Various Scriptures Used To Say The Dietary Instructions Are No Longer Valid

I am not going to address Act 10 since I have written a lengthy blog about that already but I am going to look at these little verses in the Bible that seem to specifically talk about food that I have also used to justify doing away with YAHWEH's dietary instructions. 

Math 15:1-3,11

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 

It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, that defiles the person.

I find it works best for me not to approach any passage in the Bible with the assumption that somewhere else the Bible clearly explains that God's Torah has been done away with, but to just take each passage on its own. In the passage where Jesus says that its not what a man eats that makes him unclean the topic in question is ritual washing of hands. The Pharisees ask about a Rabbinical law, the ritual washing of hands before eating , which is not found in God's Torah, and Jesus response corrects then and through out the chapter he constanly rebukes them for obeying man made rules instead of obeying God's Torah.

In context I cannot find any way to use this passage to say that Jesus taught we are not supposed to follow God's Torah, especially since He even affirms it by telling the Pharisees not to break it. Jesus statement about not being unclean in context is saying that eating with unwashed hands does not make you unclean. For me to make it say more than that is to insert my own predetermined beliefs.

Col 2:16 

Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day--

Repeating my mindset, I cannot apporach this passage with a predetermined view that somewhere else in the Bible there is a clear teaching that Torah has been done away with. What is this letter and passage about. Also since this is a letter from Paul it is helpful to know what is Pauls mindset toward the Torah

Here are just a few references of Paul’s attitude toward the Torah

Acts 21:24“...Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself [Paul]  are living in obedience to the Torah.”

Acts 24:14.Paul testifies he agrees with everything in the law and the prophets as mentioned in  “... I believe everything that agrees with the Torah and that is written in the Prophets,”

Paul’s writings were deep (very deep), so much so that they created confusion for many. In fact, he was falsely accused of preaching against Moses, of which Paul in Acts 24 went out of his way to disprove.

Acts 21:21 They have heard that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to that prescribed by law (ethos) .

 An accusation that is still being spread about Paul today.  In 2 Pet 3, Peter warned against those who misrepresent Paul to mean lawlessness, so I want to be careful before I accuse Paul of opposing the Torah. 2Pe 3:16-17 ..in all his letters,.., in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore,  you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.

So now I want to go through the train of thought in this chapter

Col 2:14-23 

having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that are to come; which the reality,  is found in the Messiah. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:  "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?  These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Having the whole context of this passage I do not think that Paul , (who kept the Sabbaths and the Festivals) would classify YAHWEH's instructions as rules belonging to this world, taught by those who worship angels, human commands. There no clear teaching in this passage that the Torah is done away with or why. It is more likely and consistent that Colosse being a very large very pagan city, Paul is encouraging the minority believers to not feel bad if you are riducled for following the the Torah. As Jews/Believers were riducled all through time.  Yes the Sabbath and the Festivals are shadows of things to come. They are given to us to teach us and forewhasow what is to come. In the Messiah we find the reality and taste of the future age. In some ways Jesus took the future and started invading our present with the future. But the fullfillment of the Sabbath's and the Festivals is not yet come. 

Rom 14:14  

I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of food (broma), you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your food (broma) destroy someone for whom Christ died.

That verse by itself does not teach against the Dietary laws. The greek word for food - broma is never used to describe animals that are forbidden so there is no reason to assume that is what it means here. For the intended audience of this letter food  would be what God’s Word already defines as food according to Leviticus 11. There would be no reason for these believers to all of a sudden to start eating what God has not described as food in His word and the context of this letter clearly shows that the argument that was going on in Rome was eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. The argument was not over eating beef or pork. In order to make that argument I would have to come to this passage with the assumption that somewhere else in the Bible there was a clear teaching that said Gods' Instructions have been done away with and I would expect Paul to reference it or restate and explain the reasons to the Romans. Otherwise I am just making these verses say whatever I want them to say. 

The debate that happened here in Rome and at other places in the scriptures was always about someone trying to twist that what God's Word said we could eat had somehow become unclean, either by not washing your hands or where you bought it from or the cups or plate were not clean, or you will be more spiritual, etc. Also, at the beginning of this chapter Paul clearly said he was going to address arguments over opinions or doubtful matters. I do not believe Paul would put YAHWEH's Instructions in that category. 

Heb 9:9-10 

"This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order."

Hebrews chapter 9 is all about the sacrifice of the Messiah fulfilling the symbolism of the temple sacrifices. YAHWEH's dietary instructions are not the topic and this is clearly not a teaching that YAHWEH's instructions about food has been done away with. 

Heb 13:9 

Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

Immediately I feel that Paul would never classify YAHWEH's words as "varied and strange teachings". 

Chapter 13 Paul is summarizing things he talked about in his letter. This obviously refers back to people twisting God's words. There is no way to make this into a clear teaching that YAHWEH's Instructions about food have been done away with.

These next versus about food I think a very self expanatory. None of them consititute a clear teaching that YAHWEH has changed His mind on what He wants His creation to eat.  

1Co 8:8  

But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

1Co 8:13  

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

1Ti 4:3 

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

I examined Acts 10 in a seperate blog and found it was not a teaching about changing what is food we should eat. I cannot find a clear teaching anywhere in the Bible that does that. I think the reason I thought YAHWEH had changed His mind about His dietary instructions comes from the my larger assumption that YAHWEH had changed His mind about all of His Instructions (Torah). I know that seems very inconsistent and contradictory to the same belief I carried that YAHWEH is the same yesterday, today and forever. But I have not yet found a clear teaching that the Torah has been done away with. I have found clear teachings that the curse of breaking the Torah has been done away with. I have found clear teachings that trying to keep the Torah will never save me. I do find in Ezekial (11:19-20 and 36:26-27)  that the new covenant will give me a new heart that will make me want to keep YAHWEH's Torah and I do read scriptures that say if I love YAHWEH,  I will keep His commanments, not for salvation but in the ways a child obeys their parent because they love and trust them. 

This is the journey I am on, to determine if the assumption in Christianity, that I was born into and have held all my life,  has any Biblical basis and where is this assumption clearly taught in the Bible. This assumption was so strong that I never once questioned it. No preacher at any Chruch I have ever been to has ever questioned this assumption. This assumption is woven so deep into my brain and life and environment that even questioning it makes me nervous and makes those around me think I have gone off the deep end. But once I began to sincerely question that assumption and put real effort into studying God's word, that assumption has began to crumble and I am beginning to see God's word in a whole different much more consistent way. Stories and themes from the Old Testament mesh and open up whole new understanding in the New Testament. Its a great jopurney and I invite you to participate with me, with your insights and questions and comments. 

Shalom

YAHWEH bless you, and keep you  Num 6:24