People who really believe the Bible will sometimes ask us if the Bible doesn’t say that pork is dirty and, therefore, if Christians should eat it. “Now that’s a good question,” as my brother-minister R. C. Sproul says. So let’s go to the Bible and ask, “is eating pork unclean?”.
One of the early names we considered for our ranch was “Thousand Hills Ranch. The idea comes from Psalm 50:10, which says, “All the animals in the forest are Mine, as well as the cattle on a thousand hills.” What a beautiful truth that is! The cattle on a thousand hills belong to God, not anyone else. He created them and they are His. A thousand hills’ worth of cattle belong to the Lord God. So do all the hills’ cattle in the whole world. He also owns all the horses, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, and all the cattle. They are His, too!.
Of course, all animals and plants belong to God. The only reason we humans are allowed to eat them is because God gave us that right. If we read the Bible carefully, we can see that God did give people the right to eat, which is God’s property. At that point, when God made man, He told him, “Look, I have given you every plant on the earth that makes seeds and every tree whose fruit makes seeds. This will be your food” (Genesis 1:29). But, you may ask, I see that God did not give mankind permission to eat meat only plants. Maybe we’re supposed to be vegetarians!.
But let’s not be too hasty. It was only after Noah’s flood that God gave men the privilege of eating flesh. To Noah and his descendants God said, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (Genesis 9:3).
So, starting with Noah, both good and bad people were allowed by God to eat flesh, such as meat, fish, and other foods. And not just some kinds of flesh. God said, “every moving thing that lives… all things,” no animals excluded. So, everyone, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Twelve Patriarchs, and others, liked eating cows, sheep, goats, and even pork! Abraham eating pork?
A few hundred years later, during Moses’ life, God told the Jews they could no longer eat certain kinds of animals. You can read about these and many other Jewish ceremonial rules about what foods are clean and what foods are not clean in Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11. In Leviticus 11:7, God’s people are told for the first time that they can’t eat pork: “…and the pig, though it splits the hoof, having cloven hooves, but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” ” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc. was deemed unclean, along with rabbit and any seafood that doesn’t have fins or scales, like shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, and so on. Jews were to consider all these foods unclean and to totally abstain from them.
All of these ceremonial laws were given to govern the lives of all Jews. For how long? Until God would say otherwise.
God did indeed say otherwise. When Jesus, the Son of God, walked the earth, He said that God had thrown out the Old Testament rules about what foods were clean and what foods were not. In Mark 7:18–19, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do you not understand that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot defile him? For it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is thrown out?” This is how He said that all foods are clean. )” (NAS).
This idea that “all foods” are clean because of Jesus’ work to save people is made even clearer to Peter in the Acts of the Apostles. You may remember that strange event where Peter is praying on top of a house and goes into a trance. He then sees a big sheet full of “all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things (!) and birds of the air” (Acts 10:12). “All kinds” of animals were included—clean as well as unclean. Then God startled Peter, who had always been scrupulously kosher. God commanded Peter to “kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). As I translated Peter’s answer, the Apostle who could get irritable says, “No way, Lord! I’m kosher!” (See verse 14). Peter is reminding God that, since the time of Moses and the ceremonial laws given at Mt. Sinai, it has been a sin for Jews to eat anything which God had declared to be unclean. As if God needed reminding. “What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). This is a pretty harsh way for God to correct Peter.
That’s the answer to our first question: Is Eating Pork Unclean? It’s still the same answer that was given to Peter all those years ago. What God has declared clean let no man call unclean. And so pork is clean.
On occasion, it has been said that God sent this vision to show that He was calling both Jews and non-Jews to become Christians and cleansing them with the blood of Christ. Of course that is true, but the reason for that is that God has said that Gentile foods, including pork, are clean. And, in addition, God DID say, “kill and eat. ” He was not talking directly about Gentile, but about pigs!.
The Old Testament’s ritual laws have ended with Christ. There are no longer any sacrifices, priests, or rules about keeping things clean. Those “walls” (see Ephesians 2:14–16) that kept Jews and Gentiles apart have been taken down by Christ and His one-time sacrifice. Why would you keep the ceremonial shadows of Christ when the Real One has come? This is something that the author of Hebrews says over and over again.
So, through Christ, Peter and all Christians are free from the rules that the Jews had to follow for ceremonies until Messiah comes. It was okay for Noah, Abraham, and all of God’s people before the Law of Sinai to eat “every moving thing” (Genesis 9:3). Now, through Christ, God’s people have that same freedom again. Christians may eat pork because God has declared it once more to be clean.
Some foods, like pork, were made by God so that people who believe and know the truth would eat them with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3).
When we Christians finally sit down at table with Abraham, pork may well be on the menu!
Pork is the culinary name for meat from domestic pigs (Sus domesticus). It’s the most commonly consumed red meat worldwide, but views on its consumption differ across religions and cultures. Pork is prohibited in Islam, Judaism and some Christian denominations. This article will explore why pork is forbidden in certain faiths and which Christian groups avoid it.
The Torah’s Prohibition of Pork
In Judaism consuming pork is forbidden based on commandments in the Torah. Leviticus 11 2-8 states that the pig is unclean because, although it has a split hoof, it does not chew its cud
“Speak to the people of Israel, saying These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals you may eat. Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.”
Pork is also prohibited in Deuteronomy 14 8 “And the pig because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.”
These verses establish the basis for avoiding pork in Judaism, which views pigs as ritually impure. This dietary restriction is known as Kashrut and also entails rules around the proper slaughter and preparation of kosher foods.
Why Muslims Don’t Eat Pork
Islam adopted many practices from Judaism, including the avoidance of pork. The Quran explicitly prohibits consumption of pork in the following verses:
“He has only forbidden you carrion, blood and pork and what has been consecrated to other than Allah. But anyone who is forced to eat it – without desiring it or going to excess in it – commits no crime. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (2:173)
“Say: I do not find, in what has been revealed to me, any food it is haram (forbidden) to eat except: carrion, flowing blood, pork – for that is unclean – or a sinful offering over which any name other than Allah’s has been invoked.” (6:145)
Like in Judaism, the reason given for prohibiting pork relates to the pig’s perceived impurity. Muslims view pigs as filthy beasts because they eat feces. Eating pork is thus considered haram (forbidden).
Christian Denominations That Avoid Pork
Although Christianity is also an Abrahamic religion, most of its adherents do not follow these aspects of Mosaic law and do consume pork meat.
However, some Christian denominations do still avoid pork:
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Seventh-day Adventists: Adventists advocate following Old Testament kosher rules, so they avoid eating pork, shellfish and other biblically “unclean” foods.
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Hebrew Christians/Messianic Jews: These Christians of Jewish descent may avoid pork and follow other Kashrut dietary laws.
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Ethiopian Orthodox: Ethiopian Christians traditionally avoided pork as it was taboo in Ethiopian culture and Judaism before Christianity arrived.
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United Church of God: This small denomination follows Old Testament dietary instructions, prohibiting pork consumption.
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Church of God (Seventh Day): Members of this Adventist offshoot also avoid eating pork and other unclean meats.
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Iglesia ni Cristo: This Philippine-based sect prohibits pork as it is considered unclean.
Why Most Christians Eat Pork
The majority of Christian denominations do not prohibit pork consumption based on the following theological reasons:
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Mark 7:18-19 – Jesus declared all foods clean, overturning the dietary restrictions: ““Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)”
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Acts 10 – God gave Peter a vision telling him not to call unclean what God has made clean, after which Peter baptized the gentile Cornelius, signaling that the Old Testament food laws no longer applied.
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1 Timothy 4:1-5 – The New Testament warns against those who command abstinence from certain foods, stating that all foods are acceptable if received with thanksgiving: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”
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Romans 14:14 – Nothing is unclean in itself, meaning dietary restrictions are no longer necessary: “I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.”
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Colossians 2:16 – Christians are not to be judged for not adhering to food laws: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”
Based on these New Testament teachings, most Christian groups conclude that Christians are free to eat pork and all other foods. The prohibition was an Old Covenant requirement that was fulfilled by Christ.
Grass-fed beef, pastured pork, pastured chicken, pastured eggs, pastured turkey.
People who really believe the Bible will sometimes ask us if the Bible doesn’t say that pork is dirty and, therefore, if Christians should eat it. “Now that’s a good question,” as my brother-minister R. C. Sproul says. So let’s go to the Bible and ask, “is eating pork unclean?”.
One of the early names we considered for our ranch was “Thousand Hills Ranch. The idea comes from Psalm 50:10, which says, “All the animals in the forest are Mine, as well as the cattle on a thousand hills.” What a beautiful truth that is! The cattle on a thousand hills belong to God, not anyone else. He created them and they are His. A thousand hills’ worth of cattle belong to the Lord God. So do all the hills’ cattle in the whole world. He also owns all the horses, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, and all the cattle. They are His, too!.
Of course, all animals and plants belong to God. The only reason we humans are allowed to eat them is because God gave us that right. If we read the Bible carefully, we can see that God did give people the right to eat, which is God’s property. At that point, when God made man, He told him, “Look, I have given you every plant on the earth that makes seeds and every tree whose fruit makes seeds. This will be your food” (Genesis 1:29). But, you may ask, I see that God did not give mankind permission to eat meat only plants. Maybe we’re supposed to be vegetarians!.
But let’s not be too hasty. It was only after Noah’s flood that God gave men the privilege of eating flesh. To Noah and his descendants God said, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (Genesis 9:3).
So, starting with Noah, both good and bad people were allowed by God to eat flesh, such as meat, fish, and other foods. And not just some kinds of flesh. God said, “every moving thing that lives… all things,” no animals excluded. So, everyone, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Twelve Patriarchs, and others, liked eating cows, sheep, goats, and even pork! Abraham eating pork?
A few hundred years later, during Moses’ life, God told the Jews they could no longer eat certain kinds of animals. You can read about these and many other Jewish ceremonial rules about what foods are clean and what foods are not clean in Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11. In Leviticus 11:7, God’s people are told for the first time that they can’t eat pork: “…and the pig, though it splits the hoof, having cloven hooves, but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” ” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc. was deemed unclean, along with rabbit and any seafood that doesn’t have fins or scales, like shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, and so on. Jews were to consider all these foods unclean and to totally abstain from them.
All of these ceremonial laws were given to govern the lives of all Jews. For how long? Until God would say otherwise.
God did indeed say otherwise. When Jesus, the Son of God, walked the earth, He said that God had thrown out the Old Testament rules about what foods were clean and what foods were not. In Mark 7:18–19, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do you not understand that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot defile him? For it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is thrown out?” This is how He said that all foods are clean. )” (NAS).
This idea that “all foods” are clean because of Jesus’ work to save people is made even clearer to Peter in the Acts of the Apostles. You may remember that strange event where Peter is praying on top of a house and goes into a trance. He then sees a big sheet full of “all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things (!) and birds of the air” (Acts 10:12). “All kinds” of animals were included—clean as well as unclean. Then God startled Peter, who had always been scrupulously kosher. God commanded Peter to “kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). As I translated Peter’s answer, the Apostle who could get irritable says, “No way, Lord! I’m kosher!” (See verse 14). Peter is reminding God that, since the time of Moses and the ceremonial laws given at Mt. Sinai, it has been a sin for Jews to eat anything which God had declared to be unclean. As if God needed reminding. “What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). This is a pretty harsh way for God to correct Peter.
That’s the answer to our first question: Is Eating Pork Unclean? It’s still the same answer that was given to Peter all those years ago. What God has declared clean let no man call unclean. And so pork is clean.
On occasion, it has been said that God sent this vision to show that He was calling both Jews and non-Jews to become Christians and cleansing them with the blood of Christ. Of course that is true, but the reason for that is that God has said that Gentile foods, including pork, are clean. And, in addition, God DID say, “kill and eat. ” He was not talking directly about Gentile, but about pigs!.
The Old Testament’s ritual laws have ended with Christ. There are no longer any sacrifices, priests, or rules about keeping things clean. Those “walls” (see Ephesians 2:14–16) that kept Jews and Gentiles apart have been taken down by Christ and His one-time sacrifice. Why would you keep the ceremonial shadows of Christ when the Real One has come? This is something that the author of Hebrews says over and over again.
So, through Christ, Peter and all Christians are free from the rules that the Jews had to follow for ceremonies until Messiah comes. It was okay for Noah, Abraham, and all of God’s people before the Law of Sinai to eat “every moving thing” (Genesis 9:3). Now, through Christ, God’s people have that same freedom again. Christians may eat pork because God has declared it once more to be clean.
“What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15).
Some foods, like pork, were made by God so that people who believe and know the truth would eat them with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3).
When we Christians finally sit down at table with Abraham, pork may well be on the menu!
What does the Bible say about eating pork? #jesus #bible #holyspirit #christianity #god
FAQ
Which Bible says not to eat pork?
Do Seventh-day Adventists eat pork?
Do Jehovah’s Witnesses eat pork?
What religion can’t eat lobster?
Do Christians eat pork?
Religious Beliefs: Some Christian religions avoid pork consumption due to their religious beliefs. For example, Seventh-Day Adventists believe that pork is unclean according to the Bible’s teachings and should not be consumed. They follow the Old Testament dietary laws that forbid the consumption of pork, shellfish, and other forbidden animals.
Which Christian denominations do not eat pork?
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Church are two examples of Christian denominations that prohibit the consumption of pork. Similar to Judaism and Islam, the avoidance of pork in these Christian denominations is based on religious beliefs and cultural traditions.
Why do Ethiopian Orthodox Christians not eat pork?
For example, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians do not eat pork due to their cultural and historical ties with Judaism. They follow the Old Testament dietary laws, which forbid the consumption of pork, as part of their religious and cultural traditions.
Do religions eat pork?
Pork, being one of the most commonly consumed types of meat worldwide, is regarded as a delicacy in many culinary traditions. However, there are several religions that follow dietary restrictions and abstain from consuming pork for various reasons. Here, we will explore some of the major religions that avoid pork in their dietary practices. 1.