Is It Wrong for Christians to Eat Meat?
By: Mishael Witty
Tags: Christianity, Food, Genesis, Vegetarian, Health

Not long ago, I began looking through the Bible to find all the mentions of food…and what we can learn from them. You can watch the video I made regarding the first mention of food in the Bible below.

This is me, talking about the first mention of food in the Bible. :-)

What about the second mention of food in the Bible?

Toward the end of the first chapter of Genesis, we find this passage:

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said,”Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.” (Genesis 1:27–30, NASB)

This passage certainly suggests that both Man and animals were created to be vegetarians.

So what happened?

In the next chapter of Genesis, God gives Adam, the first man, a command regarding a certain tree.

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16–17, NASB)

And, in the following chapter, we see Man disobeying that command (Genesis 3:1-6).

This passage is known as the Fall of Man. It was the moment when sin entered the world. Sin changed man’s relationship to God, his relationship to other people, and even his relationship to food.

As my pastor always says, “Sin changed everything!”

Did Adam eat meat?

Maybe, maybe not. The Bible isn’t quite clear on that point. God’s words to Adam seem to indicate that he was still supposed to get his food from plants (Genesis 3:17–18).

But the passage also indicates that the blood of at least one animal was shed so that God could make clothes for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). Whether Adam and Eve ate the meat of the animal God used to provide clothes for them is up for debate.

But Noah ate meat; God told him to

After God cleansed the earth with the flood, He told Noah:

“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.” (Genesis 9:3, NASB)

And eating meat soon (and for a long time afterward) became a legalistic point of contention

After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God gave him the Ten Commandments, which soon expanded into the entirety of the Law — 613 commandments everyone was expected to follow all the time.

Among these commandments were regulations regarding what food could (clean) and could not (unclean) be eaten (see Leviticus 11).

However, when Jesus came on the scene, He told His disciples:

“‘Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?’ (Thus He declared all foods clean.)’(Mark 7:18–19, NASB)

This was a foreshadowing of the message God would give Peter in his vision later in the tenth chapter of the book of Acts, preparing him to spread the gospel message to the Gentiles, as well as the Jews.

But what about Daniel? Didn’t he refuse to eat meat?

In two different places in the book of Daniel (chapters 1 and 10), Daniel does decide to abstain from meat. However, this abstinence only lasted 10 (Daniel 1) and 21 (Daniel 10) days.

And I think it’s important to note here that these were merely fasts, not a continuous lifestyle food choice.

I’m quite certain Daniel did eat meat at some point in his life since he indicates these fasts were very definite breaks from the business of eating as usual.

I don’t think there’s any evidence in the Bible demonstrating that eating meat is wrong.

Photo by Rezel Apacionado on Unsplash

So, should Christians NOT be Vegetarian/Vegan?

This is the opposite of the question presented in the title, and it’s somewhat harder to answer.

There are very definite benefits to vegetarian/vegan diets for some people: weight loss, increased nutrient consumption, lower blood sugar, improved kidney function, cancer and heart disease prevention, and reduced overall inflammation, among others.

One of the girls I’m currently discipling has tried the vegetarian way of eating, and she said it does make her feel better, as long as she gets her protein from non-animal sources (that’s really important, because our bodies need protein, and fruits and vegetables don’t have much protein in them). In fact, she said when she started eating meat again, it gave her headaches.

I can’t say I think it’s wrong to NOT eat meat, and the Bible certainly doesn’t suggest that it is. But it makes allowances for those who want to eat meat, as well.

It all boils down to what you think is best for your body

In this matter, especially, I think we can take some advice from the Apostle Paul:

“One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.” (Romans 14:2–3, NASB)

And:

“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’s sake; ‘for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.’”(1 Corinthians 10:23–26, NASB).

As long as you are not hurting your body by eating (or not eating) meat, and as long as you are not harming other people with either decision, it’s all good.

And I don’t think this particular issue is one about which Christians should be arguing amongst themselves.

This isn’t a gospel matter; it’s a matter of personal choice and conviction.

Follow God, listen to Him, and He’ll let you know whether you need to be eating meat or not.

This story is published in Koinonia — stories by Christians to encourage, entertain, and empower you in your faith, food, fitness, family and fun.

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