What Foods Are Christians Permitted to Eat?

Despite the large number of Christians around the world, believers are divided among many denominations, often holding different views on matters of faith and practice, including the question of which foods Christians may or may not eat.

While many Christians believe that all foods may be eaten, others maintain that God’s distinction between clean and unclean foods remains relevant. This raises an important question: Does the Bible permit Christians to eat all kinds of food, or are there certain foods that God still instructs His people to avoid?

The World Mission Society Church of God believes in the second coming of Christ, Ahnsahnghong and God the Mother, who teach us that to enter heaven we must keep the Passover and follow the law of New Covenant which Jesus established for our salvation.

Among the teachings of the New Covenant, there is the teaching about what kind of food we are permitted to eat and which foods we are to avoid. One by one, let us study about this matter.

The Teachings About Food in the Old Testament

The Bible contains many of God’s teachings, and we must obey the words of God as they are given, without adding to or subtracting from them.

Revelation 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

The true meaning of obedience is following God’s Word as He has given it to us, which includes the teachings about food. When we consider God’s Word as absolute and follow it absolutely, we learn to live according to His will and develop a greater faith allowing us to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Then, what did God say about food in each age? First, let us start with the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

God instructed Adam and Eve to eat the fruits and vegetables He had provided for them. In the beginning, obedience to God’s Word meant eating only what He had granted them, rather than meat. Their diet reflected God’s original instruction and served as an expression of their obedience to His will.

As time passed, God gave a different command to Noah.

Genesis 9:3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

After the flood, God instructed Noah that he could eat not only fruits and vegetables but also meat. From that point onward, obedience to God’s Word no longer meant eating only plant-based foods. It meant following God’s Word, which included eating meat as part of the diet He allowed to Noah.

For more than a thousand years, eating only fruits and vegetables had been the way to obey God’s command. But what if Noah had insisted on following the earlier instruction and refused to eat meat after God permitted it? Could he have expected to receive God’s grace and blessing while rejecting the instruction God had given for that time?

This serves as an example for us today. We are called to obey God’s teachings as He gives them, rather than holding on to teachings that were given for a different age.

At the time of Moses, God established different regulations regarding food.

Leviticus 11:2-3 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

During the time of Moses, God divided animals into two categories: clean and unclean. The Israelites were permitted to eat only the clean animals. Among land animals, those considered clean were those that had a divided hoof and chewed the cud.

In Noah’s time, God permitted His people to eat all kinds of animals. However, during the time of Moses, God instructed His people not to eat unclean animals. So, how could God’s people demonstrate their obedience to His Word in that age? By following God’s command and eating only the animals He had declared clean.

Why Do Most Churches Say We Cannot Eat Pork?

According to the Law of Moses, pigs were considered unclean animals and were therefore not to be eaten by God’s people.

Leviticus 11:7-8 And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

Today, many churches continue to follow this teaching, believing that God’s people should abstain from eating pork. Some also point to concerns about pigs being unhygienic animals as an additional reason for avoiding their meat.

If this were the case, how should we understand Peter’s vision in the book of Acts, where God declared that what He had made clean should no longer be considered unclean? The vision clearly shows us that God’s instructions regarding food had changed and that all foods are now to be received with thanksgiving.

Acts 10:10-12,14-15 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

Until that time, Peter was still following the Law of Moses, which distinguished between clean and unclean animals. For this reason, he initially refused to eat what he considered unclean when shown in the vision.

However, the passage in the New Testament is commonly understood to emphasise that God was teaching Peter a deeper lesson about what He has made clean. Obedience now means we should eat all kinds of food without distinguishing between clean and unclean.

Then, what if someone holds on to these teachings, insisting that this is the will of God?

1 Timothy 4:1-4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 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. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

Some Christians interpret teachings about food in different ways, and this has led to varying practices among churches today. From this perspective, obedience to God’s Word means following what He has revealed for His people in each age, rather than holding onto earlier instructions without considering how God’s teaching should be put into practice in the New Testament.

What Three Foods Should Christians Avoid?

God who had provided different regulations about food in each age, gave another regulation in the New Testament.

Acts 15:28-29 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

In the New Testament time, God allowed us to eat everything except food sacrificed to idols, blood and the meat of strangled animals. We can now eat even the unclean foods which were forbidden for about 1500 years from the time of Moses.

So what mindset should we have today? Like Peter, we are called to set aside our own thoughts and faithfully carry out what God commands us to do. Obedience means aligning ourselves with God’s instruction as it is understood in our present time.

If we hold on to teachings from a prior age simply because this is what we learned to be correct, then we are at risk of disobeying the word of God and not receiving God’s ultimate blessing of salvation.

If you have any questions about what Christians can eat or any other Bible related questions, please visit the nearest Church of God branch to have a full Bible study so we can understand God’s will fully and enter the Kingdom of Heaven together.