Understanding Biblical Perspectives on Clean and Unclean Meat

Many Christians may not perceive the significance of the distinction between clean and unclean meat as laid out in the Old Testament. Often, verses like Matthew 15:11 are cited without proper context, where Christ states, 'It's not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a man.' In Acts, Peter's vision of a sheet with unclean animals descending from heaven, accompanied by Christ's directive to 'rise, Peter; kill and eat,' for 'What God has cleansed, you must not call common.' Paul echoes similar sentiments in Romans 14:14, affirming, 'I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself.' However, what's often overlooked is that the Bible seems to indicate that none of these men actually consumed the flesh of unclean animals before or after these statements. Perhaps, in this case, context would provide well-needed clarification and deeper understanding.

truthsum.org