We have been looking at 3 Overlooked Dietary Laws in the New Testament. The passage we have been examining is Acts 15:20 and repeated in Acts 15:29 and 21:25.
- First we explored why the early Christians were commanded to abstain from food sacrificed to idols.
- Next we looked at the biblical prohibition against eating food that had been strangled.
- Now we will begin to look at the prohibition of eating blood.
We noted that there is a close relationship between food that has been strangled and the eating of blood. Commentators agree that the prohibition against eating strangled meat and blood originated from Genesis 9:4 “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
That the prohibition against blood predates the giving of the law at Mount Sinai strongly suggests that this law has more than a ceremonial nature (even though many commentators attempt to reduce it to such). Read more here: 3 Reasons This Dietary Law May Be Moral and not Ceremonial.
Historically, the Jews have been faithful about abstaining from blood. Many commentators claim that the prohibition of eating blood was merely a way for the Jews to keep separate from the Gentiles. And some commentators hold that the extension of the law to the early Christian church was a simple formality to placate the Jews for a time and is no longer binding today.
Gill says it this way:
James knew that the breach of this law would give great offence to the Jews, and therefore for the peace of the church he moves that the Gentiles might be wrote to, to abstain from blood; and which was agreed to and done: and this was attended to with much strictness by the primitive Christians, who seemed to have observed this advice in the form of a law, and thought it criminal to eat blood; but in process of time it was neglected; and in Austin’s time abstinence from blood was derided, as a ridiculous notion. [1]
In response to this reasoning, we asked if any law that was (1) instituted before Mount Sinai, (2) given by the Holy Spirit through inspiration, and (3) upheld by the early church could be called a “ridiculous notion.” Read more here: Was the Early Church Trying to Placate the Jews with This Dietary Law?
And, as it turns out, not all commentators hold the “ridiculous” position.
Barnes maintains that “the eating of blood was strictly forbidden to the Jews” for another reason — because “it contained the life.” He further explains that the separation issue was only secondary. “To separate the Jews from them in this respect was one design of the prohibition.” [2]
Barnes gives additional reasons that the Jews were to abstain from the eating (or drinking) of blood:
- Blood was used in the feasts and covenants of idolators
- Blood was consumed by pagans in their sacrifices
- Blood is a most unwholesome and revolting food
And as mentioned above, Barnes maintains that there was a higher prohibition to consuming blood — “the life is in the blood, and that therefore it should not be eaten.” And he concludes that the prohibition against eating blood is binding on all Christians for the following reasons:
- The prohibition existed before the ceremonial law
- The prohibition is founded in the nature of things
- It has no reference to the customs of the Jews
- It is as forcible in all circumstances
Therefore, according to Barnes
- It was proper to forbid the early church from consuming blood
- The use of blood should be abstained from everywhere
- The prohibition was still obligatory in his day
- And by inference the law is obligatory for all time
And present day Christian Doctor Rex Russell agrees with Barnes. He adds, however, a scientific health twist that gives modern readers additional insight as to why God may have forbade the eating of blood.
God forbids his people from eating the blood of any animal. Blood carries both infections and toxins that might circulate in the animal’s body. Therefore, by eating an animal’s blood, one exposes himself needlessly to potential toxins and infections. The harmful effects of eating blood can be illustrated by tribes in Africa who consume large amounts of blood in their pagan culture. These people have developed the chronic diseases seen in our elderly while still teenagers. Their life span is approximately 30 years. [3]
Clearly, Barnes should be followed in the discussion of abstinence from blood and not Gill. Barnes is correct in saying that blood is “unwholesome” for consumption. God cares about our health and desires to preserve a godly seed (Psalms 37:28). This is part of the reason He gave strict dietary laws to the Old Testament saints. There is a clear connection between obedience to all of God’s commands and the health of God’s people.
Exodus 15:26 says, “And He said, ‘If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.'”
Now that we know we should not be eating blood, how should the Christian respond?
The answer is here: 12 Practical Ways to Avoid Eating Blood.
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[1] John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible
[2] Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments
[3] Rex D. Russel, M.D. p. 229, “Proceedings of the 1992 Twin-Cities Creation Conference”.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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