 About the Bible and Good Health
What is God's wish for everyone? "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health". 3 John 2 What has God promised to do for His people if they will obey Him? "And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee". Exodus 23:25 As our creator, what does God claim as His property? "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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's". 1.Corinthians 6:19,20 What warning has God issued regarding the care of the body? "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are". 1.Corinthians 3:16,17 Does the Bible advise against the use of alcoholic beverages? a. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise". Proverbs 20:1 b. "Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aught. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder". Proverbs 23:31,32 c. "Nor thieves... nor drunkards... shall inherit the kingdom of God'. 1.Corinthians 6:10 What was God's original plan for man's diet? "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you". Genesis 1:29 (New American Standard Version) Note: God's original diet for man included grains, nuts, fruits and herbs (vegetables). Flesh food was not included in man's diet until after the flood (Genesis 9:1-3). When flesh foods became part of man's diet, his life span was greatly shortened! What distinction or division did God make between the animals when He sent them into Noah's ark? "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female". Genesis 7:2 What is God's definition of a "clean" animal? "And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat". Leviticus 11:1-3 What are some of the animals God lists as "unclean" and unfit for food? "However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses". Deuteronomy 14:7,8 (New International Version) Note: In other words, animals of the field must pass these two tests. Evidently there is something unwholesome about animals that do not pass these tests or God would not withhold them from us, for "no good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly". Psalm 84:11. What about seafood and fish? "These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you". Leviticus 11:9,10 Are there "clean" and "unclean" fowl? "You may eat any clean bird. But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the homed owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat". Deuteronomy 14:11-18 (New International Version) Years after Peter became a Christian, he received a vision from God. In his vision, he saw a great sheet descend from heaven filled with unclean animals and heard a voice saying to him, "Rise, Peter; kill, and eat." What did Peter reveal about his diet? "I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean". Acts 10:14 Note: Peter did NOT change his diet when he became a Christian. He observed the dietary laws of the Old Testament. What was not clear to Peter after he had received this strange vision? "Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean". Acts 10:17 Two days later, what did Peter finally understand was the meaning of his strange vision? "God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean". Acts 10:28 (NKJV) Note: In the eyes of a Jew, a Gentile was an unclean human being, and Jews were taught not to associate with Gentiles. This vision was the means God used to convince Peter that it was now time to take the gospel message to the Gentiles. Some Christians use Chapter 10 of Acts, especially verse 15, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common", as license for eating unclean animals. However, a careful reading of the vision reveals that God told Peter not to treat any human being as unclean or common. The human stomach, is the same whether Jew or Gentile! God's dietary laws have never changed. |
|
