Why don't Seventh-day Adventist eat pork like Christians of various denominations? (Full Text) |
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If you ask Christians why they eat pork, many will say that God only prohibited the Jews from eating pork. That is a valid argument if only the bodies of Jewish people are harmed by poor quality food! Obviously, that isn’t the case. If Christians believe that they are God's people, and should glorify God in body and spirit, shouldn’t they eat the best foods possible?
Others might say that God instituted the dietary prohibitions, and Sabbath-keeping for that matter, as a form of punishment for the Jews' disobedience. Nonsense! God was blessing Israel with this knowledge, not punishing them.
If you ask Christians why they eat pork, still others will point to a statement that Jesus made in Mark 7:19:
"because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"
Christians feel that the statement, "purifying all foods" means that Jesus was eliminating the distinction between clean and unclean animals. But Jesus was not talking about the distinction between clean and unclean animals at all! He was talking about a tradition of the Jewish elders that held that any bread, milk, oil or any animal flesh that had been touched by a Gentile or an unclean animal would make a Jewish person spiritually unclean before God. Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus said that this was not the teaching of scripture. It is not possible to become spiritually or physically unclean by touching things that have come in contact with a non-Jew or an unclean animal. In short, He declared that all foods in the market were "clean" in the sense that they are unable to spiritually defile us. We will give a more detailed explanation of this text below, but the explanation will be useful mostly for those with a more detailed knowledge of the issue. In short, the text used to justify eating pork is a highly misunderstood text.
Seventh-day Adventists refrain from eating pork because God has revealed that it is not good for food. It is important to understand that Seventh-day Adventists do not teach that a person becomes morally unclean by eating pork unless the eating is done as an act of defiance and rebellion against God. Eating unhealthy food does not make someone spiritually unclean before God in and of itself. As Jesus taught, the food goes in the body and then out. Rather, it is evil thoughts and actions that make someone unclean before God. However, those who love God and want to serve Him will seek the best in life and God has given valuable instruction in His word on how we should live.
The teachings in the both the Old and New Testaments regarding proper diet for believers are best understood in the context of God's purposes. So let's begin with God's purposes as revealed in scripture.
God's Purposes for Maintaining a Proper Diet
In the beginning God made the world perfect, and He gave to man and animals a perfect diet.
And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Genesis 1:29-30.
In the beginning, humans didn't eat animals and animals didn't eat animals. We were all vegetarians! God knows the structure of our bodies and what is nutritionally best for them. But, things changed after sin entered the world and some people began eating meat. Finally, after destroying the world with a flood God gave permission to man to eat certain animals. But that permission came with a warning. Meat eating would affect our health!
"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs." Genesis 9:3.
Now when the Bible uses the word "all" some people think that means everything. But the word "all" needs to be understood in its context. The writer of this article is a "moving thing that lives." Did God give permission for Noah to eat other humans? No! Can we eat any plant? No! Some are poisonous. Before the flood, God distinguished the animals according to cleanness. He told Noah to bring two each of unclean animals and seven each of clean animals. See Genesis 7:2. Thus, humanity was given permission to eat clean animals.
Do you remember that warning? It just so happens that meat eating coincided with a decrease in life expectancy. Before the flood man lived to be very old, even hundreds of years. But after the flood, most people died before they were 125 years old.
When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt He intended to make them a holy nation that would share the knowledge of the true God with all the people of the earth. See Exodus 19:6. He put them on the central trade routes of the world and gave them His laws and commandments so they could witness to the world about God's ways.
"Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 "Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7 "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8 "And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?" Deuteronomy 4:5-8.
Unbelievers would learn of God through the Israelite nation. To make this happen properly the Israelites needed to obey God and keep the laws of health. When they left Egypt, God gave the Israelites a vegetarian diet. But the Israelites rebelled against it. In His mercy, God did not forsake the Israelite nation, which had been released from the bondage and ignorance of slavery. Instead, He regulated their diet. God gave them permission to eat certain animals if they raised them and killed them properly. There was a reason given for the Israelites to be careful with their diet, good health.
"And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Deuteronomy 7:15.
Closely linked to healthy eating is holiness. It is in the section of the Old Testament where God gave instruction about clean and unclean animals that we read the following:
'For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 'For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.' Leviticus 11:44-45.
This concept of holiness is called for in the New Testament:
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16 .
As we can see from the scriptures, God is very much concerned with our holiness. He wants us to be a light in a dark world, so that we can exhibit truth in our lives instead of error. For this reason, He wants us to eat foods that will keep our bodies healthy and our minds clear.
We see this principle at play in the life of the prophet Daniel. After being taken to Babylon, Daniel refused to eat the luxurious and unhealthy foods provided by the king. See Daniel chapter 1. He chose to eat vegetables and as a result the king found Daniel and his friends to be healthier and 10 times wiser than anyone else. This should not escape our attention. There is a link between proper eating and good mental performance and spiritual discernment. Daniel is highlighted in scripture as a man of extreme moral integrity.
The New Testament outlines the principle this way:
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
If we are seeking God's glory we shall seek to keep our bodies in good condition. Our bodies are the temple of God.
Now with God's purpose for proper diet in mind we are better prepared to look at various texts in the New Testament, many of which are misunderstood and wrongly applied.
Mark 7:18-19
So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"
Mark 7:18-19.
This statement has been used by many to support the idea that Jesus cancelled all distinctions between clean and unclean foods in scripture. As a result, they say that Christians can eat whatever they want. Is this what Jesus is really saying? To properly interpret scripture, we must learn the context of the statements. Let's look at Mark 7:3-5.
For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
Mark 7:3-5.
The context of Jesus’ statement is the tradition of the elders. The scribes and Pharisees want to know why the disciples do not wash their hands before eating according to the tradition of the elders. Jesus said the tradition of the elders was used to put aside the commands of God. He goes on to give an example. Let's read Mark 7:6-13.
He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." 9 ¶ He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 11 "But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), 12 "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."
Mark 7:6-13.
The fifth commandment requires that we honor our father and our mother. This would include taking care of them financially. Some Jews were pronouncing the word "Corban" over their material possessions and dedicating them to God. This sounded very pious. But there was a hidden hypocrisy in the action. The people dedicating these items to God would continue using them their whole lives and then surrender them to God when they died. Their motive was clear, they didn’t want to sell their goods and use the money to support their parents in the case of hardship and illness. The person could keep the use of the goods all their life with the excuse that it was dedicated to God. Jesus said that this was a tradition of men set up for the purpose of violating the commandments of God.
Now let's go back to Mark 7:1-2.
Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. Mark 7:1-2.
The scribes and Pharisees accused the disciples of eating with ‘defiled,’ that is, ‘unwashed hands.’ This was a technical term not found in the Old Testament but was developed in the years before Jesus’ birth. The Greek word used here for ‘defiled’ or ‘unclean’ is ‘koinos’ which is an adjective. The verb form of this word is used later. Let's return to
Mark 7:18-19.
So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"
Mark 7:18-19.
Here the verb form of ‘defile’ is from the Greek word ‘koinoo.’ In the Old Testament, when making a distinction between 'clean' and ‘unclean’ animals to be used as food, the Hebrew word is ‘tame.’ This is an adjective. When the Jews translated the Old Testament into Greek they did not use the word ‘koinos’ to translate the word ‘unclean’ as in the phrase 'unclean animals.' They used the word, ‘akatharton.’ In the texts in Mark chapter 7 neither Jesus nor the Jews use the word ‘akatharton’ when talking about ‘defiled’ hands. They weren't talking about the distinction between clean and unclean animals to be used as food. They were talking about something else.
During the intertestamental times (420 BC to 26 AD), the religious Jews determined to keep themselves from all uncleanness, including anything to do with the Gentiles. Jews were instructed by their religious leaders to refrain from buying oil, bread, milk, or meat from a Gentile (T.C. Smith, “Acts,” The Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1970) , p. 67. The tradition of the elders held that a Jew’s hands would become ‘defiled’ by the commonness (koinos) of their daily activities. The tradition of the elders held that ‘clean’ animals could become ‘common’ by contact with ‘unclean’ animals. This, of course, was in direct opposition to the Old Testament where unclean animals made nothing unclean by contact (unless it was the carcass of an animal that died by itself). The tradition of the elders held that if the disciples touched ‘common food,’ the resulting defilement would cause them to become ‘unclean’ and they would be spiritually unacceptable to God. Jesus denied that such a thing is possible. He said that spiritual defilement can only come from the evil within each of us. This spiritual evil results in outward acts of rebellion. This event in the book of Mark is not about eating clean and unclean animals. It is about certain Jewish traditions contradicting the revealed word of God. The scriptures do not say that foods become common by contact with non-Jews or unclean animals. It never said that. But the Jews made it a rule. They even went so far as to say that this contact with items touching non-Jews and unclean meats would defile a person spiritually.
Ironically, when Christians say that Jesus was declaring unclean meat including pork to be clean, those Christians basically accuse Jesus of setting aside the commandments of God for His own rule. But this is what Jesus was fighting against! Jesus was always upholding Scripture.
Leviticus 11 recognizes two types of ‘unclean animals. The first is that which is unfit for food. There is no method for making them ‘clean’ because their ‘uncleanness’ was not due to a distinction in religious ritual, but because they were unfit to be food. The second kind of ‘uncleanness’ is a temporary one resulting from inadvertent contact with the carcasses of dead animals. Those who touched them could wash their clothes and they would become ‘clean’ again after a period of time. No live animal, whether ‘clean’ or ‘unclean’ brings impurity to people by contact. When Jesus says, ‘all foods are clean,’ He means that contact with foods considered common (koinos) by the tradition of the elders does not make a person ‘unclean.’ (Contact with any food does not make a person unclean, except ceremonially if the animal was a dead carcass which had died of itself). So Jesus’ statement regarding ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ here is not in regard to the dietary laws of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ animals. To further underscore this point, Jesus does not say that all ‘flesh meats’ are ‘clean,’ which is the issue in Leviticus 11. Rather, He says all ‘foods’ are clean. The word ‘food’ here is the Greek ‘bromata.’ This word is not used to distinguish clean and unclean meats or even flesh meats in scripture. It is used of all foods. In conclusion, Jesus always upheld scripture and didn’t introduce any new teaching in Mark chapter 7. He was simply combating the tradition of the elders, which was not scriptural.
Acts 10:10-16
Many use Peter’s vision experience to justify the idea that all distinctions between clean and unclean meats have been eliminated. Is this the case?
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Acts 10:10-16
The first thing we notice is that this is a vision. In the vision, Peter said that he had never eaten anything unclean. If he believed that Jesus had given them permission to eat all foods, why is he still distinguishing between clean and unclean animals? Peter sees two types of animals in the vision. One group is unclean, a word translated from the Greek word “akathartos.” The Hebrew to Greek Old Testament translators chose to use this word to describe unclean animals in Leviticus chapter 11. Peter sees animals that God had designated as unfit for food. The other group of animals Peters sees is common, translated from the Greek word “koinos.” This is a word rarely used in the Old Testament. During the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament, religious Jews tried to keep themselves from everything they believed to be unclean, including Gentiles. Jews were taught not to buy oil, milk, , bread or meat from a Gentile. According to the tradition of the elders, if a clean animal came in contact with an unclean animal, the clean animal would become “common (koinos)”. The clean animals in Peter’s vision became “common (koinos)” because of their contact with the unclean animals. This, of course, was in direct opposition to the Old Testament where unclean animals made nothing unclean by contact. The tradition of the elders taught that human contact with a “common (koinos)” animal made a person spiritually unacceptable before God. Jesus combated the tradition of the elders on this point in Mark chapter 7.
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." Acts 10:15.
The voice from heaven told Peter, “What God has cleansed, stop making “common (koinos)." The word here is not “akathartos.” God is not addressing the issue of the “unclean” versus “clean” animals of Leviticus chapter 11, but with the tradition of the elders regarding the “common (koinos)” condition of people and animals.
Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate. 18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. 19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you. 20 "Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them." 21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, "Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?" 22 And they said, "Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you." 23 ¶ Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Acts 10:17-28.
Peter declares here in verse 28 that the tradition of the elders was very clear. If Peter came in contact with or visited a Gentile, he would become “common (koinos)” and would be in need of ceremonial cleansing. Again, this tradition of the elders was in opposition to the teaching of scripture. God is correcting this idea in verse 15 by telling Peter that no man has ever been common if God has not called it common. In verse 28, Peter realizes that the meaning of the vision is that God or the scriptures have never called a man either “akathartos (unclean),” or “koinos (common).” The tradition of the elders is once again rebuffed, just like in Mark chapter 7. God is not addressing the issue of “clean” versus “unclean” meats. He is breaking down Jewish traditions that restrict the Gentiles from coming to God.
Romans 14:1-3, 13-15.
Many Christians point to Romans 14:1-3, 13-15 as evidence that God makes no distinction between clean and unclean foods and therefore it is permissible to eat pork. Let's examine these passages more carefully.
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Romans 14:1-3.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Romans 14:13-15.
Two Greek words are sometimes translated as “unclean” in the New Testament, "akathartos" and "koinos". Refer to the discussions above for their meaning. Here in verse 14, Paul is saying that nothing is “koinos” of itself, which is in agreement with Mark chapter 7 and Acts chapter 10. Refrain from eating “common” foods in the presence of a weak brother if it bothers him, but otherwise, it doesn’t matter. Paul does not use the word, “akathartos.” He is not talking here about the distinction between clean and unclean meats as outlined in Leviticus chapter 11.
The situation might be broader here because the “common” things he is speaking about may include food offered to idols as in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. See the discussion below. The expressions “weak brothers” and “food” are common to both passages. Why would a "weak" brother eat only vegetables? That brother may be conscientiously avoiding eating any meat sacrificed to an idol. Paul is not disparaging a vegetarian diet!
1 Corinthians 8:1-13.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 4 ¶ Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 7 ¶ However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:1-13.
Here Paul is talking about food sacrificed to idols. He is not talking about eating clean or unclean meats outlined in Leviticus chapter 11. Paul isn’t using the word “akathartos” here. Paul is not saying, “Forget the Old Testament, you can eat what you want.” When animals were sacrificed to gods in pagan temples, part of the animal was given to the officiating priest. When the priest sold the meat it might go to the market place. Was it proper for a believer to eat food that had been sacrificed to an idol? Was it proper to eat such meat when visiting a pagan acquaintance? Paul is saying that an idol is nothing and food sacrificed to an idol cannot defile a person if he eats it. Again, the admonition to be careful about offending the weaker brother is stated.
Colossians 2:16
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, Colossians 2:16.
This text is used by Christians to say that all distinctions between food and drink were eliminated when Jesus established the New Covenant. This subject is very large and will not be dealt with in detail here but we will outline some general principles.
Many Christians believe that there is an abrupt discontinuity between the covenant that God made with Israel and the New Covenant that God established with New Testament believers. They think that the two covenants are totally unrelated and that the Old Covenant was a covenant of salvation-by-works and that New Covenant is a covenant of salvation by grace. There is a confusion here that needs to be clarified.
First of all, God never made a covenant with anyone whereby a sinful human being could, by doing some ceremonies and regulations, guarantee eternal life in heaven. That is a treasonous statement against the kingdom of God and belittles the value of God's holiness and therefore His law. The wages of sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). No amount of supposedly good deeds can meet the penalty of the law and restore a sinful person to a moral state of purity to be able to enter heaven (Romans 3:20). That is impossible. A sacrificial animal cannot remove the penalty of sin (Hebrews 10:4). A finite human cannot do enough good deeds to earn eternal life. That also is impossible. So the idea that people were saved by law under the Old Covenant is an utter impossibility. That is a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of scripture. If man could save himself from eternal death by his own deeds then Jesus need not have died.
God has one way of saving mankind from eternal death called the everlasting covenant.
"Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Ezekiel 16:60.
In the everlasting covenant, Jesus Christ becomes the sin-offering for man. His sacrifice is of infinite value because He is infinite. When Jesus entered the human race He became the head and representative for the human race. God joins the Spirit of Christ with the sinner when the sinner believes. The sinner becomes joined to Jesus' perfect life and perfect sacrifice. The sinner is then free from the condemnation of the law. The Spirit of Christ in the believer gives the believer power over his or her own sinful nature and the believer can perform works of service acceptable to God because they are motivated by the Spirit of Christ in them. Therefore salvation is an experience where the Spirit of Christ lives in the believer.
God was trying to enter into the everlasting covenant with Israel at Sinai. God gave them a system of sacrifices that would model and predict the sacrifice of Christ. Unfortunately the Israelites by their disobedience and lack of faith behaved as if the system of sacrifices themselves was sufficient to provide the holiness that God was expecting from them. They turned the sacrificial system into a system of salvation-by-works. But from the beginning it was not valid. Only the blood of Christ could take away sins.
The Bible predicted that when the Messiah would come, there would be a new sanctuary and a new priesthood.
The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." Psalm 110:4.
This is the priesthood and sanctuary of the everlasting covenant. It is called the New Covenant simply because it was ratified after the covenant at Sinai. But it was not a new covenant of grace. Abraham was saved by grace (Genesis 15:6). So was David (Psalm 32:1). Salvation has always been and always will be by grace alone.
So when Jesus came the Old Testament sanctuary rites came to an end. That is what Colossians 2:16 is all about. But that does not mean that the New Covenant has no laws.
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," Hebrews 10:16.
Which laws will be written in the heart? Well the Ten Commandments of course. That is the moral law. The Ten Commandments were written on tables of stone and put in the ark of the covenant. Now those laws are written in our hearts. But there is also a sanctuary in heaven where those Ten Commandments are written. See Hebrews 8:1-2; Revelation 11:19. Are these the only laws that are still important for the Christian? Read the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5, 6, 7) and see that Jesus refers both to the Ten Commandments and other laws of relationship and civil duty. In short, it is true that the sanctuary system of offerings as described in Colossians 2:16 came to an end when Jesus died. But it is not true that the Ten Commandments and laws governing correct living, relationships and civil duty and responsibility were eliminated at the cross. The principles in these other laws are valid in our lives today.
The principles of God's instructions to Israel are to carry over into the faith of believers in Jesus because the laws communicate divine wisdom. See how Paul applies a Jewish law to followers of Jesus:
Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 1 Corinthians 9:8-11.
Paul applied a Jewish law about letting oxen that tread out grain eat of the grain to the New Testament concept that those who work in full time gospel ministry should be paid from the tithes! Look at the Jerusalem council in Acts chapter 15 where the Gentiles were counseled, "...to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. Acts 15:20. Why were these three things listed as particularly important for the Gentiles? If we look in Leviticus 17:10-13 we see a law concerning both the Jew and the stranger among them prohibiting the eating of blood, ostensibly not for health reasons but because it represented the life of the animal which makes atonement.
There were further laws in Leviticus 18 that related to sexual morality that were for both Jew and strangers living among the Jews. In addition we see in Leviticus 20 a prohibition against idolatry for both Jews and those strangers living among them.
Colossians 2:16 will be dealt with more extensively when we talk about the Sabbath. But for now, we should understand that the symbolic and predictive rites and ceremonies of the sanctuary ended with the cross but that the principles of right living communicated in civil and moral laws in Israel are universal principles that find application today.
Others might say that God instituted the dietary prohibitions, and Sabbath-keeping for that matter, as a form of punishment for the Jews' disobedience. Nonsense! God was blessing Israel with this knowledge, not punishing them.
If you ask Christians why they eat pork, still others will point to a statement that Jesus made in Mark 7:19:
"because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"
Christians feel that the statement, "purifying all foods" means that Jesus was eliminating the distinction between clean and unclean animals. But Jesus was not talking about the distinction between clean and unclean animals at all! He was talking about a tradition of the Jewish elders that held that any bread, milk, oil or any animal flesh that had been touched by a Gentile or an unclean animal would make a Jewish person spiritually unclean before God. Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus said that this was not the teaching of scripture. It is not possible to become spiritually or physically unclean by touching things that have come in contact with a non-Jew or an unclean animal. In short, He declared that all foods in the market were "clean" in the sense that they are unable to spiritually defile us. We will give a more detailed explanation of this text below, but the explanation will be useful mostly for those with a more detailed knowledge of the issue. In short, the text used to justify eating pork is a highly misunderstood text.
Seventh-day Adventists refrain from eating pork because God has revealed that it is not good for food. It is important to understand that Seventh-day Adventists do not teach that a person becomes morally unclean by eating pork unless the eating is done as an act of defiance and rebellion against God. Eating unhealthy food does not make someone spiritually unclean before God in and of itself. As Jesus taught, the food goes in the body and then out. Rather, it is evil thoughts and actions that make someone unclean before God. However, those who love God and want to serve Him will seek the best in life and God has given valuable instruction in His word on how we should live.
The teachings in the both the Old and New Testaments regarding proper diet for believers are best understood in the context of God's purposes. So let's begin with God's purposes as revealed in scripture.
God's Purposes for Maintaining a Proper Diet
In the beginning God made the world perfect, and He gave to man and animals a perfect diet.
And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. Genesis 1:29-30.
In the beginning, humans didn't eat animals and animals didn't eat animals. We were all vegetarians! God knows the structure of our bodies and what is nutritionally best for them. But, things changed after sin entered the world and some people began eating meat. Finally, after destroying the world with a flood God gave permission to man to eat certain animals. But that permission came with a warning. Meat eating would affect our health!
"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs." Genesis 9:3.
Now when the Bible uses the word "all" some people think that means everything. But the word "all" needs to be understood in its context. The writer of this article is a "moving thing that lives." Did God give permission for Noah to eat other humans? No! Can we eat any plant? No! Some are poisonous. Before the flood, God distinguished the animals according to cleanness. He told Noah to bring two each of unclean animals and seven each of clean animals. See Genesis 7:2. Thus, humanity was given permission to eat clean animals.
Do you remember that warning? It just so happens that meat eating coincided with a decrease in life expectancy. Before the flood man lived to be very old, even hundreds of years. But after the flood, most people died before they were 125 years old.
When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt He intended to make them a holy nation that would share the knowledge of the true God with all the people of the earth. See Exodus 19:6. He put them on the central trade routes of the world and gave them His laws and commandments so they could witness to the world about God's ways.
"Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6 "Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' 7 "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8 "And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?" Deuteronomy 4:5-8.
Unbelievers would learn of God through the Israelite nation. To make this happen properly the Israelites needed to obey God and keep the laws of health. When they left Egypt, God gave the Israelites a vegetarian diet. But the Israelites rebelled against it. In His mercy, God did not forsake the Israelite nation, which had been released from the bondage and ignorance of slavery. Instead, He regulated their diet. God gave them permission to eat certain animals if they raised them and killed them properly. There was a reason given for the Israelites to be careful with their diet, good health.
"And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. Deuteronomy 7:15.
Closely linked to healthy eating is holiness. It is in the section of the Old Testament where God gave instruction about clean and unclean animals that we read the following:
'For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 'For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.' Leviticus 11:44-45.
This concept of holiness is called for in the New Testament:
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16 .
As we can see from the scriptures, God is very much concerned with our holiness. He wants us to be a light in a dark world, so that we can exhibit truth in our lives instead of error. For this reason, He wants us to eat foods that will keep our bodies healthy and our minds clear.
We see this principle at play in the life of the prophet Daniel. After being taken to Babylon, Daniel refused to eat the luxurious and unhealthy foods provided by the king. See Daniel chapter 1. He chose to eat vegetables and as a result the king found Daniel and his friends to be healthier and 10 times wiser than anyone else. This should not escape our attention. There is a link between proper eating and good mental performance and spiritual discernment. Daniel is highlighted in scripture as a man of extreme moral integrity.
The New Testament outlines the principle this way:
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
If we are seeking God's glory we shall seek to keep our bodies in good condition. Our bodies are the temple of God.
Now with God's purpose for proper diet in mind we are better prepared to look at various texts in the New Testament, many of which are misunderstood and wrongly applied.
Mark 7:18-19
So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"
Mark 7:18-19.
This statement has been used by many to support the idea that Jesus cancelled all distinctions between clean and unclean foods in scripture. As a result, they say that Christians can eat whatever they want. Is this what Jesus is really saying? To properly interpret scripture, we must learn the context of the statements. Let's look at Mark 7:3-5.
For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
Mark 7:3-5.
The context of Jesus’ statement is the tradition of the elders. The scribes and Pharisees want to know why the disciples do not wash their hands before eating according to the tradition of the elders. Jesus said the tradition of the elders was used to put aside the commands of God. He goes on to give an example. Let's read Mark 7:6-13.
He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." 9 ¶ He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 11 "But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), 12 "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."
Mark 7:6-13.
The fifth commandment requires that we honor our father and our mother. This would include taking care of them financially. Some Jews were pronouncing the word "Corban" over their material possessions and dedicating them to God. This sounded very pious. But there was a hidden hypocrisy in the action. The people dedicating these items to God would continue using them their whole lives and then surrender them to God when they died. Their motive was clear, they didn’t want to sell their goods and use the money to support their parents in the case of hardship and illness. The person could keep the use of the goods all their life with the excuse that it was dedicated to God. Jesus said that this was a tradition of men set up for the purpose of violating the commandments of God.
Now let's go back to Mark 7:1-2.
Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. Mark 7:1-2.
The scribes and Pharisees accused the disciples of eating with ‘defiled,’ that is, ‘unwashed hands.’ This was a technical term not found in the Old Testament but was developed in the years before Jesus’ birth. The Greek word used here for ‘defiled’ or ‘unclean’ is ‘koinos’ which is an adjective. The verb form of this word is used later. Let's return to
Mark 7:18-19.
So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"
Mark 7:18-19.
Here the verb form of ‘defile’ is from the Greek word ‘koinoo.’ In the Old Testament, when making a distinction between 'clean' and ‘unclean’ animals to be used as food, the Hebrew word is ‘tame.’ This is an adjective. When the Jews translated the Old Testament into Greek they did not use the word ‘koinos’ to translate the word ‘unclean’ as in the phrase 'unclean animals.' They used the word, ‘akatharton.’ In the texts in Mark chapter 7 neither Jesus nor the Jews use the word ‘akatharton’ when talking about ‘defiled’ hands. They weren't talking about the distinction between clean and unclean animals to be used as food. They were talking about something else.
During the intertestamental times (420 BC to 26 AD), the religious Jews determined to keep themselves from all uncleanness, including anything to do with the Gentiles. Jews were instructed by their religious leaders to refrain from buying oil, bread, milk, or meat from a Gentile (T.C. Smith, “Acts,” The Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1970) , p. 67. The tradition of the elders held that a Jew’s hands would become ‘defiled’ by the commonness (koinos) of their daily activities. The tradition of the elders held that ‘clean’ animals could become ‘common’ by contact with ‘unclean’ animals. This, of course, was in direct opposition to the Old Testament where unclean animals made nothing unclean by contact (unless it was the carcass of an animal that died by itself). The tradition of the elders held that if the disciples touched ‘common food,’ the resulting defilement would cause them to become ‘unclean’ and they would be spiritually unacceptable to God. Jesus denied that such a thing is possible. He said that spiritual defilement can only come from the evil within each of us. This spiritual evil results in outward acts of rebellion. This event in the book of Mark is not about eating clean and unclean animals. It is about certain Jewish traditions contradicting the revealed word of God. The scriptures do not say that foods become common by contact with non-Jews or unclean animals. It never said that. But the Jews made it a rule. They even went so far as to say that this contact with items touching non-Jews and unclean meats would defile a person spiritually.
Ironically, when Christians say that Jesus was declaring unclean meat including pork to be clean, those Christians basically accuse Jesus of setting aside the commandments of God for His own rule. But this is what Jesus was fighting against! Jesus was always upholding Scripture.
Leviticus 11 recognizes two types of ‘unclean animals. The first is that which is unfit for food. There is no method for making them ‘clean’ because their ‘uncleanness’ was not due to a distinction in religious ritual, but because they were unfit to be food. The second kind of ‘uncleanness’ is a temporary one resulting from inadvertent contact with the carcasses of dead animals. Those who touched them could wash their clothes and they would become ‘clean’ again after a period of time. No live animal, whether ‘clean’ or ‘unclean’ brings impurity to people by contact. When Jesus says, ‘all foods are clean,’ He means that contact with foods considered common (koinos) by the tradition of the elders does not make a person ‘unclean.’ (Contact with any food does not make a person unclean, except ceremonially if the animal was a dead carcass which had died of itself). So Jesus’ statement regarding ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ here is not in regard to the dietary laws of ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ animals. To further underscore this point, Jesus does not say that all ‘flesh meats’ are ‘clean,’ which is the issue in Leviticus 11. Rather, He says all ‘foods’ are clean. The word ‘food’ here is the Greek ‘bromata.’ This word is not used to distinguish clean and unclean meats or even flesh meats in scripture. It is used of all foods. In conclusion, Jesus always upheld scripture and didn’t introduce any new teaching in Mark chapter 7. He was simply combating the tradition of the elders, which was not scriptural.
Acts 10:10-16
Many use Peter’s vision experience to justify the idea that all distinctions between clean and unclean meats have been eliminated. Is this the case?
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Acts 10:10-16
The first thing we notice is that this is a vision. In the vision, Peter said that he had never eaten anything unclean. If he believed that Jesus had given them permission to eat all foods, why is he still distinguishing between clean and unclean animals? Peter sees two types of animals in the vision. One group is unclean, a word translated from the Greek word “akathartos.” The Hebrew to Greek Old Testament translators chose to use this word to describe unclean animals in Leviticus chapter 11. Peter sees animals that God had designated as unfit for food. The other group of animals Peters sees is common, translated from the Greek word “koinos.” This is a word rarely used in the Old Testament. During the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament, religious Jews tried to keep themselves from everything they believed to be unclean, including Gentiles. Jews were taught not to buy oil, milk, , bread or meat from a Gentile. According to the tradition of the elders, if a clean animal came in contact with an unclean animal, the clean animal would become “common (koinos)”. The clean animals in Peter’s vision became “common (koinos)” because of their contact with the unclean animals. This, of course, was in direct opposition to the Old Testament where unclean animals made nothing unclean by contact. The tradition of the elders taught that human contact with a “common (koinos)” animal made a person spiritually unacceptable before God. Jesus combated the tradition of the elders on this point in Mark chapter 7.
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." Acts 10:15.
The voice from heaven told Peter, “What God has cleansed, stop making “common (koinos)." The word here is not “akathartos.” God is not addressing the issue of the “unclean” versus “clean” animals of Leviticus chapter 11, but with the tradition of the elders regarding the “common (koinos)” condition of people and animals.
Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate. 18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. 19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you. 20 "Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them." 21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, "Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?" 22 And they said, "Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you." 23 ¶ Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Acts 10:17-28.
Peter declares here in verse 28 that the tradition of the elders was very clear. If Peter came in contact with or visited a Gentile, he would become “common (koinos)” and would be in need of ceremonial cleansing. Again, this tradition of the elders was in opposition to the teaching of scripture. God is correcting this idea in verse 15 by telling Peter that no man has ever been common if God has not called it common. In verse 28, Peter realizes that the meaning of the vision is that God or the scriptures have never called a man either “akathartos (unclean),” or “koinos (common).” The tradition of the elders is once again rebuffed, just like in Mark chapter 7. God is not addressing the issue of “clean” versus “unclean” meats. He is breaking down Jewish traditions that restrict the Gentiles from coming to God.
Romans 14:1-3, 13-15.
Many Christians point to Romans 14:1-3, 13-15 as evidence that God makes no distinction between clean and unclean foods and therefore it is permissible to eat pork. Let's examine these passages more carefully.
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Romans 14:1-3.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Romans 14:13-15.
Two Greek words are sometimes translated as “unclean” in the New Testament, "akathartos" and "koinos". Refer to the discussions above for their meaning. Here in verse 14, Paul is saying that nothing is “koinos” of itself, which is in agreement with Mark chapter 7 and Acts chapter 10. Refrain from eating “common” foods in the presence of a weak brother if it bothers him, but otherwise, it doesn’t matter. Paul does not use the word, “akathartos.” He is not talking here about the distinction between clean and unclean meats as outlined in Leviticus chapter 11.
The situation might be broader here because the “common” things he is speaking about may include food offered to idols as in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. See the discussion below. The expressions “weak brothers” and “food” are common to both passages. Why would a "weak" brother eat only vegetables? That brother may be conscientiously avoiding eating any meat sacrificed to an idol. Paul is not disparaging a vegetarian diet!
1 Corinthians 8:1-13.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 4 ¶ Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 7 ¶ However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:1-13.
Here Paul is talking about food sacrificed to idols. He is not talking about eating clean or unclean meats outlined in Leviticus chapter 11. Paul isn’t using the word “akathartos” here. Paul is not saying, “Forget the Old Testament, you can eat what you want.” When animals were sacrificed to gods in pagan temples, part of the animal was given to the officiating priest. When the priest sold the meat it might go to the market place. Was it proper for a believer to eat food that had been sacrificed to an idol? Was it proper to eat such meat when visiting a pagan acquaintance? Paul is saying that an idol is nothing and food sacrificed to an idol cannot defile a person if he eats it. Again, the admonition to be careful about offending the weaker brother is stated.
Colossians 2:16
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, Colossians 2:16.
This text is used by Christians to say that all distinctions between food and drink were eliminated when Jesus established the New Covenant. This subject is very large and will not be dealt with in detail here but we will outline some general principles.
Many Christians believe that there is an abrupt discontinuity between the covenant that God made with Israel and the New Covenant that God established with New Testament believers. They think that the two covenants are totally unrelated and that the Old Covenant was a covenant of salvation-by-works and that New Covenant is a covenant of salvation by grace. There is a confusion here that needs to be clarified.
First of all, God never made a covenant with anyone whereby a sinful human being could, by doing some ceremonies and regulations, guarantee eternal life in heaven. That is a treasonous statement against the kingdom of God and belittles the value of God's holiness and therefore His law. The wages of sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). No amount of supposedly good deeds can meet the penalty of the law and restore a sinful person to a moral state of purity to be able to enter heaven (Romans 3:20). That is impossible. A sacrificial animal cannot remove the penalty of sin (Hebrews 10:4). A finite human cannot do enough good deeds to earn eternal life. That also is impossible. So the idea that people were saved by law under the Old Covenant is an utter impossibility. That is a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of scripture. If man could save himself from eternal death by his own deeds then Jesus need not have died.
God has one way of saving mankind from eternal death called the everlasting covenant.
"Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Ezekiel 16:60.
In the everlasting covenant, Jesus Christ becomes the sin-offering for man. His sacrifice is of infinite value because He is infinite. When Jesus entered the human race He became the head and representative for the human race. God joins the Spirit of Christ with the sinner when the sinner believes. The sinner becomes joined to Jesus' perfect life and perfect sacrifice. The sinner is then free from the condemnation of the law. The Spirit of Christ in the believer gives the believer power over his or her own sinful nature and the believer can perform works of service acceptable to God because they are motivated by the Spirit of Christ in them. Therefore salvation is an experience where the Spirit of Christ lives in the believer.
God was trying to enter into the everlasting covenant with Israel at Sinai. God gave them a system of sacrifices that would model and predict the sacrifice of Christ. Unfortunately the Israelites by their disobedience and lack of faith behaved as if the system of sacrifices themselves was sufficient to provide the holiness that God was expecting from them. They turned the sacrificial system into a system of salvation-by-works. But from the beginning it was not valid. Only the blood of Christ could take away sins.
The Bible predicted that when the Messiah would come, there would be a new sanctuary and a new priesthood.
The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." Psalm 110:4.
This is the priesthood and sanctuary of the everlasting covenant. It is called the New Covenant simply because it was ratified after the covenant at Sinai. But it was not a new covenant of grace. Abraham was saved by grace (Genesis 15:6). So was David (Psalm 32:1). Salvation has always been and always will be by grace alone.
So when Jesus came the Old Testament sanctuary rites came to an end. That is what Colossians 2:16 is all about. But that does not mean that the New Covenant has no laws.
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," Hebrews 10:16.
Which laws will be written in the heart? Well the Ten Commandments of course. That is the moral law. The Ten Commandments were written on tables of stone and put in the ark of the covenant. Now those laws are written in our hearts. But there is also a sanctuary in heaven where those Ten Commandments are written. See Hebrews 8:1-2; Revelation 11:19. Are these the only laws that are still important for the Christian? Read the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5, 6, 7) and see that Jesus refers both to the Ten Commandments and other laws of relationship and civil duty. In short, it is true that the sanctuary system of offerings as described in Colossians 2:16 came to an end when Jesus died. But it is not true that the Ten Commandments and laws governing correct living, relationships and civil duty and responsibility were eliminated at the cross. The principles in these other laws are valid in our lives today.
The principles of God's instructions to Israel are to carry over into the faith of believers in Jesus because the laws communicate divine wisdom. See how Paul applies a Jewish law to followers of Jesus:
Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? 10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 1 Corinthians 9:8-11.
Paul applied a Jewish law about letting oxen that tread out grain eat of the grain to the New Testament concept that those who work in full time gospel ministry should be paid from the tithes! Look at the Jerusalem council in Acts chapter 15 where the Gentiles were counseled, "...to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. Acts 15:20. Why were these three things listed as particularly important for the Gentiles? If we look in Leviticus 17:10-13 we see a law concerning both the Jew and the stranger among them prohibiting the eating of blood, ostensibly not for health reasons but because it represented the life of the animal which makes atonement.
There were further laws in Leviticus 18 that related to sexual morality that were for both Jew and strangers living among the Jews. In addition we see in Leviticus 20 a prohibition against idolatry for both Jews and those strangers living among them.
Colossians 2:16 will be dealt with more extensively when we talk about the Sabbath. But for now, we should understand that the symbolic and predictive rites and ceremonies of the sanctuary ended with the cross but that the principles of right living communicated in civil and moral laws in Israel are universal principles that find application today.