Barbecue.

Recently the church I was attending celebrated Labor Day with “barbecue” in the park. If you are not from the south, you may not know what “barbecue” really is. I grew up in California and “barbecue” was anything that you grilled on the outdoor grill that we called a barbecue. We regularly had barbecued chicken, tri-tip, steaks, and vegetables.

In the south, barbecue has no generic value — it means ONE thing. Pork.

Not all Barbecue is Barbecue.

Now, depending on what part of the southern country you live, barbecue might be seasoned differently. I learned this from a pastor’s wife in southern Virginia who complained about the barbecue seasoning in North Carolina. To her it just wasn’t barbecue because it had a vinegary flavor — even though it was the accepted flavor of the region.

Many Christians rejoice over their freedom to eat pork, shrimp, and lobster — foods that were expressly forbidden in the Old Testament. In fact, from the pulpit, the Labor Day “barbecue” in the park was promoted as a way to “enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant.”

New Testament Dietary Laws.

Today I am not going to talk about the dietary laws of the Old Testament, which forbid the eating of pork. Though I intend to cover them extensively in the future. Today I want to talk about the overlooked dietary laws in the New Testament, which are expressly carried over to the New Covenant era.

The primary passage discussing these three dietary laws is found in Acts 15.

God had revealed that the Gentiles were now allowed into the covenant community of the church. But some men from Judea (Judaizers) were teaching the Gentiles that “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

First Church Council.

This controversy needed to be meted out because the gospel teaches salvation by grace through faith — not by works. If indeed the Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved, then it was no longer grace that saved. So the first church counsel joined together in Jerusalem to come to a consensus on the issue.

A group of Pharisees were among the counsel and agreed with the Judaizers saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” These laws of Moses would have included the ceremonial, dietary, and moral laws. The implication again would be salvation by works.

After the church elders and apostles deliberated on the matter, Peter concluded that God had already included the Gentiles in His salvation plan. God had demonstrated this by sending the Holy Spirit upon them just as He had done for the Jews. Peter also acknowledged that the Gentiles were saved the same way as the new Jewish converts — through grace.  And after deliberation, the apostle James concluded that it would be unfruitful and burdensome to bind the Gentiles to the laws of Moses for salvation.

The Coming Temple.

This was in no way teaching that God’s moral law was not binding as a way life. Peter was simply teaching that circumcision and obedience to other Mosaic Laws was not a prerequisite to be included into the covenant of faith. For the Holy Spirit had already joined them to Christ through baptism. And soon the Jewish Temple would be destroyed and the entire Jewish system would come to an end for eternity.

Christ would build a new Temple which would be made up of both Jews and Gentiles, living stones — Christ the chief cornerstone.

Dietary Laws Carried Over.

But the counsel at Jerusalem did not end there. While Peter concluded that the Gentiles who were coming to faith should not be burdened with circumcision or Mosiac laws  for salvation — James spelled out several dietary restrictions in his discourse. These restrictions can be found in Acts 15:20 and repeated in Acts 15:29 and 21:25:

1. They were to abstain from eating food contaminated by idols (the Apostle Paul teaches more about this issue in 1 Corinthians 8)
2. They were to not eat meat that was killed by strangulation or smothering (it was to be killed by bleeding out)
3. They were to abstain from eating blood

Application.

There are more implications to these 3 principles than I will discuss today. But this passage shows God’s ongoing concern over food. Over and over in the Bible there is a connection with obedience, blood, life, food, and health. Food is part of God’s plan for bringing health to the body. He desires to see the offspring of the righteous flourish on the earth that He created.

He ordained in the beginning that we were to multiply on the earth. He preserved the seed of Christ through the Jewish nation. And in the great commission He extended the promise to all the nations.

This should come as no surprise since the Father says to Christ in Psalm 2:8, “Ask of Me, and I will surely give you the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth Your possessions.”

Do you think Christ would ask His father for the nations in vain? Of course not. That is why He could say that all authority in heaven and earth was His and send His Apostles in His authority to go baptize the nations.

God still wants to preserve His seed — which includes all who belong to Christ.

That is why Reformed Health exists. To help preserve the seed of the righteous through applying biblical principles to health.

If you want more information on this important topic, the next installment is available: What Does it Mean to Abstain from Food that Is Sacrificed to Idols? 

If you are not part of the Reformed Health community, I invite you to join today. We will send you some free resources. Thanks in advance.

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Disclaimer:

Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Copyright:

© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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