People who really believe the Bible will sometimes ask us if the Bible doesn’t say that pork is dirty and, therefore, if Christians should eat it. “Now that’s a good question,” as my brother-minister R. C. Sproul says. So let’s go to the Bible and ask, “is eating pork unclean?”.
One of the early names we considered for our ranch was “Thousand Hills Ranch. The idea comes from Psalm 50:10, which says, “All the animals in the forest are Mine, as well as the cattle on a thousand hills.” What a beautiful truth that is! The cattle on a thousand hills belong to God, not anyone else. He created them and they are His. A thousand hills’ worth of cattle belong to the Lord God. So do all the hills’ cattle in the whole world. He also owns all the horses, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, and all the cattle. They are His, too!.
Of course, all animals and plants belong to God. The only reason we humans are allowed to eat them is because God gave us that right. If we read the Bible carefully, we can see that God did give people the right to eat, which is God’s property. At that point, when God made man, He told him, “Look, I have given you every plant on the earth that makes seeds and every tree whose fruit makes seeds. This will be your food” (Genesis 1:29). But, you may ask, I see that God did not give mankind permission to eat meat only plants. Maybe we’re supposed to be vegetarians!.
But let’s not be too hasty. It was only after Noah’s flood that God gave men the privilege of eating flesh. To Noah and his descendants God said, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (Genesis 9:3).
So, starting with Noah, both good and bad people were allowed by God to eat flesh, such as meat, fish, and other foods. And not just some kinds of flesh. God said, “every moving thing that lives… all things,” no animals excluded. So, everyone, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Twelve Patriarchs, and others, liked eating cows, sheep, goats, and even pork! Abraham eating pork?
A few hundred years later, during Moses’ life, God told the Jews they could no longer eat certain kinds of animals. You can read about these and many other Jewish ceremonial rules about what foods are clean and what foods are not clean in Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11. In Leviticus 11:7, God’s people are told for the first time that they can’t eat pork: “…and the pig, though it splits the hoof, having cloven hooves, but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” ” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc. was deemed unclean, along with rabbit and any seafood that doesn’t have fins or scales, like shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, and so on. Jews were to consider all these foods unclean and to totally abstain from them.
All of these ceremonial laws were given to govern the lives of all Jews. For how long? Until God would say otherwise.
God did indeed say otherwise. When Jesus, the Son of God, walked the earth, He said that God had thrown out the Old Testament rules about what foods were clean and what foods were not. In Mark 7:18–19, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do you not understand that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot defile him? For it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is thrown out?” This is how He said that all foods are clean. )” (NAS).
This idea that “all foods” are clean because of Jesus’ work to save people is made even clearer to Peter in the Acts of the Apostles. You may remember that strange event where Peter is praying on top of a house and goes into a trance. He then sees a big sheet full of “all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things (!) and birds of the air” (Acts 10:12). “All kinds” of animals were included—clean as well as unclean. Then God startled Peter, who had always been scrupulously kosher. God commanded Peter to “kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). As I translated Peter’s answer, the Apostle who could get irritable says, “No way, Lord! I’m kosher!” (See verse 14). Peter is reminding God that, since the time of Moses and the ceremonial laws given at Mt. Sinai, it has been a sin for Jews to eat anything which God had declared to be unclean. As if God needed reminding. “What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). This is a pretty harsh way for God to correct Peter.
That’s the answer to our first question: Is Eating Pork Unclean? It’s still the same answer that was given to Peter all those years ago. What God has declared clean let no man call unclean. And so pork is clean.
On occasion, it has been said that God sent this vision to show that He was calling both Jews and non-Jews to become Christians and cleansing them with the blood of Christ. Of course that is true, but the reason for that is that God has said that Gentile foods, including pork, are clean. And, in addition, God DID say, “kill and eat. ” He was not talking directly about Gentile, but about pigs!.
The Old Testament’s ritual laws have ended with Christ. There are no longer any sacrifices, priests, or rules about keeping things clean. Those “walls” (see Ephesians 2:14–16) that kept Jews and Gentiles apart have been taken down by Christ and His one-time sacrifice. Why would you keep the ceremonial shadows of Christ when the Real One has come? This is something that the author of Hebrews says over and over again.
So, through Christ, Peter and all Christians are free from the rules that the Jews had to follow for ceremonies until Messiah comes. It was okay for Noah, Abraham, and all of God’s people before the Law of Sinai to eat “every moving thing” (Genesis 9:3). Now, through Christ, God’s people have that same freedom again. Christians may eat pork because God has declared it once more to be clean.
Some foods, like pork, were made by God so that people who believe and know the truth would eat them with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3).
When we Christians finally sit down at table with Abraham, pork may well be on the menu!
The Pentecostal Perspective: Examining Beliefs About Pork Consumption
Within Christianity the Pentecostal movement is known for its charismatic worship and emphasis on spiritual gifts. But when it comes to diet, do Pentecostals eat pork? This question intersects biblical interpretation health views, cultural taboos, and personal conviction.
To understand the relationship between Pentecostals and pork consumption, we must first explore the history and theology behind this Christian sect.
The Roots of Pentecostalism
Emerging from the Holiness tradition in the early 1900s, Pentecostalism takes its name from the Pentecost event in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus’ followers. Pentecostals believe they can experience the same baptism in the Spirit accompanied by gifts like speaking in tongues.
The movement was pioneered by ministers like William J. Seymour who preached divine healing and spiritual empowerment for modern believers. It quickly spread with revivals featuring spontaneous worship expressions like dancing shouting and prophecy.
Like other evangelicals, Pentecostals uphold biblical authority. But they give more weight to personal spiritual experience through the Holy Spirit’s movement. This influences their perspectives on lifestyle matters like diet.
What The Bible Says About Food
To grasp Pentecostal food customs, we must survey some key Bible passages:
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In the Old Testament, God prohibited pork and other foods for ancient Israelites in the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11).
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In the New Testament, Jesus “declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19) according to the Gospels.
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The apostle Paul taught that no food is unclean itself and Christians have freedom to eat but should be sensitive to others’ convictions (Romans 14).
Based on such verses, most Christians believe the biblical food laws only applied to Israel prior to Christ. The New Testament lifts restrictions, granting liberty regarding diet.
The Mainstream Pentecostal View
Considering their high view of Scripture, Pentecostals fully accept Paul’s teaching that all food is clean. This gives them freedom regarding pork.
The Assemblies of God, one of the largest Pentecostal groups, states in their beliefs that Christians are not under “direct command on the subject of animal meats.” They uphold personal decision making about diet.
Most Pentecostal denominations and churches make no official prohibitions. They leave it to individual conscience whether to eat pork and other meats. So the mainstream Pentecostal position is that pork consumption is allowable for believers.
Why Some Pentecostals Avoid Pork
Despite this liberty, some Pentecostals still avoid pork. Reasons include:
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Personal conviction – Feeling spiritually led not to eat pork based on faith.
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Health choice – Concerns about toxins, parasites, or fat in pork.
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Cultural taboo – Ingrained stigma against pork in their community.
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Old Testament reverence – Seeing wisdom in the Mosaic food laws.
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Separateness – Abstaining from pork creates spiritual distinction.
So while Pentecostal theology permits pork, a minority avoid it for these personal motivations rooted in conviction, culture, health, and interpretation.
Principles for Pentecostals Regarding Diet
When evaluating pork consumption, Pentecostals also consider:
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Unity in Christ is more vital than disputing over diet (Romans 14:17).
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Do not judge others based on eating or abstaining from pork (Romans 14:3).
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Focus more on overeating than specific foods eaten (Proverbs 23:2).
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Avoid foods tainted by occultism or idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14).
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Act according to faith with love, not legalism (Romans 14:23).
So Pentecostal principles emphasize discretion, tolerance, temperance, and conscience regarding diet.
Biblical Wisdom for Modern Believers
When synthesizing both the Bible and Pentecostal perspectives, some helpful guidelines emerge for Christians today:
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Liberty – We have freedom in Christ regarding food. The New Testament lifted dietary restrictions.
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Discernment – Consider health, ethics, stewardship, and testimony in your food choices.
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Tolerance – Do not judge others over debatable matters like diet. Focus on unity in the Spirit.
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Temperance – Practice moderation rather than gluttony regardless of the food.
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Conscience – Follow personal convictions rooted in faith, wisdom, and cultural context.
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Compassion – Be sensitive to fellow believers’ backgrounds and restrictions when sharing meals.
Grass-fed beef, pastured pork, pastured chicken, pastured eggs, pastured turkey.
People who really believe the Bible will sometimes ask us if the Bible doesn’t say that pork is dirty and, therefore, if Christians should eat it. “Now that’s a good question,” as my brother-minister R. C. Sproul says. So let’s go to the Bible and ask, “is eating pork unclean?”.
One of the early names we considered for our ranch was “Thousand Hills Ranch. The idea comes from Psalm 50:10, which says, “All the animals in the forest are Mine, as well as the cattle on a thousand hills.” What a beautiful truth that is! The cattle on a thousand hills belong to God, not anyone else. He created them and they are His. A thousand hills’ worth of cattle belong to the Lord God. So do all the hills’ cattle in the whole world. He also owns all the horses, chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, and all the cattle. They are His, too!.
Of course, all animals and plants belong to God. The only reason we humans are allowed to eat them is because God gave us that right. If we read the Bible carefully, we can see that God did give people the right to eat, which is God’s property. At that point, when God made man, He told him, “Look, I have given you every plant on the earth that makes seeds and every tree whose fruit makes seeds. This will be your food” (Genesis 1:29). But, you may ask, I see that God did not give mankind permission to eat meat only plants. Maybe we’re supposed to be vegetarians!.
But let’s not be too hasty. It was only after Noah’s flood that God gave men the privilege of eating flesh. To Noah and his descendants God said, “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (Genesis 9:3).
So, starting with Noah, both good and bad people were allowed by God to eat flesh, such as meat, fish, and other foods. And not just some kinds of flesh. God said, “every moving thing that lives… all things,” no animals excluded. So, everyone, including Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Twelve Patriarchs, and others, liked eating cows, sheep, goats, and even pork! Abraham eating pork?
A few hundred years later, during Moses’ life, God told the Jews they could no longer eat certain kinds of animals. You can read about these and many other Jewish ceremonial rules about what foods are clean and what foods are not clean in Deuteronomy 14 and Leviticus 11. In Leviticus 11:7, God’s people are told for the first time that they can’t eat pork: “…and the pig, though it splits the hoof, having cloven hooves, but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” ” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc. was deemed unclean, along with rabbit and any seafood that doesn’t have fins or scales, like shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, and so on. Jews were to consider all these foods unclean and to totally abstain from them.
All of these ceremonial laws were given to govern the lives of all Jews. For how long? Until God would say otherwise.
God did indeed say otherwise. When Jesus, the Son of God, walked the earth, He said that God had thrown out the Old Testament rules about what foods were clean and what foods were not. In Mark 7:18–19, Jesus tells His disciples, “Do you not understand that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot defile him? For it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is thrown out?” This is how He said that all foods are clean. )” (NAS).
This idea that “all foods” are clean because of Jesus’ work to save people is made even clearer to Peter in the Acts of the Apostles. You may remember that strange event where Peter is praying on top of a house and goes into a trance. He then sees a big sheet full of “all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things (!) and birds of the air” (Acts 10:12). “All kinds” of animals were included—clean as well as unclean. Then God startled Peter, who had always been scrupulously kosher. God commanded Peter to “kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). As I translated Peter’s answer, the Apostle who could get irritable says, “No way, Lord! I’m kosher!” (See verse 14). Peter is reminding God that, since the time of Moses and the ceremonial laws given at Mt. Sinai, it has been a sin for Jews to eat anything which God had declared to be unclean. As if God needed reminding. “What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). This is a pretty harsh way for God to correct Peter.
That’s the answer to our first question: Is Eating Pork Unclean? It’s still the same answer that was given to Peter all those years ago. What God has declared clean let no man call unclean. And so pork is clean.
On occasion, it has been said that God sent this vision to show that He was calling both Jews and non-Jews to become Christians and cleansing them with the blood of Christ. Of course that is true, but the reason for that is that God has said that Gentile foods, including pork, are clean. And, in addition, God DID say, “kill and eat. ” He was not talking directly about Gentile, but about pigs!.
The Old Testament’s ritual laws have ended with Christ. There are no longer any sacrifices, priests, or rules about keeping things clean. Those “walls” (see Ephesians 2:14–16) that kept Jews and Gentiles apart have been taken down by Christ and His one-time sacrifice. Why would you keep the ceremonial shadows of Christ when the Real One has come? This is something that the author of Hebrews says over and over again.
So, through Christ, Peter and all Christians are free from the rules that the Jews had to follow for ceremonies until Messiah comes. It was okay for Noah, Abraham, and all of God’s people before the Law of Sinai to eat “every moving thing” (Genesis 9:3). Now, through Christ, God’s people have that same freedom again. Christians may eat pork because God has declared it once more to be clean.
“What God has declared clean you must not call common” (Acts 10:15).
Some foods, like pork, were made by God so that people who believe and know the truth would eat them with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3).
When we Christians finally sit down at table with Abraham, pork may well be on the menu!
Should Christians Eat Pork? Discover the Truth!
FAQ
Which Christians do not eat pork?
Where in the Bible says not to eat pork?
Do apostolics eat pork?
What does the Bible say not to eat?
Do Christians eat pork?
Christian beliefs regarding pork consumption have evolved over time, with many considering themselves free from the dietary restrictions outlined in Leviticus. The Apostle Paul also touches on this idea in his letters, indicating that believers have the liberty to eat all types of food without guilt or condemnation.
What does the Bible say about eating pork?
Hidden in plain sight. The verse that brings it all together. Let’s go back to Leviticus 11 and look for the verse you’ve been waiting for –the verse that solves the whole mystery. Lev 11:1-2, The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them.
What are the core beliefs of Pentecostalism?
However, most of the churches share the same core beliefs that salvation is through Jesus, healing is possible through Him and He is returning again. Among the core tenants of Pentecostalism are: Most Pentecostals believe in medicine and doctors, but also strongly believe in divine healing.
Is Pentecostalism a Christian denomination?
It’s one of the oft-talked-about denominations and sometimes draws the most controversy, but Pentecostalism has a long history in Christianity. Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement that emphasizes the direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit.