2

July 9
Today's Connected Passages:

• Mark 7:17-23 
• Luke 11:37-41 
• Acts 10:9-33; 11:4-10 
• Romans 14:1-23 
• Colossians  2:16-23 
• 1 Timothy 4:1-10 
• Titus 1:10-16 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to the Canon Connected, where we read the connections, see the connections, and study the connections of the Bible. I thank you so much for joining us here on day number 190 of the Canon Connected. And today we are continuing our series on what the Old Testament and our Holy Bible, which the Old Testament is absolutely God's canon for us as well as the New Testament. We've talked about that a lot. But what the Old Testament has to say about things in regards to behavior and habits in the Old Testament that were clean and unclean. Strange things to us, you know, in modern times for sure. But we can also see in the New Testament how a lot of the strangeness is undone because these principles, these laws, even I should say the principles are eternal, but the laws that God's people had to deal with as far as clean and unclean, a lot of them were done away with in the modern times, especially as we're going to see today with food. But cleanliness and uncleanliness, as we've talked about every single day so far, and we will for the next couple of days after this one as well, when we talk about bodily uncleanliness, was always supposed to be a spiritual reminder about a spiritual reality using physical reminders, just as circumcision was, just as a whole host of things in the Old Testament are. They are there, you know, to remind us because we are physical beings and we do process the world physically, even some people can use the idea of empirically, meaning your five senses. And so when you have physical reminders, like a wafer, okay, in a in a in the cup of Jesus' blood, all right, you know, uh Lord's Supper is a physical reminder of a spiritual reality. When you have physical reminders, it helps you to understand God's nature and it understand, helps us understand how we're supposed to live in response to God. So God did consider for a time so many things to be unclean in the Old Testament. And the idea, even truly, I think, is better communicated as pure in the sense of like Matthew 5.8, blessed is the pure in heart, for they shall see God. When God, you know, when Jesus even told the Pharisees, you know, that you you neglect things like mercy, you know, and judgment, um, and you are not pure, okay, you're not you're not clean. You care about the outside of the cup, about cleaning the outside of the cup and not the inside. He's using the same word there in Matthew 5.8 for purity, for to be pure in heart. It's all the same idea. Um, God wants us to be pure. And even in the Old Testament, in very temporary but strange ways, perhaps to us. I don't think so to the original audience. He wanted to manifest this idea that he is pure because he is holy, morally perfect, and he wants us to see that. Again, all ultimately pointing to not only God's nature, but the church in the New Testament as being the spotless bride of Christ, just as Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God. Morally pure, morally clean, you know, cleanliness in the Old Testament was a big deal. Six days worth of this, two days of three subtopics. And we're on food right now. So we saw yesterday from the law, especially in Leviticus chapter 11, but there were several other supports and connections to that in the Old Testament law and Deuteronomy and other places in Leviticus, the idea that God made some foods for the Jews unclean. And of course, this was not something that was an eternal principle, not just going forward as we'll see today, but as I mentioned yesterday, even looking backwards, Genesis chapter 9, all animals were available for Noah and his family to eat. It was Moses' day when God restricted this as a way, I'm positive of this, to be show them in contrast and holiness, purity to the nations around them. They were supposed to be different, they were supposed to be distinct in a thousand different ways, and one of them definitely was in what they ate. But now, as we're going to see today, this is important because I don't know how if you've ever experienced this, but I have. I put Luke 11 in there because that's a again a supporting passage for the one in Mark. And then Acts chapter 9, which I alluded to yesterday. Peter is, again, a good Jew. He is. Okay. Obviously, he has his issues. He's a loudmouth. He's very hypocritical at times. I mean, he he had to learn the, you know, over many different, you know, ways in which God had to tell him, Paul had to tell him, Paul even had to confront him over accepting Gentiles. So Peter's by no means perfect, but he, far cry from it, but he obviously is taking this, you know, the the food aspect of the law, not eating pork and things like that as as again absolute, you know, law in his heart and his mind, and he wouldn't do it. And he even tells in verse 14 of Acts 10, no, Lord, he stands up to God in a manner of speaking. I'm not eating these these animals, reptiles, and reptiles and birds. These are against the law, but God has to teach him this is no longer applicable. And Peter, even it's a beautiful thing in Acts chapter 11, even though he still messes up with the Gentiles and not eating with them later. And Paul confronts them in Galatians 2. We've talked about that many times and will again on confrontation in a few days. Peter explains, you know, he understands now in Acts chapter 11. He retells the story, and then he ultimately says, in the voice of God, do not call something unclean if God has made it clean. And this is specifically in regards to food. Romans 14 talks about this because in the New Testament, I can't find anywhere in the law where it talks about how they were not ever supposed to eat meat offered to idols. I don't even know if that was a thing in the Old Testament, but there was no law prohibiting it. But clearly in the New Testament, there were times where people would not eat meat offered to idols because of the association with idolatry. And Paul is making a clear distinction here that we're going to delve into very deeply around October, okay, on October 31st, around Halloween, because Halloween is a good time for me personally, and I may, you know, ruffle some feathers whenever we get to that point that day. But it's one of those things where I can see how Christians, Christi Christians can disagree about, you know, how much to participate in that sort of thing. So we're going to talk about the difference between absolute truths and convictions and opinions and that sort of thing. But in Romans 14, without getting into all that yet, it's clear there is a distinction in Paul's mind between people who would not eat meat offered to idols because it bothered their conscience and people who would because it didn't bother them at all, and how there's room in the kingdom for both. And so food is not unholy in and of itself, even according to Paul, even if it's been offered to idols. Not everybody has to say, well, it's been offered to idols, there's an association with idolatry there, so I'm not doing it. No, you cannot look with judgment at somebody who makes that decision. Again, in a vacuum. There might be other extenuating circumstances I'll talk about in a minute. Colossians 2, 1 Timothy 4, I put these in there because I think this is very serious. Okay, so I'll be quite frank here. I've had experiences in my life with people who were adamant that Christians, not Jewish people, trying to convince Christians of to be Jewish or whatever, but again, people who were Christians who were very much, you know, um uh beyond the Bible, in a in my opinion, based on these two passages from Colossians and 1 Timothy, in a unbiblical way, in a sinful way, trying to get people to eat just the way the Bible says and to not consider all foods clean, even though the New Testament bends over backwards to try to make this case, undoubtedly in my mind. I've had people do this to me in person, okay, and I've also had this happen. I I only follow three accounts to this point. Um, this is uh March of 2026. This won't air until July. I only follow three accounts on my personal The Canon Connected page. And so as a result, because I only follow three accounts uh on my on my on my podcast page on Facebook, whenever I log on there, it'll show me just accounts that they think I'm interested in, although I think Facebook honestly sometimes tries to stir the pot and they show you things to get you angry and mad and outraged. I definitely believe that without but without going down that side rabbit trail too far. Just to say there have been times I have seen, again, Christian groups, not, you know, Jewish groups, but Christian groups try to make the case that Christians should be adhering to these food laws from the Old Testament. And they'll talk about all these passages you read and they'll try to explain them away. And it is, it and in my opinion, listen to what Paul says about this. People like this. These people are hypocrites and liars, 1 Timothy 4, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married or wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and by prayer. And he says he calls these people in verse, in verse one, they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. If anybody in the name of Christianity, okay, tries to teach a Christian that they have to eat a certain way, okay? My humble opinion, although I think uh this is essentially an absolute truth, you get away from that person as fast as you can. That is cult uh mind mindness, okay? That is that is the way cults think, all right? This is not how Christians think. You I don't know how a person can read these passages today. And again, unless they're you know deceived by a demon or giving themselves over to false doctrine completely, how a person can read all these connected passages from today and come away thinking that you have to eat a certain way as a Christian. You don't. All food is clean as long as you receive it by with thanksgiving. That's really what Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 10. You know, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God. Meaning we can eat anything in Christianity now. And so stay away from people, you know, block them, okay? Don't have anything to do with people who are going to try to convince you that you cannot eat in certain things in Christianity. Now, and I'll say this as an explanatory note. I I think this matters too, okay? This is not unimportant. If you go to the doctor and your your diet is bad and you're unhealthy, and and again, you have, especially if you have a family, but even if you don't, you there may be times you need to use wisdom in how to eat, okay? Because of, you know, you want to be there for your family, okay? I I think that's that's that's strongly wise. Not law, okay? We still live under grace, okay, but at the same time, there are times where we need to exercise wisdom. There are definitely times we need to fast, that's for sure. We just talked about that months ago. That is law in the Bible. Christians should be fasting in ways that they are able to, even with food if you're able to do that. And I'm I'm positive most people are. It's just an issue of how much do you trust God. And there can be times where eating, you know, can be, and I I don't want to make, you know, make this, you know, silly or irreverent or whatever, but I will give kind of a levity, you know, example in my life. That if you're if you're accountable to other people, especially in close relationships like family and especially, especially marriage, um, and you know that there are things you may do as far as your eating and drinking habits that that do bother your spouse, okay, um, then I think that that could be an issue of you know absolute truth that you don't do them. And one of the ones that I think of is that before I got married to Kayla, I would often go to the store and back buy an eight-pack of Kit Kats and the two-bar Kit Kats, okay. Um I was a glutton about it, but I don't want you to think I was an absolute extreme glutton. But seriously, though, I would buy the eight-pack of Kit Kats and sit there and eat them all in one sitting. And I knew the first time I did that after I got married, Kayla did not want me to do that anymore. She was very turned off by that, and not just, you know, in any sort of way other than that's that's to her, that was that was absurd, okay? And so out of love for her, I truly believe that I should not do that, okay? And I'm gonna make that an absolute truth in my life, meaning it's a conviction for me because of my marriage, which is basically again what Romans 14 is talking about, if you want to expand the application even broader than what he's talking about, you know, then. But the idea is again that there are there's there's so much freedom in Christ when it comes to food. And I uh if I hadn't have dealt with so many times people trying to convince me otherwise, I wouldn't, you know, be so passionate about this. But um this is something that again God considered clean and unclean for a temporary time. The New Testament is abundantly, you know, exceedingly clear on this. So eat however you want to eat with the parameters of being accountable to people and health and and and ways in which are between you and God and those you're accountable to, whether a church or a family or whatever. So do it for the honor and glory of God. Do it out of thanksgiving. But don't do it, don't don't see people the way the Colossians talks to you. Um don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial and worship of angels, saying they have had visions of these things. Um and not and and don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbath. This is this is unbiblical. It's the teaching of demons, even according to 1 Timothy. So tomorrow we're gonna talk about bodily uncleanliness, could which could be very awkward. Okay, I'll just go and give you a preview. Now I'm gonna be very careful the next couple of days about how I speak about these topics because when you read, you know, like Leviticus, you know, 15, it's very awkward. And so it's a lot easier just to write about these things. Uh but these are passages I've never preached before because of how awkward they are. But they are an issue of cleanliness and uncleanliness. So again, with as much humility and grace and as much, you know, spirit, you know, led interpretation, we're gonna try to understand why God, you know, talked about bodily uncleanliness so much in the Old Testament and what it means for us today. So come back and be with us again tomorrow as we continue to read the connections, see the connections, stay the connections. Thank you.