The Christian Diet
I may be the only one who finds it amusing that I'm eating a box of chocolate chip cookies while writing about diet. But as bloggers go, at least I'm honest about it! This week is on Romans 14:22-23:
These verses come near the end of a bit of advice Paul the Apostle is giving to the church of Rome on diet. In Paul's day, the church was made up of Jewish "messianic" type believers and Gentile believers who were probably more like a hybrid of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches. Many of the non-Jewish believers were former pagans, so they were aware that certain foods were used in pagan sacrifices and had been dedicated to demons as part of Roman cultural practices. There was also a belief amongst some that wine was an unacceptable liability, and yet it was also Jesus' first miracle and half of the communion sacrament. There was confusion everywhere, and a whole lot of finger-pointing that had nothing to do with God's will.
The Jewish believers held to dietary standards that we would call Kosher today. They didn't eat pork, or certain other meats, and the meat that they did eat had to be slaughtered in a certain way. It was probably difficult to find Kosher meat in Rome, so some of them did without it rather than eat "unclean" meat. Many Gentile believers joined with them in rejecting meat because of the baggage it had for them emotionally due to their pagan background.
In group dinners, I can imagine the Jewish and ex-pagan believers as being a bit like modern day vegan evangelists. "Oh you're eating pork? That's disgusting. No wonder your daughter got killed by a horse cart. God hates you for eating dirty Gentile meat. Didn't you see the documentary scrolls about how it's full of demons?" It got really annoying for the people who didn't see things that way and just wanted to enjoy their meals in peace.
But imagine it from the other perspective too. To the Kosher-keeping believers, watching their fellow Christians eat meat was probably like watching someone destroy their body with cigarettes. Out of love and a sense of order, they couldn't just let their fellow believers hurt themselves like that. And what were they supposed to do if they were offered food and didn't know if it had this dirty meat in it or not? Be rude and refuse to eat it? Accept it and get some kind of spiritual cancer? It was a bad time for them too.
The thing is, we don't know what God's position was on all of this. Maybe he wanted the Jewish believers to keep kosher so they could share meals with their unconverted Jewish friends and family. Maybe he wanted the ex-pagans to grow a little stronger in their faith before taking on something with so much cultural baggage for them. Or maybe all food was okay for all people and they were just being nuisances. We have to give each other the benefit of the doubt. We don't know what God was telling them in their private conversations.
For the omnivores, Paul says "blessed is he who does not condemn himself by what he approves." In other words, eat your meat in peace and don't bring condemnation on yourself by forcing it down others' throats with guilt and deception. Don't flaunt your freedom in front of those who believe differently. Love doesn't say "Well I'm right. Deal with it."
And for the rest, Paul says "Whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat." In other words, if you feel like God says not to eat that pork chop, then don't eat it and don't let anyone make you feel bad about not eating it. If you get pressured into it, you'll feel as though you're outside God's will and you could be right. You have to answer for your own behaviour before God, not the guy at the next table eating the bacon butty with blood pudding and an extra helping of sausage.
Paul says that those who eat what they feel they are supposed to avoid are condemned "because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." How do you eat from faith? Some people pray before they eat, which probably started as a custom from back before refrigeration and health laws. My most heartfelt meal prayers have been in the third world, where that's still true. But if you feel at peace about eating it, then eat in peace. Your faith tells you the food is OK.
But what if you still have a bad feeling about what is in front of you? In that case your faith should tell you to abstain. Eating against your faith is not eating from faith. God isn't swayed by theology, so if your instinct is to stay away then maybe God is telling you something. Quoting to Him what your pastor said on the matter isn't going to change it. Better to miss out on a pork chop than on obeying what you feel God is telling you.
If what doesn't come from faith is sin, then doing something you have bad feelings about is dangerous territory. If your faith says one thing, but your actions are tending towards another, that's a bad sign. Take good care of yourself by eating from faith, not from sin.
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
These verses come near the end of a bit of advice Paul the Apostle is giving to the church of Rome on diet. In Paul's day, the church was made up of Jewish "messianic" type believers and Gentile believers who were probably more like a hybrid of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches. Many of the non-Jewish believers were former pagans, so they were aware that certain foods were used in pagan sacrifices and had been dedicated to demons as part of Roman cultural practices. There was also a belief amongst some that wine was an unacceptable liability, and yet it was also Jesus' first miracle and half of the communion sacrament. There was confusion everywhere, and a whole lot of finger-pointing that had nothing to do with God's will.
The Jewish believers held to dietary standards that we would call Kosher today. They didn't eat pork, or certain other meats, and the meat that they did eat had to be slaughtered in a certain way. It was probably difficult to find Kosher meat in Rome, so some of them did without it rather than eat "unclean" meat. Many Gentile believers joined with them in rejecting meat because of the baggage it had for them emotionally due to their pagan background.
In group dinners, I can imagine the Jewish and ex-pagan believers as being a bit like modern day vegan evangelists. "Oh you're eating pork? That's disgusting. No wonder your daughter got killed by a horse cart. God hates you for eating dirty Gentile meat. Didn't you see the documentary scrolls about how it's full of demons?" It got really annoying for the people who didn't see things that way and just wanted to enjoy their meals in peace.
But imagine it from the other perspective too. To the Kosher-keeping believers, watching their fellow Christians eat meat was probably like watching someone destroy their body with cigarettes. Out of love and a sense of order, they couldn't just let their fellow believers hurt themselves like that. And what were they supposed to do if they were offered food and didn't know if it had this dirty meat in it or not? Be rude and refuse to eat it? Accept it and get some kind of spiritual cancer? It was a bad time for them too.
The thing is, we don't know what God's position was on all of this. Maybe he wanted the Jewish believers to keep kosher so they could share meals with their unconverted Jewish friends and family. Maybe he wanted the ex-pagans to grow a little stronger in their faith before taking on something with so much cultural baggage for them. Or maybe all food was okay for all people and they were just being nuisances. We have to give each other the benefit of the doubt. We don't know what God was telling them in their private conversations.
For the omnivores, Paul says "blessed is he who does not condemn himself by what he approves." In other words, eat your meat in peace and don't bring condemnation on yourself by forcing it down others' throats with guilt and deception. Don't flaunt your freedom in front of those who believe differently. Love doesn't say "Well I'm right. Deal with it."
And for the rest, Paul says "Whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat." In other words, if you feel like God says not to eat that pork chop, then don't eat it and don't let anyone make you feel bad about not eating it. If you get pressured into it, you'll feel as though you're outside God's will and you could be right. You have to answer for your own behaviour before God, not the guy at the next table eating the bacon butty with blood pudding and an extra helping of sausage.
Paul says that those who eat what they feel they are supposed to avoid are condemned "because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." How do you eat from faith? Some people pray before they eat, which probably started as a custom from back before refrigeration and health laws. My most heartfelt meal prayers have been in the third world, where that's still true. But if you feel at peace about eating it, then eat in peace. Your faith tells you the food is OK.
But what if you still have a bad feeling about what is in front of you? In that case your faith should tell you to abstain. Eating against your faith is not eating from faith. God isn't swayed by theology, so if your instinct is to stay away then maybe God is telling you something. Quoting to Him what your pastor said on the matter isn't going to change it. Better to miss out on a pork chop than on obeying what you feel God is telling you.
If what doesn't come from faith is sin, then doing something you have bad feelings about is dangerous territory. If your faith says one thing, but your actions are tending towards another, that's a bad sign. Take good care of yourself by eating from faith, not from sin.
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