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out realizing the harm they are doing
to their bodies.
Paul lnstructs Veget ariana
Paul 's letter to the saints at Rome is
often quoted as supposed proof that
any kind of flesb food is good to eat.
But is this what Paul really taught?
Turn to the beginning of the 14th
chapter of Romans. Notice what the
apostle is writing: " Him that is
weak
in the faith receive ye"-don' t dis–
pute with him and sit in judgment on
him because of his weak understand–
ing of the faith. Paul continues: "For
one believeth that he may eat all
things , another who is
weak,
eateth
herbs
[vegetables onty]" (Romans
14:1-2).
Of whom is Paul writing? Of those
who were vegetarians, as wett as
those who believed in eating both
flesh foods and vegetables.
Paul was confronted with the same
problem that we encounter today in
carrying the gospel to the world. You
would be surprised at the number of
people who do not eat meat or even
any animal products- milk, butter,
cheese, eggs. Sorne have meatless
days or days on which they will eat
fish only. These are att people who,
because they are weak in the faith ,
abstain from those clean meats which
God originally sanctified or set apart
in His Word for man's physical nour–
ishment.
The question confronting Paul was
not that Christians at Rome con–
tended that all unclean animals had
now been cleansed by God-the
common false assumption of today
- but the real issue, according to
verse two, was over the vegetarían
belief held by sorne that no meats
whatsoever shouJd be eaten.
Paul was straightening out the
brethren on this matter, telling them
that none of those clean meats which
had been created by God to be
received with thanksgiving should be
refused. He pointed out to them,
however , that it would be wrong for
the vegeta rians to eat meat if they
had doubts about it, thereby defiling
tbeir weak consciences. For he wrote:
" .. . Happy is be that condemneth
not himself in that thing which he
alloweth . And he that doubteth is
damned if he eat , because he eateth
not of faith: for whatsoever is not of
fai th is sin" (verses 22-23).
36
We must follow what God has
revealed to us to be right according to
the Word ofGod. This does not mean
that our consciences always tell us
what is right- not at all. We have to
continually study to learn what is
right and wrong. But God thinks
more highly of a vegetarían who
might sincerely and conscientiously
deny himself the clean meats, be–
cause he does not know the full truth,
than He does a person who would do
the right thing according to the Jet–
ter, but who really believes in his
heart that he is doing wrong.
So "to him" -the vegetarían
- "that esteemeth anything to be
common, to
him"- the
vegetarían –
"i t is common." That is, it
seems soto
him. But it is not common
infact,
nor
to us, for we know that a ll clean meats
a re good for food. That is why Paul
wrote: " I know, and am persuaded by
the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing
common ofitsetr• (verse 14).
Notice that in this verse Paul used,
according to the margin of the King
James Version, the Greek word for
"common," not the Greek word for
" unclean." Why?
" Common" Does Not Mean
" Unclean"
Many have carelessly assumed that
Paul is writing about unclean meats
in this 14th chapter of Romans. He is
not! He is writing about the differ–
ence between vegetarians who regard
that clean meats are common, and
those who know that clean meats are
of themselves not common.
In the Greek there are two differ–
ent words used whicb are often care–
lessly translated " unclean" or "com–
mon." Notice that in Acts 10:14 botb
of these words are used. The Bible
does not repeat itself foolishly.
Therefore these two words mean
entirely different tbings.
The Greek word for " unclean" is
akarthatos.
It
means "unclean and
impure by nature." The Greek word
for "common" is
koinos,
which
means "polluted through externa!
misuse." (See any of the Greek–
Englisb lexicons.)
· Paul used the Greek word for
"common " through out Romans
14: 14. He did not use the Greek word
for "unclean." In other words, Paul
knew tbat no clean foods which God
has sanctified a re by nature polluted,
but vegetarians who were weak in the
faith-weak in understanding God's
Word-thought meats should not be
eaten. To such a vegetarian- " to
him," not to others- t hat meat
seemed to be
polluted .
H1s
con–
science defiled the meat for him; he
would become upset if he were to eat
meat. But that does not make the
meat po!luted in fact or for every–
body else.
Notice Paul's conclusion: " For
meat destroy not the work of God.
All things indeed are pure"- that is,
all things that God sanctified and
gave us to eat are clean -"but it is
evil for that man who eateth with
offense. It is good neither to eat flesh,
nor to drink wine, nor anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth ..."
(verses 20 and 2 1) .
Paul is not recommending eating
unclean meats! Quite the opposite.
He is recommending not eating any
meat at all in the presence of a
vegetarían brother if he is offended!
When ls " Ciean" Meat "Common" ?
The only circumstance in which
clean meats a re ever common or
polluted is when the clean animals
have died of themselves or when the
blood has not been properly drained.
Tha t is why the apostles and elders
who gathered at Jerusalem forbade
the use of meat from strangled ani–
mals and meat with the blood in it
(Acts 15:20) . This is New Testament
teaching for today!
Such animal flesh was called
"common" because it could be given
to strangers or a liens in Old Testa–
ment times if those people wanted to
eat it. They were the
common
and
polluted people-the Gent iles- not
the chosen and clean people, Israel
(Deuteronomy 14:21).
In New Testament times, clean
meat offered to idols was prohibited
if
it
had been polluted by strangula–
tion or if the blood were remaining in
it. Otherwise the meat was permitted
to be eaten if it did not offend
anyone.
Paul devoted the entire 8th and
1Oth chapters of I Corinthians to
instructions on not raising the ques–
tion of meats offered to idols. " But if
any man say unto you, This is offered
in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his ·
sake that shewed it, and for con–
science sake" (I Corinthians 10:28).
The
PLAIN TRUTH