5 Reasons Believers Should Keep the Bible's Dietary Commandments

Are the Biblical instructions about food and eating for today?

Five reasons believers should keep the Bible's dietary commandments:

1. Scripture tells us to. The Bible devotes a fair amount of time to the food instructions, and I don't think that's for nothing. The Living God's word is not wasted. Like any loving parent he expects his children to listen to him when he is talking and to do what he says. The fact that Scripture mentions this and mentions it repeatedly tells us that we need to take note of it.

2. The Messiah expressly told us he did not come to change the commandments. While many believers would make a case that the Messiah did away with the dietary commandments or "made all foods clean," Yahusha went out of his way to say that he was not changing or doing away with Scripture's instructions (Matthew 5:17). That is a significant statement and something we need to seriously contemplate before we set aside any of the commandments, including those about what we eat.

3. New Testament believers kept them. Even in the New Testament, and even after the Messiah ascended into heaven we see that believers stuck to the Bible's parameters for clean eating. The Messiah served only clean foods such as bread, fish, and wine; Peter mentioned that he had never eaten anything unclean; the disciples were reprimanded by the Pharisees not for what they were eating, but for eating without washing their hands; Paul said that our eating should be done in a way that glorifies the Creator. There is simply no Biblical precedent for disregarding the dietary instructions of Scripture.

4. It is a tangible step of faith for others to see. Personally my faith changed a lot when I finally got tired of telling people that I was a believer and then explaining away why my life didn't reflect the teachings of the Bible. Maybe it doesn't seem like what we eat should be a big deal, but let me tell you for those outside of the faith it is confusing why most believers follow so little of Scripture. Live out of Scripture so that people can see you're not just cherry-picking the Bible to suit your own purposes. Showing that you are convicted enough to inconvenience yourself is powerful, and a testimony about the work of YHWH in your life.

5. We are blessed by doing so. Who couldn't use a little more of the Living God's blessings on their life? Scripture says that choosing to be obedient to the word brings good things to us and is a source of life. I know many people who would share with you that Biblically clean eating has caused their faith and their relationship with YHWH to grow. Many would also tell you that it has improved their health. What a gift from our Creator that he bestows so many good things on us when we follow his instructions.

More about the Bible's instructions for what we eat:
What is Biblically Clean Eating?
How to Eat Biblically Clean
Understanding Peter's Vision
Understanding Mark 7:19 and the Messiah Declaring All Foods Clean

The Three Types of Laws in Scripture

When I was first learning about keeping Scripture's instructions today, I cannot tell you how confusing it was to read through much of the New Testament. Is the law good? Is the law bad? Was it done away with? Are we free from it? Is it only for certain people?

There are literally statements like, "Trying to keep the law is severing yourself from the Messiah," but also completely contradictory statements like, "Doers of the law will be considered righteous." Both of these things can't be true, but the Bible is inerrant...so which is it? And what does it mean for verses that say the opposite?

There are three kinds of laws that the New Testament talks about, and sadly most translations of Scripture completely fail to distinguish these at all. Each of these is distinct from the others. If we don't pause and pay attention to which type is being talked about, we are going to end up very confused and completely misunderstand significant portions of the Bible.

The three laws of Scripture:

-The commandments. These are laws that have been expressly given to us in Scripture. These include instructions on how to serve YHWH, the ten commandments, loving our neighbor, dietary restrictions, celebrating the Biblical holidays, not practicing idol worship, honoring our parents, keeping the Sabbath, and so forth. These are often referred to simply as, "the Torah." Some would call these instructions the Book of the Covenant. Across the board, the commandments are upheld and spoken highly of in the New Testament. These are often referred to as the instructions, the law, commands, or Biblical law.

-The instructions for the Levitical priesthood. These detail how the Tabernacle should be operated, and gives laws for sacrifices and offerings. Many would call these regulations the Book of the Law. These laws are no longer in effect. It's been nearly 2,000 years since anyone observed these laws after the Temple was destroyed. But much more significantly, believers no longer need to meet these requirements because the Messiah is now our high priest; his priestly order is Melchizedek, and not Levi. Hebrews 7:12 says that since the priesthood was transferred from Levi to Melchizedek this necessitates a change in the law as well. The change is not that the commandments are no longer in effect, the change is that we do not observe the rules for the Levitical priesthood. You can see more on this here.

-Jewish laws. These are manmade rules from the faith of Judaism. They are not commandments that come from YHWH, or anywhere in the Bible. These laws are traditions of men and not something that Scripture teaches. The Messiah spoke against Jewish laws such as the prohibition of healing on the Sabbath, and ritual handwashing before meals. Examples of Jewish laws today are things like lighting candles at the start of the Sabbath or not turning on lightbulbs on the Sabbath. These are not commands from the Bible and believers are not given 'bonus points' for keeping them. Some people call these the "oral law" or Talmudic law.

Again, it is to great misunderstanding that most translations of the Bible do not make distinctions between these. Unfortunately they are typically all just called, "law." Now it's confusing enough to make differentiation between the commandments of YHWH and the laws for the Levitical priesthood...but at least those both came from the Creator! But when we confuse the laws of YHWH with the teachings of men, we have a huge problem. When we mix these up, we not only misunderstand the verse, but can walk away thinking that it says the exact opposite of what it really means!

1 Corinthians 9:20-21 NIV is a prime example of this confusion:

"To those under the law, I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law, but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law."

Is he under the law or isn't he? What on earth is he talking about if "law" is supposed to mean the same thing? He literally says he's not under the law, then says he is under the law!

If we make the distinction between the different types of laws, this passage makes a lot more sense.

"To those under the Jewish law, I became like one under the Jewish law (though I myself am not under Jewish law), so as to win those under Jewish law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from YHWH's law, but am under it), so as to win those not having the law of YHWH."

Paul does not consider himself under Jewish law. But he does consider himself to be under the commandments of YHWH. Paul made a distinction between the types of law Scripture talks about. If we learn to recognize that Paul refers to the different types of laws his writings start to make a lot more sense.

Other examples of the importance of distinguishing which law is being talked about:

If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. - Galatians 5:18

Type of law this is referencing: Levitical.

I used to think this meant that you didn't have the Holy Spirit if you were keeping the Sabbath day, etc. But does it make any kind of sense that the Holy Spirit would lead us away from the written word of YHWH? In the context of Galatians, Levitical law is a major theme. If you have the Holy Spirit would you be lead towards animal sacrifice in place of the blood of the Messiah? Absolutely not! If we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the Levitical priesthood. More on why we don't need to sacrifice animals here.

You are aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile. But YHWH has shown me that I should not call anyone unclean. - Acts 10:28

Type of law this is referencing: Jewish.

Scripture does not teach this, so this does not come from the Biblical commandments or the instructions for the Levitical priesthood. The law Peter references is Jewish law. So YHWH is not changing the Biblical law, but rather teaching believers to set aside this Jewish law. More on Peter's vision here.

This is the new covenant I will make: I will put my laws on their minds and write them on their hearts. -Hebrews 8:10

Type of law this is referencing: Biblical commandments.

It wouldn't make a lot of sense for YHWH to write the laws for the Levitical priests on our hearts, now that the Melchizedek priesthood is in effect. And the use of 'my' is a giveaway that he is not talking about the manmade Jewish law. His commandments teach us how to have relationship with him and to live in ways that glorify him. Naturally these would be what he would want us to think about and treasure in our hearts.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire... -Hebrews 10:5

Type of law this is referencing: Levitical.

While the word 'law' isn't actually used in this passage, I had always incorrectly associated verses like this with the Biblical commandments for how are to live. I would read that he didn't want sacrifice and wrongly assume that he didn't want the rules surrounding the Sabbath day, interacting with our neighbors, the dietary regulations, etc. either. But those instructions help us to have closer relationship with the Creator. What he didn't want was for us to be disobedient to those things and the animal sacrifice system of the Levitical priesthood to be needed. Not to say that it was bad, but it is the lesser of what YHWH offers us.

Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the law and are living like a Gentile, why are you trying to make these Gentiles follow Jewish law? -Galatians 2:14

Type of law this is referencing: Jewish.

Paul is not accusing Peter of having discarded the commandments of YHWH; this is a discussion of Peter reverting to observing Jewish law because he was fearful of certain people. We saw in Acts 10 that Peter was expressly told to eat with Gentile believers even though it was against Jewish law. Paul is reminding him to hold the commandments of Scripture above Jewish tradition.

There is a setting aside of the previous law because it was weak and unprofitable. -Hebrews 7:18

Type of law this is referencing: Levitical.

The author of Hebrews is not insulting the Biblical commandments here. They are not saying that the Living God's instructions are not profitable. They are saying that the system of Levitical law was not YHWH's perfect plan, and it is now being set aside in favor of his best plan (salvation through the Messiah under the Melchizedek priesthood). Since it is referring to the Levitical law, this passage does not say that the Biblical commandments are set aside.

You who are trying to keep the law are severed from Messiah. -Galatians 5:4

Type of law this is referencing: Levitical.

Why would trying to keep the commandments sever us from the Messiah? He kept all these himself and told us he wasn't doing away with the commandments. Scripture tells us we should live as he did! Implementing the Bible's instructions into our lives so that we can live in a way that honors YHWH, never cuts us off from the Messiah. But if in disobedience to Scripture we insist on holding onto the animal sacrificial system because we don't think the Messiah's death covers our sins, that will keep us very far from him indeed.

Those who obey the law will be declared righteous. - Romans 2:13

Type of law this is referencing: Biblical commandments.

If we don't make a distinction between the type of law Scripture is talking about, we will inevitably misunderstand the word of God. This verse tells us that obedience to the law is a righteous thing, but the above verse from Galatians said it cuts us off from the Messiah. Both of these meanings cannot be correct if it's the same law. We know from Scripture that righteousness does not come from adhering to Jewish law and it doesn't come from the animal sacrifice of the Levitical priesthood. But obeying YHWH's commandments? That is a path to righteousness.

Can you see from this handful of examples how we can have drastic misunderstandings of YHWH's word if we don't discern which type of law is being spoken of? Many times in the New Testament one verse says something about the 'law' and a few chapters later it says literally the exact opposite. Scripture is cohesive and makes sense with the rest of itself. If it seems like it contradicts itself it is talking about two different things. We must learn to make these distinctions if we are going to fully understand Scripture, and know how we are expected to live today.

Related posts:
Commandments or Traditions - Understanding the New Testament
Four Distinctions We Need to Make to Understand Scripture
Understanding Galatians
Did the Messiah Break the Law?

Psalm 119 Printable - Turn Our Eyes from Falsehood

"Turn our eyes from falsehood and give us life in your way." -Psalm 119:37

True abundant life comes from living in the Creator's ways, and not seeking after the things of this world that ultimately have no value. I love this printable as a reminder of that important truth!

Click here to download. This printable is free for your personal use.

Psalm 119 is packed with so much truth! Here are a few other printables from this amazing chapter:
Open My Eyes to See the Wonders of Your Torah
Don't Let Me Stray From Your Commands
Make Me Walk in the Way

Understanding Mark 7:19 and the Messiah Declaring All Foods Clean

But the Messiah made all foods clean! 

When I first started learning about Biblically clean eating, Mark 7:19  (and it's counterpart versions in Matthew 15) is a verse that I kept going back to. Sure, many verses in Scripture articulate what we can eat and otherwise talk about eating according to the instructions we are given, but it says right here that the Messiah declared that all foods are clean!

"Don't you understand that the food you put into your body does not defile you? It passes through and doesn't go to your heart." (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
-Mark 7:18-19

These words used to make me think that God wasn't concerned about my dietary choices, because he was only concerned about my heart. And when I first started to feel like I might be called to keep Scripture's dietary commandments, this verse and it's seeming declaration of no rules confused me.

Scripture always lines up with Scripture. If it seems to contradict itself, that is caused by our misunderstanding. By stepping back and looking at the entirety of this chapter we will have a better picture of what this is about.

"Seeing some of his disciples eat bread with unwashed hands they found fault." -Mark 7:2

The setting here is that Pharisees and scribes came to the Messiah, and saw that his followers were eating without a ritual hand washing that was a tradition of the elders (verse 3). That is what they found fault with. Not in what the disciples were eating, since bread is considered Biblically clean, but that they were skipping a manmade tradition!

Mark 7 isn't talking about what is being eaten. If it was, the question would have been, "Why are your followers eating unclean animals?" or, "How come your followers are eating pigs?" But that was not what was going on! Followers of Messiah were skipping the manmade tradition of handwashing before eating and that's what offended these scribes that came to see Yahusha.

The Messiah says that the accusers were, "Forsaking the commands of YHWH, to hold fast to the traditions of men." (Verse 8) He was saying that the accusers were putting their own traditions ahead of the actual commandments of Scripture, which is an instance of the heart issue he brings up. If we give more honor and importance to human rituals than we do to the word of God, then our hearts have a serious problem. Today we often see this when people hold to their family or church's tradition of ignoring the dietary instructions and eating unclean animals. That is putting man's traditions above YHWH's commandment, and something the Messiah warns against in this chapter.

So why does the Messiah say that all foods are clean? Well, he really doesn't. The, "Thus he declared..." statement is in parentheses because it was added to later Bible manuscripts and not a quote from the Messiah. While it's wrong to add to Scripture, this foot-note would make more sense if we understood the context of it.

We hear, "All foods are clean," and assume this means we can eat whatever we want...even what the Bible says not to eat. But to understand this notation correctly we need to be aware that Scripture expressly tells us that unclean animals are not food (Leviticus 11:41, unclean animals are not to be eaten). Scripture never calls any unclean animal "food," it only calls Biblically clean things food. This is similar to our expectations of food today...there are just certain things that we don't eat. If I told you to help yourself to the food on the counter, you wouldn't eat the pile of mail or the houseplant or the pet goldfish there, because those things are not food. My saying, "Eat what you'd like," is not me suggesting or permitting you to eat what I don't consider food.

So why does he say that all foods are clean? He's not being redundant, he's explaining that everything the Bible says we can eat is considered clean...regardless of if you have washed your hands or done any other rituals that someone made up. He's saying that we are not defiled when we set aside manmade traditions, and we don't need to follow the Talmud or church tradition to considered holy in his eyes. The Messiah is declaring that if the item in question fits within the Bible's parameters for food then it is already considered clean without going through any manmade rituals. He is saying that if Scripture says you can eat it, you won't be defiled by skipping any un-Biblical extra steps.

The food you put into your body does not defile you. If we choose to consume something that Scripture calls an abomination, then we are defiled (Leviticus 11:43). The Messiah never said anything negative about Scripture's dietary commandments and he never did away with or changed any of them. This passage upholds the Biblical commandments while giving permission to not adhere to Jewish law (which are not the same as the laws and commandments in Scripture). By declaring all foods clean he encouraged us to stick with Scripture's instructions in place of manmade traditions.

More about Biblically clean eating:
10 Times the Bible Talks About Clean Eating
Understanding Peter's Vision
How To Eat Biblically Clean