Page 106 - Laying Down the Law

When God Changed the Menu

The question often arises as to whether Christians are to observe the shadows
of the Old Covenant. Should Christians keep the feasts of Yahweh? Should they rest
on the Sabbath day? Is it the Father’s will for those in Christ to eat only those foods
the Law of Moses declared to be clean? In this post, I want to look specifically at the
dietary regulations contained in the Law of Moses.
There are entire denominations, such as Seventh Day Adventists, and The
Worldwide Church of God, who proclaim that the dietary laws of the Old Testament
are still in effect. Those who are Torah Observant make the dietary laws a key part of
their instructions to the saints. What did Christ’s apostles’ teach? Is the body of Christ
still subject to the dietary regulations found in the Law?
For those who have understood and received the things written thus far in this
series, the answer should be obvious. The Law of Moses has no jurisdiction over those
who are in Christ. By virtue of union with Christ, believers have died to the Law that
they might be joined to another. There is a new priesthood, a new law, a new manner
of living in the Spirit. “Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become
new.” Shadows have given way to substance.

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink
or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are
a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

As we look at the entire counsel of Christ’s apostles, we find that observing the
shadows relating to food, feast days, new moons, and Sabbaths is not required. On the
other hand, observance of the shadows is not forbidden, or condemned. The counsel
of the apostles is that every man should strive to maintain a pure conscience before
God. All Christians should seek to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Christians
have varying degrees of knowledge of the mind and ways of God. One whose
knowledge is mature may realize that nothing is unclean in itself, and all things can
be eaten with thanksgiving. One who does not have this knowledge, believes he can
only eat that which Moses permitted.
There are those who argue that since God is eternal, and He changes not, that
His laws do not change. On the surface, this sounds reasonable. However, it does not
stand up under scrutiny. The Bible is filled with examples of the unchanging God
changing the manner in which He relates to men. Yahweh has frequently altered His
instructions to mankind. We saw this in a previous chapter where we looked at
Christ’s oft repeated phrase, “You have heard..., but I say...”
The arguments for the continuance of the dietary laws appeal to the natural
man’s sense of justice, but they are not supported by Scriptures. If the argument were
true that God’s instructions (Torah) to man do not change, for He Himself does not
change, then we must find corroborating evidence of this declaration in the Bible.