Have you taken a look at the Christians sitting around you in restaurants after church on Sunday mornings? We have often wondered how they can claim the Name of Jesus Christ - and still eat the same kind of food and the same amount of food that the world eats. Daniel was living in a pagan society, not much different than the pagan world around us today. He viewed the food offered to him from the king's table as defiled "pagan delicacies". The pagans in his day over-ate and were practicing gluttony as our world does today.
Why do Christians today think it is all right to practice gluttony and treat God's Temple (our bodies) with contempt as though it's OK that they are making God's Temple into a "pagan temple" by eating the pagan food around them? In I Corinthians 3:16, and 17 it says: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God...If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy - which temple you are!"
First things first: The greatest Commandment says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." "Self Control" is a Fruit of the Spirit. (See Galatians 5:23) Obviously, the world around us is unable to practice this virture. So if you don't have this "fruit" in your life, then you need be examining yourself if you are a true Christian, and asking yourself why you are no different than the world around you. God expects you to "Say No" to the pagan food that surrounds you in today's society, and eat the foods that please Him and your body.
As a Christian, we are part of God's body, called the Church. The word "Church" in Greek means "Called Out Ones". As Christians, we are also "Sanctified", which means "Set Apart". 2 Corinthians 6:17; 7:1 says, "Therefore, come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you." Romans 12:2 says we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world around us, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That means as Christians, we are to be thinking differently than the pagans. Philippians 3:19 says "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose god is their belly, ... who set their mind on earthly things."
Jesus is asking you as He asked Peter in John 21:15: "Do you love Me more than these?" If you don't, you are breaking another one of God's commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me." "You shall not bow down to them or serve them." (Ex. 20: 3-5). I John 5:21 says, "My little children, keep yourselves from idols." Jesus said, "If you love Me, you WILL keep (obey) My commandments." (John 14:15) How about it? Will you now make a commitment to deny yourself for Your Lord and begin to live a life separated from the world, holy and pleasing to Him?
5 comments:
I understand that we must treat our bodies well but surely it is eating to excess that is harmful. Isn't any food ok for Christians in moderation?
God has stated in His Word that there are "Clean" and "Unclean" food that we can and cannot eat. Most Christians believe this is not meant for us today as they believe it was only for the Jews. However, if you remember the account of Noah and the Flood, he was told to take so many "clean" and "unclean" animals into the ark. Like the Sabbath Day, this command was given to all men, because the Jewish people were not in existence, yet - and this was before God's written law. For a list of clean and unclean animals see Leviticus 11, and yes - pork is listed as unclean. Also, in Leviticus 7:22-27 - we are commanded to not eat any meat with blood or fat in it. Because we are God's people and our bodies are His temple - we need to only eat what He has told us we can eat.
Oh I see. I didn't that still applied. After all Gods commamd to Noah to “go forth and multiply” was said in context (nothing wrong with being childfree) and thought the food thing was the same. Didn't Paul say we could eat anything in the marketplace as long as it doesn't offend someone else`s conscience? I wouldn't eat pork near a Jew or Muslim that's for sure!
Wendy, let me just tell you that I was raised with ham and bacon - and I loved them! However, I've made a choice to love God and His Word more than my food. God had Noah take on the ark only 2 of the "unclean" animals, but told him to take 7 of the "clean". Obviously, Noah wasn't to eat the unclean ones because then they would've become extinct. If you look at that list of "unclean" animals, would you really want to eat moles, mice, lizards, owls, vultures or buzzards, etc.? Swine are also unclean because they basically eat garbage if given the chance. They are also carriers of parasites. The context in which you mentioned Paul - that had to do with food being offered to idols. Some believed it was wrong to eat food offered to idols, whereas others didn't see anything wrong with it. Again, nowhere in the Bible does God give a command regarding any of that. But He does give a command to only eat "clean" food. Why? Because He loves us and only wants what is good for us.
Thanks for more insight about pigs, Wendy. Didn't know about them not sweating. Very interesting!
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