God provided the Israelites with a series of Old Testament dietary restrictions forbade consuming certain foods, including pork.
However, some Christians question whether these laws still hold in light of the birth of Jesus and the creation of the New Covenant.
Examining what the New Testament says about eating pork in this setting is essential. To throw light on this subject and offer a more transparent comprehension of it.
Bible verses about eating pork in the New Testament, this article will study several significant scriptures from the New Testament.
What Does The Bible Say About Pork In The New Testament?
In the New Testament, several references to food, including pork. In the Book of Acts, a few verses mention pork but do not condemn or prohibit it as unclean. The apostle Peter has a vision in which he is told that all animals are clean and can be eaten:
“Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'” – Acts 10:13-15
Peter interprets this vision as a message from God that Gentiles (non-Jews) are not unclean and can be accepted as believers in Jesus. The passage does not explicitly mention pork, but it does suggest that all animals are now considered clean and can be eaten.
In the letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul also talks about food, including pork. He states that “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4). This passage suggests that there are no longer any restrictions on what can be eaten.
Overall, while there are no explicit prohibitions against eating pork in the New Testament, there are also no commands to eat it. The New Testament focuses on faith in Jesus and living a life of love and obedience to God.
Bible Verses About Eating Pork In The New Testament
Some passages in the New Testament make it look like these food regulations have changed.
In this post, we will look at the critical Bible scriptures that address this topic and evaluate what the New Testament says about eating pork.
We’ll examine these texts’ context, significance, and connection to the New Testament’s message.
Romans 14:17 (ESV) – Not A Matter Of Eating And Drinking But Of Righteousness
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) – Lawful Things
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.”
1 Corinthians 8:8 (ESV) – Food Will Not Comment Us To God
“Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 (ESV) – All Things Are Lawful, But Not All Things Build Up
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.”
Titus 1:15 (ESV) – All Things Are Pure
“To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”
Matthew 15:11 (ESV) – Not That Which Goeth Into The Mouth Defileth A Man
“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
Mark 7:15 (ESV) – There Is Nothing From Without A Man
“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.”
Acts 10:13-15 (ESV) – What God Has Cleansed, We Should Not Call Common
“And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.”
Acts 15:20 (ESV) – Abstain From Things Strangled And From Blood
“But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.”
Acts 15:29 (ESV) – Abstain From Meats Offered To Idols
“That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye
Mark 7:18-19 (ESV)
“And he said to them, ‘Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.)”
Acts 10:9-16 (ESV)
“The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.’ And the voice came to him again a second time, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.'”
Romans 14:1-3 (ESV)
“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.”
Romans 14:14 (ESV)
“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.”
Colossians 2:16-17 (ESV)
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
1 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV)
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
Is It A Sin To Eat Pork As A Christian?
No, it is not a sin to eat pork as a Christian. The dietary laws in the Old Testament were explicitly given to the Israelites.
They were part of the Mosaic Law, which included various regulations regarding food, clothing, and other aspects of daily life.
However, with the coming of Jesus Christ, the New Testament teaches that the Mosaic Law was fulfilled and replaced by a new covenant based on faith in Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament, there are no commands to follow the dietary laws of the Old Testament.
In Acts 10:9-16, Peter has a vision in which he is told that all animals are clean and can be eaten.
This vision is interpreted as a message from God that Gentiles (non-Jews) are not unclean and can be accepted as believers in Jesus. The passage does not explicitly mention pork, but it does suggest that all animals are now considered clean and can be eaten.
Furthermore, in 1 Timothy 4:1-5, the apostle Paul warns against false teachers who prohibit certain foods, stating that “everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
This passage suggests that there are no longer any restrictions on what can be eaten.
Conclusion
The New Testament offers a fresh perspective on the food prohibitions described in the Old Testament.
The Mosaic Law, which contained a number of dietary laws, including the forbidding of the consumption of pork, was replaced by the advent of Jesus Christ and the creation of a new covenant.
There are various passages in the New Testament that imply that all foods are acceptable and can be consumed, rather than giving commandments to adhere to these dietary regulations.
Therefore, Christians can eat anything without worrying about sinning, including pork. Ultimately, what counts is not what we eat, but our confidence in Jesus Christ and our submission to God’s will.
