Clean and Unclean is a creation issue, not a Jewish issue.
We know the unclean animal issue is a creation issue because before there was ever a Jew living on the earth, God told Noah to make a distinction between clean and unclean animals.
Genesis 7:2-3 You shall take with you seven pairs of every clean animal, a male and his female; one pair of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
Notice how there were seven pairs of the clean animals, a male and female and only one pair of every unclean animal, a male and a female. That means Noah didn't eat unclean animals because if he did, that species of animal would ceases to exist at that point. Why? Because there were only one pair of every unclean animal, a male and a female. If Noah ate the male or the female that would put an end to that particular species so we know Noah didn't eat unclean animals.
Moving forward, God gives us instruction in the form of laws identifying the kinds of animals we can eat as food and the kind of animals we are not to eat as food.
Leviticus 11:1-2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
These animals that are not to be eaten will cause us to become unclean in the eyes of God.
Leviticus 11:44 I am the LORD your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy. You are not to make yourselves unclean with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
Let me give you an example: Bread is food, a rock is not food. Fish is food, a snake is not food.
Matthew 7:9-10 Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
Why isn’t a snake food? Because like a rock, it’s not food, so it’s unclean, even though some cultures eat snakes does not mean it’s classified as food by God. Some cultures make pudding out of blood and eat it as food. Eating or drinking blood is forbidden by God.
How about this?
Colossians 2:16 Therefore, let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.
Do you think Paul was including pig or blood when he said, “Food and Drink”? No, he would never include blood or pig as food, pig is unclean and we are forbidden to eat or drink blood. This means when he says, “Therefore, do not let anyone judge you in food or drink, you can’t say, “See, we can eat pig now”. Pig is not food, nor was it ever called, food.
Matthew 7:6 Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs!
The laws of God were created for all people to abide by, not just the Jewsih people.
Leviticus 24:22 The same law applies whether they are an outsider or an Israelite. I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 12:49 The same law applies to Israelite and to outsiders living among you.
Numbers 9:14 What if there is an outsider living among you? And what if they want to celebrate the Lord’s Passover? Then they must obey its rules and laws. You must have the same laws for outsiders as you do for the Israelite.
Also, we have to remember that Messiah was a Jew who lived as a Jew in everything He did. He would have been keeping the Sabbath, celebrating the Feast Days and eating only clean animals. If Messiah didn't obey Torah, He would have sinned and would have become unacceptable as the perfect sacrifice for our sin, and remember, He's our example.
1 John 2:6 Those who say they live in God should walk as Jesus walked.
We must practice righteousness, just like Messiah was righteous. Why? Because we are born of Him.
1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
We don't practice righteousness in order to become righteous, but rather, we practice righteousness because we are righteous.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
It's important to follow Messiah because we have warning in Scripture from God that when His Son returns He's coming with flames of fire to destroy those who practice lawlessness, which means they refuse to obey Torah.
Matthew 13:39-42 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
All the wicked will be consumed by fire when Messiah returns, this will include those who eat unclean.
Isaiah 66:15-17 For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with swift chariots of doom to pour out the fury of his anger and his hot rebuke with flames of fire. For the Lord will punish the world by fire and by his sword, and the slain of the Lord shall be many! Those who worship idols that are hidden behind a tree in the garden, feasting there on pork and mouse and all forbidden meat shall be consumed together,” says the Lord.
No unclean person will be part of God's Kingdom.
Ephesians 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Is it a sin to eat meat sacrificed to an idol?
1 Corinthians 10:27-30 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal, and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake— that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.
When we read 1 Corinthians 10:27-30 we find that eating meat offered to an idol is not a sin because the idol is not a real god, although, if the person you are with is a weak believer we should not eat the meat, not for our conscience sake but for the sake of the weak believer.
Now read Acts 15:20, Acts 15:29, Revelation 2:20 and Revelation 2:14 because when you read these verses we find that eating meat offered to idols is sinful for us.
Acts 15:20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
Acts 15:29 that you abstain from things offered to idols.
Revelation 2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
There seems to be a contradiction in the Scriptures, but there isn't.
Many of the Gentiles, like many people today, dabble in things that are not real, but then there are those who really are into the occult and witchcraft.
If someone offers an animal to an idol the idol is not really anything, but if the person is actually offering the animal to a real life Demon, we are not to eat that meat because it was offered to a true Demon.
1 Corinthians 10:19-22 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?
So, know that there is a difference between offering an animal to an idol and actually offering an animal to a real life Demon.
A good rule to live by is if the animal is a clean animal it's better not to ask any questions about the meat at the dinner table or that which is sold at the market, that way you will have no knowledge of the meat's history and your conscience will be clear.
1 Corinthians 10:25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’s sake.
Has the word of God become doctrines of demons?
1 Timothy 4:1-5 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it's received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer"
Many people have been taught to read the above verse as saying that when someone tells you to abstain from eating unclean animals, it's a doctrine of demons.
The key to understanding the above verse is in the word, (food). In the original language the word (food) is the word (broma) which means, animals that can be eaten.
Strong's G1033 brōma that which is eaten, food.
Not all animals are in the broma category, it's the word of God that defines what broma is. We find God's distinction between animals that are food and animals that are not food in the Torah.
Leviticus 11:1-2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
God did in fact create some animals to be used as food, so to tell people to abstain from eating the animals that God created to be eaten is in fact a doctrine of demons because God never said not to eat them, just like God never said not to get married. In fact, God says it's a blessing to be married.
Proverbs 18:22 The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.
Now notice what Timothy goes on to say about doctrines of demons, "Commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it's received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer".
Nothing is to be refuse because if it's sanctified by the word of God. The word, (sanctified) means, to set apart or to make a distinction. Does the word of God make a distinction between animals? Yes, a distinction is made between the clean and unclean. So yes, all food (broma) is to be received with thanksgiving when it's set apart by God as food.
Leviticus 11:1-2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
It's when we stop making a distinction between the holy and unholy, and between the clean and unclean, that God has a problem with His people.
Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
Don't be deceived, the real doctrine of demons is when your pastor tells you that eating unclean is good, the Sabbath is no longer God's holy day and marriage is forbidden because in the end, those who practice lawlessness will be destroyed when Messiah comes back with flaming fire to judge the world in righteousness.
Acts 17:30-31 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Matthew 13:40-42 Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Isaiah 66:15-17 For see, the Lord will come with fire and with swift chariots of doom to pour out the fury of his anger and his hot rebuke with flames of fire. For the Lord will punish the world by fire and by his sword, and the slain of the Lord shall be many! Those who worship idols that are hidden behind a tree in the garden, feasting there on pork and mouse and all forbidden meat. They shall be consumed together, says the Lord.
Did Messiah say we can now eat unclean animals?
Eating only clean animals is still God’s will for His people today.
Eating only clean animals is really about what is considered food and what is not considered food.
Leviticus 11:1-2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
When we knowingly eat unclean animals, in spite of knowing that God forbids it, we become unclean to Him.
Leviticus 11:44 I am the LORD your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy. You are not to make yourselves unclean with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
When we willfully eat what is unclean, we become unclean to God, and no unclean person will have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
There are only a couple of verses that people use to support a Babylonian belief system of eating unclean that was created by the Papacy. Today we will only cover the one that is found in Messiah’s statement in Mark 7:18-20.
Mark 7:18-23 ‘Are you so dull?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.’ (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from inside and make a person unclean.”
They use the fact that Messiah said, “Jesus declared all foods clean”. These words of Messiah are not actually in the Bible, they were added but either way, I like the fact that Messiah says all food is clean because it's true, all food is clean. The problem is that not all animals are considered food in God's economy.
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.
We can get a clearer understanding of the fact that not all things are considered food by reading Matthew 7:9-10.
Matthew 7:9-10 What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake?
How about this one?
Luke 11:11-12 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
Bread is food, a stone is not. A fish is food, but a scorpion is not and neither is a snake, even though some people today eat snakes and scorpions does not mean snakes and scorpions are food, according to God. In the same way some people today eat pigs, dogs, cats and all sorts of things does not mean they're food, according to God.
Leviticus 11:1-2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
What was Messiah really teaching His followers in Mark 7:18-23?
First of all, the food topic was about bread, not pig, bread is food, so to make an issue out of eating bread is wrong. The real issue the Pharisees had was the fact that the disciples were not washing their hands before eating, which was a rule according to the traditions of the elders, not God.
Matthew 15:2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Eating with unwashed hands won't make you unclean, but eating a pig will.
Matthew 15:20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man"
2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord and do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
When you wash your hands, you are washing dirt off, which is a good idea, but dirt is not something that will make you unclean in the eyes of God, but eating what God calls unclean will. This is very important to understand because this is what Messiah was teaching us in His lesson.
When Messiah says, “It's what comes out of the heart that defiles a man because it comes from within” He was teaching a very significant lesson to His followers.
Let me explain.
God is looking for people to obey Him from the heart.
Romans 6:17 But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.
God’s law is written on the heart of His people, so we live by what God said, not by the traditions of men, no matter how religious they seem to be.
Mark 7:7 Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were my laws.
God’s law makes a distinction between what is food and what is not food. This distinction is written in our heart as information about God’s will for His people. This is what we use to define righteousness and godliness. It’s very important to stick to what God has said and not to man-made religious rules. This is what Messiah was teaching us in His lesson.
Now here is the essential thing to grasp from all this. We know the pig is unclean because God said it is, and this information is written in His law and on our heart. If I eat pork by accident, it won’t make me unclean because my behavior didn’t come from the heart in the form of disobedience.
Let me give you another example:
Let’s say that you’ve been taking a certain vitamin for years, not knowing that the capsule of the vitamin is made from shellfish. In the eyes of God, you are not unclean because it’s not disobedience coming from the heart, so it won’t defile you. To be unclean in the eyes of God it has to be something that makes us unclean, and it has to be something that we knowingly do, even if we know it will make us unclean, it's not just the fact that it goes into our mouth that it defiles us.
John 9:41 "If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But your guilt remains because you claim to know what you are doing.
Let me give you another example:
1 Corinthians 10:27-30 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal, and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake— that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.
If you’re invited to a person’s house, who is not a believer, and they put a piece of meat in front of you, don’t ask any questions about the meat because once you learn that it's unclean, you are accountable to God. This is not saying that if the unbeliever puts cooked pig's feet in front of you, you eat it. Don’t eat pig because a pig itself tells you what kind of meat it is and pig, according to God, is unclean.
Matthew 7:6 Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs!
The Portuguese people eat what is called, Blood Pudding. It's made from blood. Should we eat a bowl of blood?
Acts 15:20 but write to them and tell them not to eat things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating things strangled, and from eating blood.
Our heart is where the conscience is, which governs our behavior as defined by God’s law and the teachings of Messiah. Our job is to keep our conscience clear of any offense between God or man.
Acts 24:15- 16 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.
The best thing to do is to tell your friend, before you go to his house to eat, that you eat a biblical diet. This could also open the door to answer his questions and lead him to truth.
Did God tell Peter to eat unclean animals?
Many people believe God told Peter to eat unclean animals because of what they have been taught to read in Acts 10:9-13.
Acts 10:9-13 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
People have been taught to read into the text that the sheet contained all unclean animals, but this is not true. Nowhere in the text does it say the sheet was full of unclean animals.
When you read the context of the verses, and what God was teaching Peter, you will find that the sheet contained both clean and unclean animals. It had to contain both clean and unclean animals because of the lesson that God was about to teach Peter.
We also know the sheet had both clean and unclean animals by how Peter responded in verse 14.
Acts 10:13-14 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
Notice how Peter uses two different Greek words in response to God telling him to kill and eat. The word (common) is the Greek word (Koinos) and the word (unclean) is the Greek word (Akathartos). These two Greek words have two different meanings.
The word (Koinos/common) is used for an animal that was created clean, but it became unclean for some reason. The word, (Akathartos/unclean) is used for an animal that was created unclean, such as a pig.
Remember, the whole topic of the lesson God was teaching Peter was not to call a Gentile unclean after God made them clean.
The sheet contained both clean and unclean animals and Peter, being a Jew, understood that if an unclean thing touches a clean thing they both become unclean.
Numbers 19:22 Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.
This is the mindset the Jews had in their relationship with unclean Gentiles.
Acts 10:28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you.
In the New Covenant, Gentiles are going to be grafted into the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13, Romans 11), so Peter needed to be taught that if God calls a Gentile clean, Peter was not to call them, unclean. This was the whole topic of discussion, not that eating a pig was now okay.
As you read the entire context, you begin to see Peter's thought process and how it took him a little time to understand what God was teaching him.
Take your time to read the context and see Peter coming to realize what God was teaching him. Peter never came to the conclusion that eating pig was now okay. We know this when we read Peter's retelling of the story in the end.
Acts 10:1-29 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa. The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common (koinoo) or unclean (akathartos).” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common (koinos).” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him,“Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?” And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. Then Peter said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to a Gentile's home but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean, therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”
Now pay attention because Peter retells the story again to his Jewish brothers, and again he does not say anything about how eating pig is now okay, if he did, those Jewish brothers would have made an uproar.
Acts 11:1-18 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!” But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
It's very important to understand the difference between Koinos and Akathartos because one has more to do with a weak conscience and the other has to do with God's law.
Let me give you an example.
A pig is Akathartos, which means it will never be clean because it was created by God as unclean whereas Koinos was created clean, but it became unclean such as a cow. A cow is clean, but if it was sacrificed to an idol, then it becomes Koinos to the conscience of the one who believes an idol is a god.
Now here is the problem, many of the verses in today's Bibles translate both Koinos and Akathartos as unclean, so you miss the meaning when you read the verse in English.
Let me give you an example.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord and do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
The word, (unclean) in the above verse is the word (Akathartos), which means the unclean thing is referring to something that was created unclean.
The word (Koinos) really has to do with the conscience of a weak believer. Something is unclean (Koinos) to them not because God's law said it was unclean, but rather, because they believe it's wrong, so it's unclean to them.
Let me give you an example.
Let's say that I'm an animal rights activist, so I believe that killing an animal, for any reason, is wrong. This means I believe eating meat is a sin. To them, a steak is unclean (Koinos) to them.
How about this?
Let's say I believe celebrating a birthday is sinful so birthday parties are (Koinos) to me.
What if I believe Sunday is the Lord's day so if I don't keep Sunday holy I feel guilty before God.
How about this?
I believe drinking wine is a sin so when I see you doing it, I view you as sinning so you are (Koinos) to me.
Birthdays are sinful, drinking wine is wrong and Sunday is the Lord's day have nothing to with a commandment of God so people who believe they are commandments of God become (Koinos) when they get involved with them. This is because they are weak believers. Paul deals with this topic of weak believers struggling with things that are (Koinos) in Romans 14:1-13.
As you read the context, pay close attention to the fact that Paul is talking about weak believers. These people are weak because they are being convicted by things that God never said we should be convicted about. This has to do with things that are (Koinos) not (Akathartos).
Before you start, I want to point out an important fact in verse 14. The word for unclean in verse 14 is the word, (Koinos). This means the unclean thing is a conscience issue of the weak believer, not a commandment of God. He is not saying, "If you believe pig is unclean then it's unclen to you". If the word was, (Akathartos) then you might be able to make that argument.
Romans 14:14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean (koinos). of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean (koinos).
What Paul is saying is that if you believe drinking wine is a sin, then drinking wine is sin for you.
Now read the entire context because the conscience of believers in the New Covenant is very important to God.
Romans 14:1-23 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one man believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean (koinos), to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
Our relationship with God is based on keeping our conscience clean by not violating God's law as defined by Torah through Messiah.
Acts 24: 14-16 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a cult. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Torah and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
If we do things in direct violation to our conscience knowing that what we are doing is forbidden by God we will be destroy by the fire of God's wrath when Messiah returns to destroy those who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS and this includes those who secretly eat pig knowing that it's a sin.
Isaiah 66:15-17 For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword the Lord will judge all flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall be many. Those who worship idols that are hidden behind a tree in the garden, feasting there on pork and mouse and all forbidden meat—they will be consumed together says the Lord.
Matthew 13:40-42 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
God is preparing a people for His coming Kingdom. He's giving us all the answers to the test. If we want to be part of His Kingdom we will need to hate what God hates and love what God loves or we will never make it.
Why?
Because if you love what God hates, you will despise what God loves.
Email: MessiahofIsrael@aol.com
