March 4: You think you're better than everyone else!

Today's Daily Bible scriptures are: Lev. 11, Deut. 14, Lev. 20:25-26, 17:15-16, Ex. 22:31, Lev. 17:10-14, 7:26-27, 19:26, Deut. 12:16, 23-25, Lev. 7:22-    25, Ex. 23:19, 34:26, Deut. 14:21

Leviticus 20:25-26

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁵ You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable with beast or with bird or with anything with which the ground teems or that creeps, which I have set apart from you as unclean.

²⁶ And you shall be holy to Me; for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

Tony Warren has the following to say about clean and unclean meats.

Romans 14:13-18

• "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
• I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
• But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
• Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
• For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
• For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men."

We are not under the Old Testament regulations concerning meats, but are under Grace that there is nothing unclean of itself. If I eat Ham or Pork, I am not unclean for seven days, nor am I cut off from my people, or from God. The Gospel is not law about unhealthy eating, it's laws about spiritual health. Christ addressed this topic of eating things that might be unhealthy for us when the Scribes and Pharisees protested the eating without washing one's hands. Christ showed that unclean hands were not the important things, it was an unclean heart that was important. The distinction between clean and unclean meats represented that separation between those with unclean hearts, and those made clean in the atonement sacrifice of Christ. It was a token of the division between believer and unbeliever, the defiled and the undefiled.

Matthew 15:1-2

• "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
• Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread."

Matthew 15:10-11

• "And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
• Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."

Mark 7:18-19

• "And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
• Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?"

First of all, Christ wouldn't say that anything that someone puts into their mouth "cannot" defile them, if what someone put into their mouth could defile them. Christ would not say something that wasn't true. Thus, it is true. That's the starting point. Now if we knew something was poisonous and going to harm us, and we deliberately ate it, that would be a different matter. Because then we'd be in violation of other rules and laws.

Second, Christ says the foods don't enter into a man's heart (again signifying laws concerning eating were ceremonial), they enter into a man's belly and goeth out into the draught (toilet). That is the way the body purges meats. And this word translated purging is [katharizo], meaning to make clean, or to purify.

Clearly Christ is teaching that it is not injurious products (germs from eating without washing, bad meat, ham, Lobster) that we might put into our mouths that will ultimately defile us, it is false doctrines coming out of our mouth that will make us unclean. The laws concerning unclean animals were never instituted unto good physical heath, but to good Spiritual health. They were to teach that there is a difference between the people of God who are clean before Him, and unbelievers who are unclean. That this separation is necessary for keeping God's people a Holy people. The words clean and unclean are to be understood as purity and defilement in a spiritual, rather than physical sense. Peter hav8ing been raised in the Judaic traditions himself did not understand this, but Christ further explained to him exactly what He was speaking about.

Matthew 15:15-20

• "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
• And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
• Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
• But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
• For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
• These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

Whatever they ate, entering in through the mouth, went into their stomach, and ultimately it is cast out into the toilet. This is not what was really at the heart of the law against eating unclean meats anymore than eating dirt on your hands. It was a man's spiritual condition that God was protecting. The uncleanness within a man defiles him, not that type of meat that he eats.

So by understanding this, we can see that it is lawful to eat meats like Pork and ShellFish. But it's not mandatory, and whosoever doesn't want to eat such meats, is free not to eat. Just as those who do eat are free to eat them. This is also addressed in Romans illustrating how we should not force our liberty to eat Pork on others who may not choose to eat it, thinking it's harmful.

Romans 14:1-6

• "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
• For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
• Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
• Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
• One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
• He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."

So, the conclusion of the matter is this. There are no meats that are unto themselves unclean to us today. The Old Testament ceremonial laws concerning meats were a figure that ended with the coming of Christ who broke down the wall of partition. Clearly, the separation principles in the law of Moses, as separating clean and unclean meats, the prohibitions against mixing diverse seeds in a field, the precept against the unequal yoking of animals together, or the law against mixing different types of thread in a cloth, were "all" for the purpose of illustrating that God has separated a people Holy unto Himself. The scriptures have never declared that those meat regulations were established for health reasons, anymore than the regulations against mixing threads were established for dress code reasons. They were established to "signify" separation. And note, you don't see those insisting on the law of meats also insisting that our clothing not have two different types of thread. But that's just as much an Old Testament ceremonial law as the one concerning diverse meats. They were "all" ritual and ceremonial and we cannot righteously preach that they were not, or that they should still be observed. It is in the continuity of God's New Covenant law that the separation continues today in Christ. Not in Old Testament ceremonial laws, but in the true separation of the Holy from the unholy.

Unfortunately, there are those professing Christians today who seem to be hell bent on compromising these principles, and mixing the unclean with the clean, seemingly oblivious to the consequences. Not unclean meats, but unclean people. Believers are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, but in our day this seems to be the norm. Believers marrying unbelievers, Churches compromising with other religions, all the things that the law concerning meats really signified concerning God's people are being abrogated. And this is the true travesty. Not that Christians eat unclean meats, but that Christians were to be a People set apart from the unbelievers. These laws of Christ should be revealed through His dwelling within us, that we will and do of His good pleasure. The separation principle we must keep in Christ, that we forever remain a people consecrated, sanctified, made holy, set apart from the world, in service to God.

    May the Lord who is gracious above all give us the wisdom to receive His truths concerning our separation, because greater is He that is in us (1st John 4:4), than he that is in the world.

Amen!

Peace,Copyright ©2004 Tony Warren
I, as a part of the Church, the bride of Christ, must be consecrated, sanctified, holy, set apart from the world, in service to my King. No, I don't think I'm better, I'm just different. I'm supposed to look different and act different.  I have dear Christian friends who act different but don't look different at all. If you saw them on the street, you wouldn't know if they were a Christian or an athiest. You would have to actually have a conversation with them to find out about their deep, strong belief in God and love for God.  My husband and I chatted with a pastor friend recently (Pastor Newble from Milwaukee), and he explained some amazing facts to us. He said, in his culture, Christian ladies didn't start cutting their hair until the eightys. Thats 33 short years ago. About the time I got married. (I know, to some of you thats lifetimes ago =D) He said when ladies with long skirts and obviously uncut (fixed up, down, or in a ponytail, for example) hair walk down the street, they are highly respected. Because, in this culture, everyone remembers their God fearing mothers and grandmothers having strong holiness beliefs. He said when a holiness lady goes out into the community, she has a much greater impact than a Christian man. Simply because of the way she dresses! Wow! I have been door knocking in some neighborhoods and I have often noticed how nice and respectful everyone was. Now I know why.  I am grateful for the opportunity to shine the light of Jesus everywhere I go. I am grateful to be different and set apart for service to my King!
"Dear Jesus, thank You for allowing me to represent You. And forgive me for not always representing You properly. But thank You for continuing to work in me, so that I may be sanctified and holy for You. I want hurting, broken people to see You in me. I want to lead them straight to You! I want to shine Your light! I am nothing, but You still see something in me You can use! I'm just the vessel. I give You the glory and the honor, for You alone are worthy. In Your precious name I pray this, AMEN."