Dealing With The Devil (Part 2)

Introduction

This is a continuation of a study I'm doing on "Dealing with the Devil," based on a 30 day scripture plan I found by The Ruffled Mango.[1] In this post, I'm covering days 5 through 9—we're going to look at the parable of the Sower, the betrayal by Judas, Peter denying Christ, and Ananias and Sapphira's lies.

Mark 4:2-4: The Parabale of the Sower (pt. 1)

The Israelites lived in a agrarian society, so analogies to farming or taking care of livestock was the perfect way to explain things to them, and Christ utilizes this in most of His parables. In this case, He speaks of a sower (or farmer) who is sowing (planting) seeds. Plants, vines, and fruit have a long history in the Word—Matthew 7:15-20; John 15; Romans 6:21-22; Ephesians 5:8-10; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17-18; Galatians 5:22-23. From these passages we know this is related to our behavior.

Note that "seeds fallen to the way side" are seeds separated from the group. In the previous post, we determined that fellowship between Christians is crucial to our walk with Christ and warding off the devil. Another important understanding of "seeds fallen to the way side" is that these seeds are not where they are supposed to be and that makes them vulnerable. If they were in the garden (the proper place), there would likely be a fence and scarecrow protecting them from being devoured before even sprouting.

Mark 4:13-15: The Parabale of the Sower (pt. 2)

Later in the chapter, Christ explains the parable for us, so we don't have to do any guess work about what He means. He identifies the seeds as the Word and the fowl of the air as Satan. Essentially Christ is saying that when you sow the Word in an unprotected place, Satan will swoop in and steal that information before it can take root.

When I read these verses, I focused more on the applicaiton to protecting self than the question of if I sow seeds in the wrong place. The major concern that struck me was "what if I'm on the path?" Have you ever had a Bible Study or discussion about the Word and you dismissed it? Or maybe you read a few verses and by the time you got to the end you forgot what you've read? I felt like these were examples of me not being in the right place to cultivate the Word.

So, I asked my self, how do we create an envirnoment in our minds that ensures we aren't "on the path"? The following is what I came up with:

• Be mindful of what we allow to take up space in our mind
• Pray for retention of the Word
• Be intentional when reading the Word
• Be intentional when listening to the Word

Luke 22:2-4: Judas Betrays Christ

I knew Judas betrayed Christ, everyone knows that. However, I never noticed that the Bible tells us Satan entered Judas. There were three main ideas that I dwelt on after reading Luke 22:2-4.

What Does it Mean to be Possessed?

Hollywood has given us very interesting ideas of possession, albiet some passages in the Bible do warn of depravity due to possession. However, in each of the last three passages discussed in the post, you'll see evidence of Satan wielding control over someone and it doesn't look like a madman. Sometimes, people give the devil full access of their mind and body for lengthy periods of time, but in these cases it appears to be a single bad decision.

In cartoons, there's always the scene where an angel of God is on one shoulder telling the character to do right, while the devil is egging the character on to do wrong from the other shoulder. In real life, God gives us free will and each second of the day we are presented with choices. When we start choosing to listen to the devil more that God's Spirit, we are giving the devil control of our life. This is how he gains a foothold and is able to manipulate our actions.

Choose Your Friends Carefully

The passage starts off talking about Jesus' enemies, but that's not who Satan enters. Satan goes for the someone close to Jesus, someone in His inner circle. People in our inner circle see us at our best and our worst; they know our flaws and weaknesses. They know exactly the kind of information Satan needs to exploit us.

This is one reason he targets those close to us, but another reason is that they have our trust. We usually trust those closest to us to give us good advice, to keep us safe, and not to put us in compromising situations. This means we are more likely to go along with them. There are people I know that I would never travel with because even though I like them well enough, I have no idea what they will get into. My closest friends, however, I trust to share my values and not put me in an uncomfortable position. Because of this, I'm more likely to go on a trip with one of the latter over the former. So, Satan knows to get to me, he too has to come through the latter.

The saying "choose your friends carefully" rings true here. We want to surround ourselves with people who have our back, but more importantly, we want to surround ourselves with God-fearing men and women who are actively fighting off Satan's attacks.

Don't Let Satan Use You

Speaking of God-fearing men and women, we have to be that for our friends. Just like Satan used Judas, he can use us against our friends. When we find ourselves plotting for someone's downfall, that's an indicator that Satan is putting thoughts in our head. It's one thing to think someone should go to jail for a crime, but when we wish bad on people our of jealousy or spite, there's a problem. When we aren't happy for our friends' success or we're ready to tell their business to people we know don't like them, there's a problem. If we find ourselves in these situations or feeling like this, we need to take it to God immediately, because likely, Satan is in our head.

Luke 22:31-32: Satan Wants Peter

Satan didn't just go for one person in Jesus' inner circle. He also wanted to take Peter away from the faith. I see Peter's experience more like a Job experience, in the sense that Christ knew Peter had the faith to maintain their relationship.

Four things stood out to me in this passage: Christ already knew the devil's plan, Christ warns Peter about said plan, Christ prays for Peter's faith, and Christ aknowledges that He and Peter will be separated for a time.

God Knows All

God is omniscient; He knows all of His creations better than they know themselves. Since Satan is one of God's creations, this is true for him too. Satan can't outsmart God or catch Him off guard. This means He knows exactly which one of His children Satan is plotting against and exactly what test Satan will put before them.

God Warns Us

Because God knows what's coming, He often sends us a warning to help us avoid Satan's traps. There are at least three examples of this that come to mind: God warns Cain that sin is lurking before Cain kills his brother (Genesis 4:6-7); Christ sublty tips Judas off to His knowledge of the betrayal, which is in time for Judas to take a different course of action (Matthew 26:21-24); and Christ warns Peter that Satan is trying to get to him (Luke 22:31-32).

God Wants us to Succeed

Christ prays for Peter, telling us that He wanted Peter to win against Satan. What's interesting is that of all the things He could have prayed for, He prayed for Peter's faith. This tells us that the main factor in successfully defending against Satan's attacks is our faith.

God Knows We Aren't Perfect

Christ makes a point to note that Peter will be "returning" to Him. While this could be literal, since they get separated in the commotion, I have a feeling it's spiritual. Peter goes on to deny Christ three times, which is also a way of separating himself from Christ in it's own right. In doing so he's distancing himself from Christ, the way we may distance ourselves from Christ to fit in or enjoy things of the world. There's a real danger that we will put so much distance between ourselves and Christ that we won't be able to find our way back.

Yet, Christ knew Peter would regret His denials and find His way back. Christ didn't have to reveal any of this information to Peter, but by doing so, and by giving Peter a specific task to complete upon his return, Christ exemplifies His forgiving nature and love. When Peter fails, he isn't just left with the feeling that Christ is saya "I told you so." The last thing Christ said about the incident was "when you come back to Me." This means we can return and we will be forgiven!

Acts 5:1-4: Ananias and Sapphira Lie to the Holy Spirit

The final passage for today covers the fate of a couple that lies to the Apostles about a property they sold. They withold part of the proceeds they receive for an unknown reason, choosing to lie about the amount they sold it for. Interestingly, I think they very well have simply said, "We sold our property for x and we're giving you half"—or whatever portion they gave. The deeper issue here is that everyone else was giving everything they had, and this couple was not ready or willing to do the same. Regardless of the reason, we know that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corintians 9:7), so it would be better to give what you can with joy than to try to keep up with the joneses.

Like with Peter (from part 1) and Judas, Ananias and Sapphira let Satan guide their actions rather than God. These action (e.g., lying, greed, etc.) are easy to recognize as ungodly. When we have ideas that do not please Him, Satan has put them in our head and carrying out such an action is an offense to God himself, not just the person we hurt (or lie to in this case).

Conclusion

While the last verses focused more on Satan's stategies, these verses reminded me to watch myself. The main thing I took away from these verses was to watch myself and don't let Satan use me for his on purposes.

References

1. "June Scripture Writing Plan". The Reffled Mango; visited October 4, 2020

Most Likely To Get You In Trouble

Season 1 Episode 32

²⁰Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. ²¹When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.” ²²The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.” ²³So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. ²⁷But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. ²⁸“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. ²⁹But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:20-30 CSB

The Pharisees stayed trying to "catch" Jesus. They were against Him, in favor of their own traditions and the status quo (which gave them power). The were so engrossed in trying to harm Jesus, they erred close to the only unforgivable sin. Following in their footsteps is a guaranteed way to get us into trouble. Let's look at how their actions look in our modern world and talk about the dangers of calling good evil and evil good.

References and Footnotes

Yes, that's Bubbles speaking in the background. I had been gone all day and she wanted some attention. Of course she may have also been trying to tell us something about the Word 🤷🏽‍♀️

Other gospel records of Mark 3:20-30: Matthew 12:22-32 and Luke 12:10

Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will get into the Kingdom of Heaven: Matthew 7:21

Sheep of a different fold: John 10:16

You Are What You Eat: Mark 7:15

The most often quoted passage to excuse eating unclean foods is Mark 7:15. In this verse Jesus tells the Pharisees it isn't what goes into a man but what comes out of a man that defiles him. But is this verse actually giving us permission to eat whatever we want?

Mark 7:15/Matthew 15:11

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. Mark 7:15 KJV

Introduction

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Ken Lawrence

It's not what goes into our mouth that defiles us, but that which comes out of us. This is the go-to explanation for why we can eat whatever we want as Christians. It makes sense if you don't think about it too long, but when I stopped to ponder it for a minute, it wasn't what it seemed.

Permission to Eat Anything?

To argue that this gives us permission to eat unclean flesh, you have to interpret Mark 7:15 to mean we can ingest anything. After all Jesus is saying nothing external to us can enter and defile us. Can you drink bleach? How about tar? No? Certainly Jesus didn't mean we could just go off eat any and everything we see. Paul reaffirms this in 1 Corinthians 10:23.

Let's think about this. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, what actually happened? Did they die right then? Did it bar them from enteral life? Did they become defiled? Adam and Eve suffered, but it wasn't the fruit's fault. Adam and Eve weren't punished because the fruit was bad, but because they chose to eat the fruit. Remember, the action of eating the fruit didn't start with the fruit, it started inside Adam and Eve, in their mind. Their disobedience to God is what defiled them and caused problems.

Putting it in Context

In the previous section, when I asked if you could drink bleach or tar, you may have rolled your eyes at me and thought I was out of line making such a comparison. After all, who would eat something that isn't even food? That's dumb, right? If you stayed the night at my house and I said feel free to eat anything you find in the house, you would automatically restrict that to that which you consider edible, right? You wouldn't attempt to eat my couch or cleaning supplies. Similarly, when Jesus spoke to His audience in Mark 7, they probably would have assumed Jesus was referring to things designed to enter the body. Unclean foods were never designed to enter the body. The Jews (which includes Jesus), would not have considered unclean flesh to be something to eat!

If we read the verses leading up to that passage, we see that the squabble was over Jesus allowing the disciples to eat bread without washing their hands. There are no unclean foods in the passage.

The Pharisees claimed the disciples had defiled themselves by eating clean food before washing up. Jesus chastises the Pharisees for following man made laws (washing of hands before eating) and not believing in their hearts. They followed the details of the law, but never made a relationship with God and had weak faith. This is the very definition of legalism. To make the situation even clearer, Jesus explains that whatever the people eat, it will eventually pass through the body and disappear. However, the evil thoughts in their hearts would stay within them; that is what defiles them.

We have to remember that while Jesus' comments hold truths for us today, He was talking to a specific group of people. Jesus was essentially telling the Pharisees that they were worried about something as trivial as washing your hands before eating bread, meanwhile they were rotting on the inside with unclean thoughts and desires. Matthew 23:24-25 expounds on this. The Pharisees were concerned with the pots and pans they put the food in and making sure a fly wasn't in the water, but they would eat a camel (unclean) and take part in shady dealings. Jesus was calling them out for sweating the small stuff when they needed to be looking inward.

Matthew 15

Matthew 15 provides another reference for this encounter. As we continue through to the end of Jesus' explanation, He summarizes His point at the urging of the disciples. In this He specifies that He is permitting the eating of food with unwashed hands. Jesus' critique was not about clean and unclean food but about the tradition—made up by man—of washing up before eating foods already declared clean!

These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.Matthew 15:20 KJV

Proof of Understanding

When Jesus has this conversation, there are two groups present, the Pharisees and the disciples. The Pharisees were always at odds with Jesus, but the disciples spread and followed His teachings. This means, if the disciples understood Mark 7:15 to mean they were free to eat anything, that is what they would have taught.

However, in Acts 10, some time after Jesus' crucifixion, we find Peter appalled that God would command him to eat an unclean animal. Yet, Peter is the one who asks for more clarity in Matthew 15:15. Peter vehemently denies ever eating anything unclean. Clearly, Peter didn't think Jesus had given them permission to eat unclean food when He told them it was the stuff within that defiles men.

Up Next: Acts 10

It's only natural that since we brought up Acts 10 we talk about that next. In the next post, I'll discus God commanding Peter to kill and eat unclean animals.

Other Posts in the Series

The Christian Diet

What does God say about what we eat?

Note: I realize this post is missing a reference to Romans 14; I am in the process of turning this post into a series so that I can expand on the topic without having a book in one blog post. Please bear with me. In the mean time, I'm leaving this post up for reference.

Introduction

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Tanja Sund

The diet of a Christian is another topic the Church can't seem to agree upon. Many denominations abstain from alcohol. Mormons, also known as the Church of the Latter Day Saints, or LDS, abstain from caffeine in addition to alcohol. Seventh Day Adventists observe the dietary laws of Leviticus and encourage a vegetarian lifestyle, while many have no restrictions at all about diet. It makes sense that along with telling us what is proper and improper behavior, God would also tell us what is or isn't acceptable to eat.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV

Just as God went through meticulous detail to explain to the Israelites how to keep the temple clean and pure for God's presence, He tells us how to behave and what to consume to keep our bodies—the temples of the new covenant—acceptable for Him.
Top

The Dietary Laws

"Leviticus 11-12: Clean and Unclean" covers the dietary law given to the Israelites by God, but are we still expected to follow these guidelines? Many denominations believe that the dietary law is no longer applicable to us. Those who believe this argue that Jesus abolished the law on the cross so we are not bound to uphold them. A rebuttable of this is given in "The Law"; in short, Jesus Himself said that He didn't come to destroy but to fulfill. His fulfillment lies in the fact that He shed His own blood in payment of our transgressions, not that God suddenly thinks it's acceptable to behave contrary to the law.

Isaiah 66

Isaiah 66 tells us that those partaking in sinful behavior, specifically those eating pork, will be burned in the wrath of God's anger. By reading the entire chapter, we see that this passage is not God talking about what will happen in Isaiah's lifetime, but a prophecy related to the end times. God mentions that His word will be spread amongst the Gentiles, which began shortly after Jesus' crucifixion. This alone proves that God never intended mankind to eat that which He forbade us to eat, however we will look at several verses and arguments to conclude that God expects us to keep the dietary law.

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.Isaiah 66:17 KJV

Mark 7

The first "rebuttal" or explanation for Christians eating whatever they wish came from Mark 7:15. In this verse Jesus tells the Pharisees and the disciples that nothing external to man defiles him, it is the internal things coming out of man that defile him. From just this verse, many are satisfied that Jesus was saying eat what you will because it is not the food you eat that makes you unclean. There are a few problems with that interpretation however. For one, during the Exodus, when Moses told the people not to eat certain foods, was it really the food that made them unclean or was it their willingness to disobey God? Did the forbidden fruit actually harm Adam and Eve, or was it their willingness to disobey God that got them into trouble? Further, if you read all of Mark 7, to put the verse in context, Jesus is defending the disciples against the accusation of not washing their hands before eating bread. The bread was never said to be unclean and neither was the dirt! Jesus makes the point that the Pharisees were following man's traditions and laws (washing of hands before eating) as opposed to God's law. Jesus wasn't promoting eating unclean meat this passage. This is evidenced in Acts 10 when Peter is astounded and refuses to eat unclean meat in a vision. Peter adamantly denies ever eating anything unclean. Peter was with Jesus for the exchange of Mark 7, so we know that if Jesus was inferring that it was ok to eat unclean meat, Peter would not have been surprised or hesitant in the vision.

Acts 10

Which brings us to Acts 10, another passage people use to say it is now ok to eat unclean animals. Most focus on the end of the chapter, in which Peter has a dream that God tells him to eat all manner of beast, even those that are unclean. Peter vehemently denies, stating that he has never eaten anything unclean in his life. God then tells Peter not to call anything God has cleansed unclean or common. Many use this as evidence that God sanctioned eating unclean meat. However, they neglect the context. For instance, in all of the other visions God's people are given (think Daniel or John), the vision has to be explained: a beast is not a just beast. In many of the visions, beasts represent nations. Not surprisingly, the surrounding context of the chapter follows a man named Cornelius who is a Gentile believer. Cornelius is seeking to speak with Peter to become better acquainted with God. Cornelius shows up while Peter is pondering the vision from God, and God tells Peter to go to speak with him and his men. In verse 28, Peter tells us what he has learned from the dream, not to call any man unclean or uncommon. Prior to the years after Jesus' resurrection, Gentiles were considered unclean,^[1] and Peter reminds us in this verse that it was illegal for Jews to mingle with Gentiles at that time. Peter specifies that God's vision taught him that no man is unclean; the unclean beasts in his vision were representative of Gentile nations. God cleansed man with Jesus' blood, where in the Bible does it say that Jesus died to cleanse the animals? In the following chapter (Acts 11) the Jews confront Peter about including the Gentiles and their quibble is that the Gentiles are uncircumcised, not that they eat unclean meats because the God fearing Gentiles already followed Jewish customs.^[2] This means that neither Cornelius, Peter, nor the Jews angry with the inclusion Gentiles understood this to mean they could eat whatever they wanted. It is evident that they understand God's command to be in reference to the inclusion of Gentiles in the ministry.

Colossians 2

Paul tells us not to let any man judge us of many things, one of which is meat. People often cite this as well to defend the position that unclean foods are now clean. As with everything, I suggest reading the verse in context. Reading the whole of Colossians 2 and applying knowledge we receive from the Old Testament, we may see things a bit differently. Notice that Colossians 2:8 specifically points out that Paul is speaking against man's traditions—not God's.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.Colossians 2:8 KJV

Paul goes on to actually give us some instructions concerning these traditions of men:

¹⁴Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; ¹⁵And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.¹⁶Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: ¹⁷Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. ¹⁸Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,Colossians 2:14-18 KJV

If you study the Jewish law, you will find that the Pharisees added laws to what Moses listed in Leviticus; one such example is that to this day Kosher law dictates that meat and dairy cannot mix. This stems from God's command not to seethe a kid in it's mother's milk. To seethe is to boil, which means God isn't forbidding man from eating a burger and drinking a milkshake or placing a piece of cheese over turkey in a sandwich. Furthermore we don't get milk from chickens or turkeys and it is unlikely you use goats milk, so the only problem you would really face is boiling beef in it's mother's milk. Since beef cattle like Angus and Texas Longhorn do not provide milk (except when they are nursing) and dairy cattle are often not sent off to be slaughtered, it is unlikely you will seethe beef in its mother's milk either. Though, I could see the separation just in case. In essence, the Pharisees overshot this law to protect people from accidentally breaking one of God's commandments, but God's commandments are hard enough to keep without man's extra laws placed on top. Paul is talking about man's traditions being nailed to the cross. We see Jesus make "a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it" when He corrects the Pharisees doctrine throughout His ministry. Verse 16 takes understanding of the Pentateuch to really understand. The holydays, new moon, and sabbath days he speaks of are the feasts that foretold Christ's coming. I am currently writing a post on how the Feast Days connect to Christ, which I will link here as soon as it is completed. All of the other items mentioned in this verse stem from the preparation for Christ's arrival, so are these meats and drink Paul mentions, the sacrifices (which remember, meat sacrifices are actually grain sacrifices and have nothing to do with meat). Or is Paul talking about meats sacrificed to idols? Gentiles converting to the faith would have family members who might sacrifice to a pagan god then offer the convert meat from the sacrifice. Is Paul saying it's ok to eat that meat? Or is Paul telling the Gentiles not to let their pagan friends and family judge them for no longer getting drunk and no longer eating unclean foods? Or is it as those trying to justify eating unclean food think and Paul is telling Gentiles to continue eating unclean food and ignore judgment? People often forget that Paul's duty was to preach to the Gentiles, who would have a different set of problems than the Jews. Just as preaching to a child from a Christian family will be different than preaching to a child from an atheist family. Further, if Paul is referring to unclean meant, notice that he said let no man judge you, he doesn't say God won't judge you; which is odd. Whatever he's telling them not to let man judge them for, it must already be established where God stands, and so far God stands against eating unclean meat. The biggest problem with the idea that Paul is telling the Gentiles they can eat unclean foods, is that it would contradict Isaiah 66:17. Paul is likely telling them not to let the Jews judge them for not upholding traditions such as sacrifices,feasts and the sabbath days of the feasts because they were placeholders for the Messiah, who has now come, rendering these things unnecessary.^{[8][9][10][11]}

1 Timothy 4:1-7

1 Timothy 4:1-7 is the one of two of the only arguments that ever made the slightest bit of sense to me. Here, Paul is telling Timothy about some of the false doctrines that will appear in the end of days. One such doctrine is abstaining from meats. Paul goes on to say that every creature of God is good and not to be refused.

⁴Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; ²Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; ³Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. ⁴For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: ⁵For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. ⁶If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. ⁷But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.1 Timothy 4:1-7 KJV

Unfortunately, we still have a contrast with Isaiah 66—if all meat is to be received with thanksgiving, why are those eating pork (and mouse) consumed by fire at the end of days? One source points at the last half of 1 Timothy 4:3: "meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving."^[12] In the beginning, no meat was made to be received with thanksgiving, it was only after Noah that we were allowed to receive meat. If you look closely at the story of Noah, you will see that God specified clean and unclean to Noah in reference to how many of each animal was to be brought on the ark. We are not given information on dietary restriction, but why would God reference clean and unclean animals for no reason to Noah? Was it merely for future reference, like "hey, Noah, you can eat this now but in the future I will forbid a subset of your ancestors to eat these"? We can't be certain about that, but we do know that the Jews of the New Testament were forbidden to eat or offer unclean meats. Those meats would not be considered "created to received with thanksgiving" from the perspective of the Jews.

The main difficulty of understanding what is written in the Bible stems from a lack of complete knowledge. Many things come into play when reading a particular verse: what did the original Hebrew or Greek say (is it a faithful translation)?, what do other passages in the Bible say on the subject?, what did the phrase or word mean in the time it was written?, what is the history/culture of the person writing this verse?, etc. For example, in 1 Timothy 4:3, Paul specifies that "forbidding to marry" is one of the false doctrines. If one was to pick up a Bible and jump straight to this verse, they may argue that forbidding alternative forms of marriage (such as homosexual marriage) is a sign of being on the wrong side of Christ. Yet, in Romans 1:26-27 KJV, Paul explicitly condemns homosexuality, and in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 KJV, he implicitly condemns homosexuality. Therefore, based upon knowing Paul's stance, we know that when he says marriage in 1 Timothy 4:3, he is referring to marriage between a man and a woman. We must use this same technique to determine what Paul means when he says meats.>

What is Meat?

Sometimes, such as in Genesis 1:29 and Leviticus 2:1, meat has nothing to do with flesh; in these verses meat is not the same as the primary meaning of the word we use today. Yet, we do see in Genesis 9:3 that meat is referring to the flesh of animal as we would expect today. In Acts 15:29, Paul talks about abstaining from meat offered to idols—though it is not specified whether this meat is unclean or clean.

In 1 Corinthians 8, the discussion of meat is around meat offered to an idol, again there is no specifications about clean or unclean. The verses here are discussing the fact that we know there are no other gods therefore idols are not real. Many believe this passage tells us that for this reason, we may eat food that has been offered to idols, but others disagree, particularly after taking into consideration Acts 15 forbids the eating of meat offered to idols. One person suggested that in 1 Corinthians 8 Paul was answering the question of why they could not eat meat sacrificed to idols (a stumbling block to their brothers) rather than explaining that they could.^[17][18] Moving along in 1 Corinthians 8 we see that you are not worse off if you do not eat the food and that you should be mindful of weak-minded brethren. If it offends or causes confusion amongst your brothers you should abstain for their benefit (I would imagine this would be particularly applicable to parents with young children).

What Did the Original Say?

The New Testament was original written in Greek, in what is known as the Septuagint. The word that appears there which is translated to meat in the English Bible is βρωματων. Today this word means oats (according to Google Translate), but in ancient Greek, it meant "food (literally or figuratively), especially (ceremonially) articles allowed or forbidden by the Jewish law:--meat, victuals."^[13][14] The word for unclean meat, however is akathartos.^[15] The word in Timothy 4:3 is referring to ceremonial meat; that which was allowed by Jewish law were sacrifices to God (which were no longer necessary now that Jesus had come), and that which was forbidden by Jewish law were sacrifices to idols or things handled by pagans/Gentiles. The original is not specifying unclean meats.

Who is Speaking? Who is Being Spoken To?

Paul, the author of 1 Timothy, preached Christ to the Gentiles but he was born a Jew, and Timothy, the recipient of the letter, was born to a Jewish mother and a Greek father.^[16] Both men would have been well versed in the Jewish customs; specifically clean and unclean meat. When two practicing Jews come together for dinner, do you think they ask each other if the meat is provided is that of a clean animal? Or do they just assume that as a practicing Jew, the other would not give them unclean meat? Do you ask your fellow Christians what they mean when they say God or do you just assume they mean the God of Abraham? When Paul said meat, it is likely he was referencing clean meat (he would naturally preface unclean meat based upon his upbringing).

1 Timothy 4:4

But then Paul says all creatures are good and nothing to be rejected... Note that once again Paul qualifies this with "if it be received with thanksgiving." The next verse adds that it is sanctified by God. Unclean meat is not received by God with thanksgiving, nor is it ever sanctified by God. Paul is not God so he can't sanctify the meat himself and no where in the Bible does it say that thus saith the Lord or Jesus in reference to unclean meat becoming clean. All creatures God created were good; this is true, we learned this in Genesis 1 and 2 however just because they were good did not mean God allowed people to eat them (Adam and Eve were vegetarians). Nothing was to be refused if it was received with thanksgiving, which likely is referring to food handled by pagans (Jews did not consume food touched by pagans or washed it thoroughly as they thought this made it unclean^[15]).

Acts 15

In Acts 15, the apostles are adamant that of all the laws the converted Gentiles were to follow, the most important ones were to abstain from blood (which is commanded first to Noah, then to the Israelites in addition to the clean/unclean animals), meats offered to idols, strangled animals, and fornication.

²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; ²⁹That 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 well.Acts 15:28-29 KJV

This is an interesting list because meats offered to idols, blood, and animals not killed for sacrifice or in the acceptable manner for food are all discussed in Leviticus around the same chapters with the list of unclean meat. Yet, unclean meat is not specified here and fornication is, which has seemingly nothing to do with the other three laws. It seems to me, however, that even though they reference "laws" in general, they are speaking of specific laws mentioned to the new converts. I highly doubt the apostles found it more important to follow these commandments than Jesus' commandments to love God and love your neighbor (essentially reiterating the 10 Commandments). Perhaps clean and unclean was already understood, just as Jesus' commandments were already understood to be requirements.

If you continue in the chapter, Peter says they are speaking of commandments that even they (the Israelites) could not keep; but the Israelites kept the dietary law easily. Jews keep the dietary even today, and while it may not be as simple as eating without restriction, it is far from impossible. Now that I live in area with a high population of Jews, there are not only Kosher restaurants, but Kosher supermarkets as well. The things that were hard about the law that Gentiles would have been facing would be circumcision at a late age (specifically mentioned in the chapter), or arguing and being disobedient to parents (particularly if one's Gentile parents were not converts), etc. In this context, we see that meats offered to idols would be prominent on the tables in the mixed-faith families of the Gentiles. Also, their relatives would serve clean meat but not kill them as the Jews did, and thus blood or strangulation may be an issue. In that time period, it is possible the Gentile converts also butchered their own meat, but today, you can't buy meat that doesn't have blood in it unless you buy Kosher meat and you can't simply wash the blood away. They are still forbidding Christian Gentiles to eat blood, so we would still be restricted to Kosher meat. The Jews, while more careful with their meat, would have also struggled with this law, as getting all of the blood out of the meat was not an easy task. Similarly, the Israelites would have likely had many spats with their parents as well (who hasn't had a spat with their parent, this seems to be a key ingredient in growing up). These seem in line with laws Peter thought were difficult even for Gentiles. If this is the case, the apostles could have been picking from a list of laws handed to the Gentiles that may not have been inclusive of all laws. We can't know for sure, and even if we could say without a shadow of doubt that this is true, we don't know what the other laws were. The only law we are expressly told was unnecessary is circumcision.

Personally, I believe that more clear books of the Bible may have been written but were destroyed in the assault on Christianity during the early church. The directness of the Old Testament is replaced with implication and assumption in the New Testament. We also see several passages about the antichrist and false prophets deceiving believers along with the masses. If there was an explicit verse that said "unclean meat is still unclean meat," no believer today would touch unclean meat and it would be extremely obvious that interpretations of the verses mentioned here were not about unclean meat and vice-versa. If that were the case no one would attempt to purify themselves and eat swine at the same time as prophesied in Isaiah 66. Satan likely destroyed any manuscripts he could not twist and distort during the early days of the faith. God, looking out for us, left enough for us to be able to raise a red flag and figure it out (such as Isaiah 66).

Matthew 6/Luke 12

Jesus tells us not to worry about food at all. In Luke 12 and Matthew 6, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat.

²²And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. ²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. ²⁴Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?Luke 12:22-24 KJV

²⁵Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? ²⁶Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?Matthew 6:25-26 KJV

No one has ever brought up these verses in an argument. I believe this is because it is rather obvious that Jesus is speaking about worrying where your next meal will come from. Just as God provided food for the Israelites in the desert, He will provide food for His followers now. Whether we are short on money or living in the end times where buying and selling is illegal without the mark of the beast, there is no need to worry about what is happening here. While God has a purpose for us in this life, He will provide for us and once we fulfill that purpose, death is only the next step toward our final destination in Heaven. Jesus isn't saying eat whatever you want so much as don't worry about where the food will come from (see Luke 12:24 or Matthew 6:26).
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Denominations

Most denominations hang their hat on Acts 10 (or one of the other chapters mentioned above) and justify eating unclean meat. Some denominations forbid alcohol consumption, while others believe that moderate consumption is ok. Denominations such as the Latter Day Saints (or Mormons) abstain from caffeine in addition to alcohol. Seventh Day Adventists practice the dietary law, and promote vegetarianism. United Church of God also practices the Dietary Law.
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Alcohol

I don't need to rehash the dangers of alcoholism; we know that too much alcohol is a bad thing. People often turn in to the worst versions of themselves after parking in too much alcohol. There's also the dreaded hangover that can follow an evening of overconsumption. These are logical conclusion with or without faith. The question amongst believers is how much is too much? Throughout the Bible, God condemns drunkenness—the first time we see drunkenness it accompanies Ham's betrayal of Noah. Noah obviously had too much, but is that one beer, three classes of wine, a shot? Many churches err on the safe side and argue that you should just stay away from alcohol all together. It seems like a logical conclusion, after all you can't over-indulge if you don't indulge at all. Abstaining from alcohol not only ensures you won't become a drunk, it also saves money. Of course, there are several passages that seem to support the idea of moderate drinking in the appropriate setting. In Leviticus 10:9, God tells Aaron neither to have wine nor a strong drink before performing his duties as a priest; note that He doesn't say never have wine or a strong drink. Similarly, a wine offering is given in Leviticus 23:13 and Jesus turns the water into wine in John 2. Before Jesus is crucified they try to give Him wine (mixed with myrrh) and He refuses.^[3] So, what is God telling us to do?

There are those who argue that wine in the Bible is actually grape juice. Although wine is often listed alongside strong drinks, many believe it was not alcoholic.^[4] Reference 4 has a detailed and unbiased discussion on wether the wine mentioned is actually fermented and alcoholic or not. As you research the idea, I would encourage you to think more-so about your motivation in drinking an alcoholic beverage. Do you drink beer because everyone around you is drinking it and you don't want to be left out? Are you drinking because you need a "pick me up?" Could you not just ask God to cheer you up? Seeking refuge from problems is a dangerous reason to consume alcohol. Or do you actually like the way it tastes? I attended a school known for its alcoholism and grew up in family that makes wine, so I've had my share of tasting alcoholic beverages. For me, straight liquor is disgusting; I'm sure God did not want me to take that. What God makes is good, and boy my tastebuds and throat do not think straight liquor is good. Now, that being said, raw beans aren't good either... I've had a few mixed drinks that taste ok, but not so good that I feel the need to pay $10+ instead of $2 for a Pepsi. Most wine does taste good, though I still prefer grape juice to wine. I can easily see someone saying that grape juice is better than wine (I'm referencing the governor in John 2 who proclaims Jesus' wine is better than the other wine). I can also see wine being considered of God as long as you don't over indulge. Part of the Nazarite vow required the Nazarite to abstain from wine, as evidenced with John the Baptist, though it seems a bit weird to make them abstain from grape juice. Why not orange juice? Or apple juice? Milk? What would be so special about grape juice? Wine, on the other hand, has the potential to cause intoxication. It does make more sense that He would forbid wine.

It is obvious that God does not want us to be drunk; for some drunk comes one glass in, for others it may be ten glasses later. If you drink, I suggest researching the arguments and praying on the topic. Also, I encourage you look at the motivations behind drinking. Think about whether you partake every once in a while for a celebratory occasion (like the wedding Jesus attended) or if you drink to fit in, or to feel comfortable, etc. (these would indicate deeper issues). Can you go without drinking indefinitely? If the answer to that question is no, then drinking is definitely not something you should participate in.
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Caffeine

Caffeine is considered a physcoactive drug often found in coffee, soda, tea, and chocolate. Though it is considered a drug, it is a naturally occurring substance that is found in the leaves or fruits of certain plants.^[5] However, caffeine has the potential to cause addiction. While a person may not experience devastating withdrawal symptoms such as a person trying to quit a drug like heroin, symptoms such as fatigue or headaches do occur. For this reason some believe we are meant to abstain from caffeine as well. Denominations such as Seventh Day Adventist and the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) see caffeine as a gateway drug and thus members of these denominations will not consume things that contain caffeine.^[6][7]

What does the Bible say? The Bible doesn't specifically mention caffeine, though it does tell us not to be addicted to anything. We should never be in the position that we have to have something. Luckily, with caffeine is it easy to become "un-addicted." I use to be a very heavy Pepsi drinker, though I was always conscious that I was at risk for addiction (possibly because one of my best friends was Mormon and adhered to abstaining from caffeine). Throughout my life I would notice that suddenly Pepsi just didn't taste the way it had before, and then I'd stop drinking caffeine for a while—sometimes it was a month, sometimes a few months. Recently, I cut back to only one or two caffeinated drinks a week. I don't feel any different without the caffeine than I did when I drank 3 or 4 pepsi's a day. I would say that I saved money, but orange juice and grape juice (my substitutes) cost more than soda. I don't think that because you drink coffee you're going to suddenly go and try cocaine, so I wouldn't call it a gateway drug. I do think that there is risk in partaking in caffeine—we all know that person who is just horrible if they don't get their morning cup. I strongly believe God doesn't want us to be that person. I limit my caffeine intake, which is easy as the only two foods I consume that contain caffeine are soda and chocolate (I don't like coffee or tea). I don't eat much chocolate, maybe a piece once a month...maybe even every other month. So, really, I just try to keep my soda intake in check—often I substitute Sprite for my Pepsi. I haven't tried caffeine free soda, though that is an option as well. Like with all things, moderation is definitely the key. If you are an all or nothing type of person, then I'd suggest leaving the caffeine alone, but if you can have a little here and there without needing something all the time, moderation may be ok.
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Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is more popular than most would believe, and often has no roots in faith. Yet there are some who promote the idea of vegetarianism in Christianity. It stems from the fact that God created us as vegetarians in the beginning. This implies that in perfection, we would not eat meat. The Seventh Day Adventists advocate vegetarianism when possible.^[7] God explicitly tells Noah we may eat meat, and explicitly defines for Moses which types of meat we may eat. This, however, does not mean we have to eat meat; simply that God allows us to. Brown University has put together some information on the benefits and risks of a vegetarian lifestyle, which can be found here. Benfits of being vegan (abstaining from both animals and animal byproducts such as milk or eggs) can be found here.
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Discussion

It stands to reason that if God never told us we could eat unclean animals, we can't eat unclean animals. God was very blunt and deliberate when He told Adam and Eve they could eat any of the green herbs that grew in the garden but could not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. God was very blunt and deliberate when He told Noah he could eat meat but not blood. God was also blunt and deliberate when He told Moses and the rest of the Israelites that they couldn't eat unclean meats. Why wouldn't He be blunt and deliberate in telling us we could eat unclean animals? I imagine if God were to allow us to eat unclean foods, in Acts 10, Peter's vision would have followed with him having a pork roast or telling the others that all meat was now clean—instead it stays focused on the cleansing of the Gentiles. Why? Because that was the whole of what God meant. Unclean meat is still unclean meat. Note that just because beef is clean does not mean a medium rare steak is—God also tells us not to eat blood. At the very least, I think it's a matter Christians should pray on and read more into.
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References

1. Elwell, Walter A. "Entry for 'Clean, Unclean'". Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 1997
2. Long, Phillip J. "Acts 10 – What is a “God-Fearing Gentile”?". Reading Acts. February 2015
3. Mark 15
4. Patton, Michael. "Did Jesus Turn Water Into Wine or Grape Juice?". Credo House. November 2012
5. "Caffeine". Better Health. 2015
6. Armitage, Suzanne. "Word of Wisdom, Caffeine and Hypocrisy". Fair Mormon. 2015
7. Ministerial Association General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. "Christian Behavior". Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines. 1988
8. "Please Explain Colossians 2:14". Sabbath Truth. 2010
9. Levy, Ralph. "Colossians 2:16-17: Does It Abolish the Law of Clean and Unclean Meats?". Life Hope & Truth. 2015
10. United Church of God. "What Did Paul Really Say in Colossians 2:16?". Beyond Today. February 2011
11. United Church of God. "God's Food Laws". Beyond Today. January 2011
12. Nicholas. "Q and A: What does 1 Tim 4:4 mean?". Presents of God Ministries. 2015
13. "Parallel History Bible: 1 Timothy 4:3". God Rules. 2015
14. "Word: brwma". God Rules. 2015
15. Montesinos, Rafael. "1 Timothy 4:3-5". DefensaAdventista. 2015
16. Acts 16:1
17. SRoper. "Comment on Acts 15 and 1 Corinthians 8". Puritan Board. November 2013
18. Garland, David E. "The Dispute Over Food Sacrificed to Idols (1 Cor 8:1-11:1)". George W. Truett Theological Seminary. 2015
19. Pastor Doug Batchelor. "How Does Romans 14 Fit With Biblical Direction to Avoid Unclean Meat?". Amazing Facts; visited 2017