When having a discussion with someone, especially one who denies that the Bible should be our Guide in life, you may have heard the following: “Oh yeah? Well, the Bible also says you’re not supposed to eat pork or shellfish! How about that?” Those who make this argument think that they have found some contradiction in the life of the Christian, thus freeing them from having to follow God’s Word. While we know that this isn’t quite how it works, what about the argument that we shouldn’t eat pork or shellfish, and other dietary requirements for Christians?
The argument about those dietary restrictions comes from the book of Leviticus, specifically chapter 11 (but they probably don’t know that). In the first section of Leviticus 11, God’s message to the Jewish people was that they were to abstain from any animal that does not 1. Have divided hooves and 2. Chew the cud (Lev. 11:3-4). Some examples that are given are camels, rabbits, and yes, pigs. Further in the chapter, God tells them that of all things that live in the water, they can only eat the things that have fins and scales (Lev. 11:9-12). This would include shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and even catfish, among others. Through the rest of the chapter, God tells them about other birds, bugs, mammals, and reptiles that they were not to eat.
What does this mean for Christians? Ultimately, nothing. Sure, we can look at this passage and others like it and see that God cares about details and our obedience to those details, but we are not bound to this Old Testament law just like we are not bound to any other Old Testament law (Heb. 9:15-17). Some people say, “Well, that’s a convenient excuse!” when in reality, it is not an excuse at all. When we rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15), we can see that these dietary restrictions were only valid under the Mosaic law.
What are the dietary restrictions for Christians? 1st Timothy 4:3-5 and Acts 10:13-15 tell us that everything that God has created can be enjoyed. That’s right, the only dietary restrictions that you have as a Christian are the ones that your doctor has told you to follow (kind of joking). 1st Timothy 4:4-5 tells us that all food is acceptable when it is received with thankfulness and prayer. While we should be mindful of what we eat and be good stewards of the bodies and health with which God has blessed us, there are no restrictions to what we can eat as Christians.
