Mark 7
Mark 7:1-23
The Jews took it too far, they washed their hands religiously and thought that made them
spiritually clean. No where does the bible mention that it is talking about clean and
unclean meats. Meat in v19 in strongs says "food" (Jews at that time would not have
considered swine food). This verse is saying food does not make you spiritually unclean
because your body purges it if you accidently eat it every once in awhile. That is not
what is going to make you "spiritually unclean". It's more of what is in your heart.
That is what is important, but that doesn't mean you forget God's laws. (Rom 3:31-Do we make
void the law through faith? God forbid: yeah we establish the law.)
And there are many examples of Paul vigorously and repeatedly upholds adherence to God's
laws (Acts 24:14; 25:8; Romans 3:31; 7:12, 22), as did James, the half brother of Christ
(James 2:8-12; 4:11), and John (1 John 3:4). Violating God's laws regarding clean and
unclean would have been unthinkable to them.
Jesus was telling the Jews that their traditions are not the law of God EX: v11 where you
use your money to give to temple rather than take care of your parents. You have violated
Gods law to serve the tradition. The body will purge, but that doesn't mean you can sit
down and purposely reject the law of God.
We know that clean and unclean meats is included in the law of God, because it was known
to Noah at the time of the flood. It wasn't something new given to the people during the
Levitical preisthood. God's people already knew the law and kept it.
In the book of Hebrews, Paul specifically addresses the things that are done away with. so if
clean and unclean meats are done away with, it would definately be included in that book.
Lev 11
The dietary laws, repeated in Deuteronomy 14, were around long before the
institution of the Levitical priesthood-indeed, long before Israel even
existed. For even before the flood of Noah's day, almost 1,000 years
earlier, we see the distinction between clean and unclean animals.At that time,
God commanded NOah to take two of evey unclean animal onto the arek and 7 pairs
of ever clean animal (Gen 7:2-9). Regrettably, many today argue that the
dietary laws were done away in the NT. However, there are no scriptures
that support this view, even though some have misused certain verses to try to
make the point. To counter one popular argument, the dietary laws were not
done away by the ending of the Old covenant initiated at sinai, because, again,
there were in force long before that covenant came into being. Nowhere doe
the NT abrogate God's laws regarding clean and unclean animals. Indeed,
frogs are still viewed as "unclean" at the very end of the Bible,
along with certain birds (compare Rev 16:13;18:2). The people of the
"lost 10 tries" of Israel, influenced by their gentile neighbors,
gradually stopped observing them. And God remains very displeased about
this fact. In Isaiah 65, speaking of the end time, He says: "I have
stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way
that is not good, according to their own thoughts; a people who provoke Me to
anger continually to My face...who eat swine's flesh, and the broth of
abominable things is in their vessels" (vs Isaiah 65:2-4) In fact,
the next chapter of Isaiah prophesies that Christ, at His return, is going to
punish such people for eating unclean meat as part of their willful ignorance of
and disobedience to God's instruction, even though they may not view it as
such. Notice what God says: "For behold, the Lord will come with fire
and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His
rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword the Lord will
judge all flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall be many. "Those who
snactify themselves and purify themselves, to go to the gardens after an idol in
the midst, eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse, shall be
consumed together," says the Lord. (Isaiah 66:15-18. Ultimately
all nations will come to know god's truth-including His laws regarding clean and
unclean meats.
SCRIPTURES
Deut 14 - lists animals you can eat and those you
can't.
LINKS
Plain Truth about Clean and Unclean Meats
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