24-Questions Regarding Health - NAS

1. Didn't Jesus Say, "It Is Not What Goes into a Man But It's What Goes Out Which Defiles Him?".
Mark 7:18-20 And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, [19] because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is _eliminated_?" (Thus He _declared_ all foods clean.) [20] And He was saying, "That which _proceeds_ out of the man, that is what _defiles_ the man.

2. The New Testament Plainly Tells Us to Keep Our Bodies Undefiled As Temples of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? [20] For you have been _bought_ with a price: _therefore_ _glorify_ God in your body.

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and _that_ is _what_ you are.

1 Corinthians 10:31 _Whether_, then, you eat or drink or _whatever_ you do, do all to the glory of God.

3. The Scriptures Are Consistent in Their Teaching.
They do not tell us to carefully consider what to eat and Drink in one place, and then in another place tell us it doesn't matter what we Drink and eat.

 4. The Pharisees Had Very Strict Laws Regarding Ceremonial Cleanliness.
Mark 7:1 The _Pharisees_ and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from _Jerusalem_,

Mark 7:2 And had seen that some of His _disciples_ were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, _unwashed_.

Mark 7:3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus _observing_ the _traditions_ of the elders;

Mark 7:4 And when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have _received_ in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and _pitchers_ and copper pots.)

Mark 7:5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your _disciples_ not walk according to the _tradition_ of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?"

5. Jesus' Remarks in Mark 7:18-20 Are to Refute This Missunderstanding of the Teachers of That Day.
Mark 7:18-20 And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, [19] because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is _eliminated_?" (Thus He _declared_ all foods clean.) [20] And He was saying, "That which _proceeds_ out of the man, that is what _defiles_ the man.

The object of the discussion in Mark 7 was not the Levitical health laws of Leviticus 11 which were given by a loving God to preserve the health of His people. The discussion was about the Jewish "tradition of the elders" (mark 7:5). The Pharisees believed that to eat with unwashed hands, a person absorbed or took in defilement from the Gentiles. Jesus was not repudiating the health laws which our Lord Himself gave. Instead He was rejecting the idea that a person was ceremonially defiled by touching a Gentile.

In the context of Mark 7, Jesus is saying that "nothing from outside you can produce defilement or sin. " All sin begins in the mind. The Jews rejected God's commandments, to maintain their tradition of exclusiveness (mark 7:9).

The expression "purging all meats" (k. J. V. ) in verse 19 is better translated "purging all foods. " The word is "broma. " No food is ceremonially unclean. No food carries sin within it. Not from without, but from within sin arises (mark 7:21).

Jesus did not promote unclean animals as food. They were scavengers never to be eaten. The issue in Mark 7 is not health as to whether or not to eat unclean animals, but rather ceremonial defilement which the Jews believed came from touching Gentiles, transferring their defilement into themselves through foods into the body.

 6. Didn't Paul Say, "Meat Doesn't Commend Us to God, We Are No Better Or Worse If We Eat It. ".".
1 Corinthians 8:8 But food will not _commend_ us to God; we are _neither_ the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.

7. Didn't He Also Say That We Should Eat Whatever Is Sold in the Market Place?
1 Corinthians 10:25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking _questions_ for _conscience_' sake;

8. Paul Answers the Questions at the Beginning of 1 Corinthians 8.
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now _concerning_ things _sacrificed_ to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.

9. So That No One Will Misunderstand Paul Emphasizes the Same Reason in Verse 4.
1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore _concerning_ the eating of things _sacrificed_ to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.

10. Concerning the Quote From 1 Corinthians 10, Verse 25, Paul Ends His Discussion About Meat Offered to Idols in Verse 28.
1 Corinthians 10:28 But if anyone says to you, "This is meat _sacrificed_ to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for _conscience_' sake;

11. Portions of the Meat Which Were Used in Idol Worship at Pagan Temples in Corinth Were Then Sold in the Market Places.
This led some very strict Jews to become vegetarians.

 12. Note What Paul Said to the Romans.
Romans 14:2-4 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats _vegetables_ only. [3] The one who eats is not to regard with _contempt_ the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. [4] Who are you to judge the _servant_ of _another_? To his own _master_ he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

13. The Issue at Stake Here, Both in Corinth and in Rome, Is Whether It Is Morally Wrong to Eat Meat Offered to Idols.
In the eating of this meat, is a person actually participating in idol worship?

 14. Paul's Response Is That Idols Are Nothing at All.
1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore _concerning_ the eating of things _sacrificed_ to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.

15. However, Paul Does Go on to Address the Idea That Our Liberty May Become a Stumbling Block for Someone Else.
1 Corinthians 8:11-13 For through your _knowledge_ he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. [12] And so, by sinning against the brethren and _wounding_ their _conscience_ when it is weak, you sin against Christ. [13] _Therefore_, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

16. At Stake Here Is Not Unclean Foods But Food Offered to Idols.
Jesus did not come to cleanse pigs. Unclean animals which were unhealthful in the Old Testament are still unhealthful in the New Testament.

 17. The Lord Will Not Withhold Any Good Thing From Us.
Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He _withhold_ from those who walk _uprightly_.

18. Unclean Animals Do Not Fall in the Category of Good Things.
They are scavengers and unfit for food.

 19. Aren't the Health Laws in the Bible Just Jewish Old Testament Rituals Which Christ Did Away with at the Cross?
When Jesus died, He gave His life to redeem mankind. His death did not affect in anyway what was healthy and what was not healthy. It only makes sense that if pork, for example, was unhealthy because it was a scavenger before the cross, it is unhealthy because it is a scavenger after the cross.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Biblical health laws are not for the Jews alone.

When Noah entered the ark, he was instructed to bring the unclean in by twos. Since the clean animals would be eaten due to the shortage of vegetation after the flood, they were brought in by sevens.

In Leviticus 11, God distinguishes between clean and unclean animals for all mankind.

 20. Isaiah Describes Those Who Rebel Against God As Worshipping Idols and Eating Swines Flesh.
Isaiah 65:2-4 "I have spread out My hands all day long to a _rebellious_ people, Who walk in the way which is not good, _following_ their own thoughts, [3] A people who _continually_ provoke Me to My face, Offering _sacrifices_ in gardens and burning incense on bricks; [4] Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places; Who eat swine's flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.

The prophet Isaiah reveals the results of rebellion as destroying those who eat unclean animals.

God knows best. He wants for us to be in good health. He invites us to give up anything that will harm our body temple in which He want to dwell.

 21. Since God Told Noah, "Every Moving Thing Which Liveth Shall Be Meat for You," Isn't It Permissible to Eat Whatever We Want?
Genesis 9:3 "Every _moving_ thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green _plant_.

Genesis 7:2 "You shall take with you of every clean animal by _sevens_, a male and his female; and of the _animals_ that are not clean two, a male and his female;

We might ask, "was God giving Noah permission to eat snakes, rats, alligators, lizards, worms, and cockroaches? Certainly not! Noah already knew the difference between clean and unclean foods.

God was simply making a statement. Noah, you may now eat flesh foods.

The evidence is that God clearly forbade unclean animals later in both Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

 22. God Does Not Change.
Psalms 89:34 "My _covenant_ I will not violate, Nor will I alter the _utterance_ of My lips.

Malachi 3:6 "For I, the LORD, do not change; _therefore_ you, O sons of Jacob, are not _consumed_.

23. Since God Does Not Change, Would He Give Permission to Noah to Do Something He Forbade Moses to Do?

All of God's Laws Including Those Relating to Health Were Given in Love to Reduce Disease and Increase Happiness.

Exodus 15:26 And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His _commandments_, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the _diseases_ on you which I have put on the _Egyptians_; for I, the LORD, am your healer."

Many in the scientific community recognize that the health principles of the Bible can significantly assist in reducing heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. God's ways are best.

 24. Doesn't the Bible Say to Beware of Those Who Command You to Abstain From Meat?
1 Timothy 4:3 Men who forbid marriage and advocate _abstaining_ from foods which God has created to be _gratefully_ shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, "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;

This passage describes a group who depart from the Biblical faith in the last days. According To Timothy 4:3, they teach twin errors. This group forbids marriage and commands to abstain from meats (k. J. V. ) or foods (greek: broma) which God has created to be received with thanksgiving. The word meat (k. J. V. ) refers not to animals in particular, but food in general. The same word is used in the Greek version of the Old Testament in Genesis 1:29.

The Greek word broma, could as well be translated as food, rather than meat. Meat was an old English term that was used for food.

Throughout the centuries, certain ascetics, monks, and priests have declared the world as evil. Both marriage and food are created by God. They are both part of God's good plan for the human race.

According to 1 Timothy 4:4, 5, those creatures sanctified by the word of God are good and not to be refused when received with thanksgiving. Paul here is arguing against the fanaticism which declares all physical pleasure as evil.

God desires that His creatures heartily enjoy the food He has created for them. The issue here is not clean or unclean foods, but whether food itself is part of the material world and to be rejected through a monastic life. Paul says no! God's creation is good.

 25. What Difference Does It Make As to What We Eat and Drink? Isn't God Interested Only in Our Spirituality?
Human beings are a unit. Whatever affects the physical also affects the mental and the spiritual faculties. Our physical habits affect the quality of blood which passes through the brain. A poor quality of blood supplied to the brain makes one less capable of comprehending spiritual truth.

 26. Paul Says This About Body and the Spirit:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be _preserved_ _complete_, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, _acceptable_ to God, which is your _spiritual_ service of worship.

27. John Adds This:
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all _respects_ you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul _prospers_.

Next Bible Study: 25-State of the Dead

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