Is It Wrong For Christians To Eat Pork?

In the Law the, one of the instructions from God to the Israelites regarding particular food was to not eat pork, among other animals.

 

 

"Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you." -Leviticus 11:4-8

 

 

 

 

"Also the swine is unclean for you, because it has cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud; you shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses." -Deuteronomy 14:8

 

In the New Testament, the Bible says that the Law was fulfilled after Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and rose from the dead.

 

 

 

 

 

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." -Matthew 5:17

 

 

 

 

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." -Romans 10:4

 

Jesus Christ removed all dietary restrictions from His followers during His ministry.

 

 

 

 

 

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”

When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 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, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” - Mark 7:14-19

 

The Apostle Paul reiterates Jesus' words in 1 Corinthians 10:25-27 when he says, "Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience sake; for 'the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.' If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience sake."

The Apostle Paul also warns Timothy of people who would attempt to put restrictions on Christianity that Jesus did not authorize. In 1 Timothy 4:1-5 the Bible says, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

In the book of Acts, God appeared to the Apostle Peter, who was Jewish by ethnicity and formally Jewish by religion before he converted to Christianity, in a vision and told him to no longer view food as unclean and clean but to view all food as clean so that he would eat with everyone and not just Jewish believers. This was one of the barriers between the Jews and the Gentiles that now under Jesus would be removed making all believers one instead of two separate groups previous from the Law, Jews & Gentiles.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 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. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. -Acts 10:9-16

 

Since God through His Son, Jesus Christ, declared all food to be clean because the lessons of holiness taught by the laws of uncleanliness in the Law of Moses have been fulfilled in Christ, then as Christians we cannot insist that such laws should still be binding under the New Covenant. As the angel said to Peter, "What God has cleansed, we must not call profane (unclean)."

Some may argue that because these restrictions are mentioned in the book of Leviticus, which is under the Law, we should still do them today. However, remember that the Law and it's rules, regulations, and instructions were fulfilled in Christ Jesus. They are simply a shadow pointing forward to Jesus. He is the substance in which the shadow was pointing to in order to draw humanity closer to who God is. And since Jesus has came, died, and rose from the grave we are no longer bound to these teaching aids.

 

 

 

 

 

What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. -Galatians 3:19-25

 

We use the Law as a reference but it doesn't superseded Jesus' teachings and the apostle's doctrine because the Bible says in Matthew 28:18, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'"

It's also important to note that Leviticus mentions the law of the burnt offering in 75 verses, mentions the Tabernacle in 44 verses, and also mentions the offerings of bulls, sheep, and goats in numerous verses. If we attempt to bind the law of unclean food, which included pork, to Christianity we would also have to bind the law of burnt offerings and all other aspects of the Law to Christianity because the Law didn't allow the option of picking and choosing which aspects of it people had to follow. Once you decided to be obedient to one part of the Law of Moses, you were required to then keep the entire Law. The Bible says in Galatians 3:10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.'" James 2:10 says, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

After Jesus' death, burial, and ressurection we are no longer under the Law but are under God's grace and mercy and therefore once we are saved according to God's Word we are free from the bondage of the Law.

 

 

 

 

 

"But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." -Romans 7:6