Eating All
Creatures In
Faith, Without Indecisiveness
Compiled by Brother L. Harrell
If we as Christians eat [all
creatures], but are not fully
convinced it is the Lord’s will, we are eating in sin. Our
faithless action then brings condemnation
on us (sickness). If I
do not have the faith enough to present
this (as I have), then I should be eating only purportedly “clean”
creatures,
because
otherwise I am unstable, and therefore as the faithless unbeliever /
infidel.
[I have not compiled this as an
authority knowing all
scripture and views on this issue, but I have attempted to be
submissive
to the
Spirit on this (though I always need to be subject to Him). This was not written to be objective or
exhaustive,
covering all basis.]
Romans
14:23 And
he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith:
for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
James 1:8 A
double minded man is unstable in all his
ways.
The sinners will be slain (their home
will be in the lake of
fire). They live and eat in sin.
Isaiah
66:16-17 For by fire and by his sword will
the LORD
plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify
themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's
flesh,
and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith
the LORD.
Revelation
21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The sanctified (Saints) of the Lord
eat what has been blessed. When we give thanks, speaking blessing
over
our food, we have agreed with the Word.
Our hearts give us right standing, manifestation of our hearts' faith
is
confirmed
as spoken with our mouths (submitting a binding declaration of our
heart).
Romans 10:10 (NLT)
For
it is by believing in your heart that you
are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that
you are
saved.
Luke 6:45 A
good man out of the good treasure of his
heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the
evil
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the
abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
1 Timothy 4: For
every creature of God is good,
and nothing to be refused, if it be received with
thanksgiving: For it is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Romans 14:20 For
meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is
evil
for that man who eateth with offence.
Peter was given a vision and saw all
sorts of creatures for
him to eat, yet forbidden by the Law of Moses.
Acts
10:11-13 And saw heaven opened, and a
certain vessel
descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four
corners, and
let down to the earth: Wherein were all
manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping
things,
and fowls of the air. And there came a
voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
Peter believing these creatures were
unclean objected to
eating them. Peter was informed not to
call what had been clean, unclean (ordinary).
Acts 10:14-15
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.
Peter was accused by the Jews in
Jerusalem of eating with the
uncircumcised [former Gentiles]. These
“Gentiles” likely were not eating
according to Jewish Dietary Laws. Peter
in his defense, explained to them the vision where the creatures
descended, and
how he was informed not to call that which was clean, unclean.
Acts
11:2-4(a) “And when Peter was come up to
Jerusalem
they that were of the
circumcision contended with him,
Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised,
and didst eat with them. But Peter
rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto
them”
Apostle Paul confirmed that apostle
Peter [and other Jewish
Christians, including apostle Barnabas] “discarded the Jewish laws” and
was
“living like a Gentile”. One of the
reasons we must operate in faith in whatever we do is so we do not
cause
confusion and offense like apostle Peter was causing with his
inconsistency. Apostle Peter’s actions of “two opinions”
condemned him.
Galatians
2:11-14 (NLT) But when Peter came to Antioch,
I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was
doing, for
it was very wrong. When he first
arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who don't bother with
circumcision. But afterward, when some Jewish friends of James came,
Peter wouldn't
eat with the Gentiles anymore because he was afraid of what these
legalists
would say. Then the other Jewish
Christians followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was influenced
to join
them in their hypocrisy. When I saw that
they were not following the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter in
front of
all the others, "Since you, a Jew by birth, have
discarded
the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are
you trying
to make these Gentiles obey the Jewish laws you abandoned?
The concern apostle Paul’s expressed
was not that apostle Peter had discarded the laws, but rather that he
was being double minded. The Gentiles were influenced by
apostle Peter’s example. By him giving up the Jewish lifestyle,
just to
pick it up again, he is seen as trying to make the Gentiles pick up the
Jewish laws also. If apostle Peter did not have faith
that it was okay to eat with
and like a Gentile, then he should not have.
Either he believes the relationship and lifestyle are sanctified or
not.
Romans 14:14
(NLT) I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the
Lord Jesus that no food,
in and of itself, is wrong to eat.
But if
someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
God is not double minded, and those
that represent Him
should not be either. If my actions
testify that eating as a Gentile is good, then later I change my
actions, my
previous action may be as a lie.
(Our word should be our bond / covenant).
1 Samuel
15:29 And also
the
Strength of Israel
will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
Ecclesiastes
5:5 Better is it
that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Would not the former Gentiles be
offended if one minute you
were their comrade, then the next minute you barely know them? It
is bad to eat causing offense as well as
it is bad to waver causing offense.
Confusion and offence are disadvantageous to the glory of God.
1
Corinthians 10:31-32 Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the
Gentiles, nor to the church
of God:
Romans 14:21 It
is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby
thy
brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
If we were required to eat by dietary
laws, we would not
be
permitted to eat whatever was set in front of us that was prepared by
the world
/ unsaved. (Most idolizers do not know how to
separate clean from unclean, so how can we eat with them?). In
spite of that, 1 Corinthians 10:27 does not explicitly say we are to
eat anything or everything. For example: If I have
previously dedicated myself not to eat meat declared as unclean in the
Old Covenant, my abstention is not in itself a matter of their conscience or their
possible condemnation of my actions, and my question(s) could be based
upon other concerns.
1
Corinthians 10:27 If any of them that
believe not bid you to a
feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you,
eat,
asking no
question for conscience sake.
If the elect (spiritual
Israel) can eat and live with the unsaved / the world, the elect would
have little excuse not to bestow the mercy they have been
called to perform for the unsaved. Granting mercy and seeking
knowledge of the
Lord's will is His desire, not merciless sacrifice.
content
revised:
02/05/06
http://seventhdayapostolic.org/ChooseLORD/