How does this verse connect to the dietary laws in Leviticus 17:10-14?

The Verse Under Study

“Instead we should write and tell them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.” (Acts 15:20)

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Leviticus 17:10-14—Divine Principle Stated

“ ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls on the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.’ ” (Leviticus 17:11)

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Shared Threads Between Acts 15:20 and Leviticus 17

• Same core command: “Do not consume blood.”

• Both address native Israelites and resident foreigners/Gentiles.

• Motivation given in Leviticus—“life is in the blood”—implicitly undergirds the apostolic decree.

• “Meat of strangled animals” (Acts 15:20) reinforces Leviticus 17:13, which requires blood to be drained.

• Penalty language in Leviticus (“cut off”) is echoed by the urgent pastoral tone in Acts (“abstain”) to preserve fellowship.

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Why Blood Matters

• Life belongs to God alone (Genesis 9:4).

• Blood functions as God-appointed atonement (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22).

• Respecting the symbol of life foreshadows reverence for Christ’s redemptive blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).

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Why the Council Kept This Command for Gentile Believers

• Unity: Jewish and Gentile believers could share table fellowship without violating conscience (Romans 14:15).

• Holiness: Avoiding pagan temple meals—often served “rare” with blood—guarded converts from idolatrous ties (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

• Continuity: Moral truths rooted in creation (Genesis 9) predate the Mosaic covenant and therefore remain relevant.

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Practical Takeaways

• Treat life—and symbols of life—with reverence.

• Let Christ’s blood motivate purity in every area of life (Hebrews 10:19-22).

• Freedom in Christ never nullifies scriptural principles that reveal God’s character.