What are the consequences of eating "flesh that touches any unclean thing" today? Key Passage “Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up… If anyone eats the flesh of the fellowship offering that belongs to the LORD while that person is unclean, he must be cut off from his people.” (Leviticus 7:19–21) What It Meant Then • Touching or eating defiled meat brought immediate, visible consequences: – Unclean worshiper was “cut off” (excluded from Israel’s covenant fellowship). – Offender forfeited the sacrifice that was meant to bring blessing. – Community purity was protected; holiness around the tabernacle remained uncompromised (Leviticus 15:31). Christ’s Fulfillment and the Food Question • Jesus declared, “Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him… In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.” (Mark 7:18–19) • Peter’s rooftop vision confirmed the same truth (Acts 10:13–15). • Therefore, under the New Covenant no animal flesh is intrinsically unclean (Romans 14:14; 1 Timothy 4:4). Timeless Principle That Remains Holiness still matters. God has not relaxed His call to separateness; He relocated it from ceremonial food laws to the realm of moral and spiritual purity (1 Peter 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 6:17). Consequences Today When We Ignore the Principle • Spiritual contamination – Consuming “defiled” content—media, relationships, teachings—dulls discernment (Hebrews 5:12-14). • Hindered fellowship with God – Unconfessed compromise breaks the intimacy Christ purchased (1 John 1:6-7). • Loss of effectiveness – Vessels meant for honor become less usable when mixed with impurity (2 Timothy 2:20-22). • Divine discipline – The Lord lovingly corrects those He calls sons (Hebrews 12:5-11). • Corporate impact – Personal impurity can infect an entire fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). Guarding Our Spiritual Diet • Stay watchful: test everything you “consume” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). • Feed on what is pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). • Burn the defiled: ruthlessly remove anything that contaminates body or spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1). • Rest in Christ’s cleansing: confess quickly and receive fresh washing (1 John 1:9). |
    |