3 Overlooked Dietary Laws in the New Testament
Turns out SOME dietary laws carried over to the New Covenant era
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 them. 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 covenantal, 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 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
James’ decision was in no way teaching that God's moral law was not binding as a way of life. Peter and James were simply teaching that circumcision and obedience to other Mosaic Laws were 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. Gentile Christians were commanded to
Abstain from eating food contaminated by idols (the Apostle Paul teaches more about this issue in 1 Corinthians 8);
Not eat meat that was killed by strangulation or smothering (it was to be killed by bleeding out); and
Abstain from eating blood.
Application
There are more implications to these 3 principles than I will discuss today. Be sure to keep reading this series to learn more about how to apply these principles. The one application we will make here is that God continues to show concern over food. Repeatedly in the Scriptures, 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. God gave Christ all authority in heaven and earth and Christ commissioned His Apostles in that authority to teach the nations to obey all things He commanded.
God still wants to preserve His seed today — that promise is for all who belong to Christ. That is why Reformed Earth exists. To help preserve the seed of the righteous through applying biblical principles to health and life.
If you want to learn more, check out the next installment in this series: What Does it Mean to Abstain from Food that Is Sacrificed to Idols?