Should Christians Eat Pork?

Most Christians eat foods forbidden by Old Testament law. Few, however, examine the reasons for abandoning dietary restrictions. Can we justifiably eat such "unclean" foods as pork, shrimp, and catfish? Or should we follow the rules given in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14?

What Does the New Testament Say About Dietary Laws?

Certain passages of Scripture offer only weak support for eating unclean foods such as pork. For instance, we can only apply Colossians 2:16-23 to Jewish dietary laws if we already know it refers to the topic. 1 Corinthians 8, 1 Corinthians 10:18-33, and Peter's vision in Acts 10 handle very specific subjects. Jesus' statement in Mark 7:19 also occurs with a specific subject, and it is grammatically ambiguous.

Other New Testament texts suggest more strongly that Christians can eat pork and other unclean foods. Passages including Acts 21:25, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, and Chapter 14 of Romans indicate that we are free from dietary restrictions.

Why Did God Give the Dietary Laws?

Why did God give the dietary laws? If it is morally right or wrong to eat certain foods, then passages such as Acts 21:25, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, and Romans 14 must not mean what they seem to.

Distinction Between Clean and Unclean

Why were some animals clean and others unclean? Many Christians assume the dietary laws created the distinction. To evaluate this assumption, let's examine the early history of God's dietary laws and of clean and unclean animals.

God labeled plants as food in Genesis 1:29. In Genesis 7, while humans still were not to eat any animals, Noah took one pair of every unclean animal and seven pairs of every clean animal into the ark. It appears Noah knew which animals were unclean, even though he did not eat meat.

After Noah emerged from the ark, God commanded, "Every moving thing that lives will be food for you" (Gen 9:3a). Such unclean foods as lobster, pork, and catfish come from moving things that live. From Noah, through Abraham, through the captivity in Egypt, until Moses, godly people could distinguish between clean and unclean animals but eat anything. Finally, God gave Moses the dietary laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

Why did the distinction between clean and unclean animals exist when the dietary laws did not? Although people did not eat animals before God's command to Noah, they did sacrifice them. Abel offered sheep in Genesis 4:4. After Noah emerged from the ark, but before God allowed meat consumption, Noah gave an offering from "every clean animal" and "every clean bird" (Gen 8:20).

God's people initially needed to distinguish between clean and unclean animals, not for food, but for sacrifice. The dietary laws constantly reminded Israel of the distinction, thereby reminding that a sacrifice must meet certain conditions to please God.

Separation from Other Nations

The dietary laws helped set Israel apart from its neighbors and later captors. "I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean... You shall be holy to me: for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine" (Lev 20:24-26).

What Did Jesus Do with the Dietary Laws?

Now that we know the reasons behind the dietary restrictions, we can see what Jesus did with the laws about clean and unclean foods. He did not capriciously declare that an important part of God's law was suddenly void for Christians.

Once for All Sacrifice

The dietary laws reminded God's people that unclean animals were not fit for sacrifice. The sacrifices showed that sin causes death, and forgiveness requires a clean innocent to pay the debt of death. When Jesus, the only clean person who ever lived, died as a once for all sacrifice for sin (see Hebrews 9:22-26), He perfectly fulfilled the sacrifices and the distinction between clean and unclean animals.

Mark of Identity

The dietary laws were an outwardly observable sign of Israel's separation from the nations. Along with Jesus' gift of the Holy Spirit as an invisible sign to replace circumcision, Christians have a new outward sign of separation or identity.

A Christian's outward mark of identity comes from the inner mark of the Spirit. The outward sign is our behavior and attitude. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). "[T]he Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in Galations 5:22-26.

Conclusion

God's plan is perfect and consistent. He arranged from the beginning for His food laws to point to the cross.

Jesus did not void the dietary laws on a whim. Neither did he free Christians from oppressive and pointless food restrictions. He could have done neither, while still being one with the Father of lights, who has no variation and no shadow of turning (James 1:17). Yet, Christians are free to eat pork and other unclean foods. Jesus and the Holy Spirit perfectly fulfilled and supplanted the reasons underlying the dietary rules.

All Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public domain translation.