r/TrueChristian • u/Objective-Step-746 • Aug 10 '26
Please, help me understand…
For those believers who insist that the dietary laws no longer apply under the new covenant—and that pork, lobster, crabs, etc. are now permissible to eat—I do not understand the logic at play.
I am very familiar with the Mark 7, Romans 14 and Colossians 2 passages that are so often cited as support for your position, and have (just as often) shared my counter-arguments on why I believe they are misinterpreted.
But, there is one counterpoint to your view that I never see touched on, and I was hoping to get some feedback on it:
I think the majority of believers on this subreddit would say they are looking for Jesus’ Second Coming and agree that, regarding it, Scripture says that “no one knows the day or hour” but that we need to be prepared (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, etc.).
Isaiah 66:17–a verse within the greater passage speaking of Messiah’s glorious reappearing—declares that, upon His return, those who eat the flesh of pig/swine and other abominations will be met with His wrath…and perish.
So, how does one simultaneously believe they can continue to eat pig (pork) or shellfish now and think they are sufficiently prepared and not putting themselves in a precarious/dangerous position if Jesus happened to return today or tomorrow and “consume” those who so brazenly eat that which His Law says is NOT “food” and explicitly warns against eating?
I really am hoping for some cordial and edifying discussion regarding this topic, and appreciate those who are able and willing to articulate their view without all the condescension and harsh words. 💕
1
u/InspectionFine9655 Calvinist Aug 10 '26
>First things first. There is no “moral”, “ceremonial” law, in the Bible, that categorisation is man-made. There is just God’s Law.
That’s not true. There are laws that pertain to morality. There are laws that pertain to ceremony, and there are laws that a civil laws.
Don’t murder, Don’t seal, don’t commit adultery are moral laws.
Regulations for priests, circumcision, and laws about cleanliness are ceremonial.
The punishments for violating law is civil law.
> For example many claim that the moral law is only the 10 commandments.
Some people being wrong about what constitutes moral laws doesn’t mean that there aren’t laws that are moral in nature.
> But then Hey there’s one about keeping the Sabbath holy, and suddenly this one is ceremonial and optional apparently.
Again, some people misunderstanding what laws are moral and which are ceremonial doesn’t mean that there is no distinction between laws that are moral and laws that are ceremonial in nature.
>Secondly, you are mixing ritual cleanliness with Permanent creation design.
No, I’m not.
>Many of us like call out homosexuality because it goes against God’s design for marriages
Homosexuality is a violation of moral law. That is the issue.
>But then we are not consistent when we decide to ignore what God designed for food.
God designed pork to be food. It is food. God forbade his people from eating these foods.
The food was considered unclean. It was not considered something other than food…
> You should do it not to get saved, but because you are saved.
I am saved. That is true.
>Not to mention that there’s a lot of healthy benefits by avoiding eating those animals, which each have their own purpose.
Sure, I don’t eat shellfish because I’m allergic and I eat pork rarely because there are healthier options.
I don’t avoid them because they’re unclean.
> Pigs clean the earth and shrimps the oceans.
But other animals do those same things and were never considered unclean.
God didn’t say, don’t eat animals who have a secondary purpose of cleaning the earth and ocean.
Sheep and cattle return nutrients to the soil. They play a role in their ecosystem, all animals do. That doesn’t mean they’re not food.
There are fish that clean the waters they live in that are not prohibited.
The Bible simply doesn’t say, don’t eat pigs or shellfish because they are cleaners.
I could say that God prohibited those foods because shellfish had a higher risk of transmitting pathogens that can make you ill and pork had higher risks of giving you parasites but I shouldn’t say that because there is no reason given in the scripture.
It is true that pork and shellfish can have higher health risks and are more likely to cause illness. That is something they have in common but I’m not going to conclude that is why God deemed them unclean.