Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall *depart from the Faith*, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of [demons];
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their *conscience
seared with a hot iron*;
*Forbidding to marry*, and *commanding to abstain from
[foods] which God hath created to be received /with
thanksgiving/* of them which believe and know *the Truth*.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be
refused, if it be received *with thanksgiving*:
For it is *sanctified by the /Word of God/* and prayer.
It is clear that Paul is here upholding God's food laws contained in
the Scriptures. For instance, Paul states that foods are good because
*sanctified* by Scripture (the Word of God). This implies that, for
instance, snakes, spiders and pigs are not even food, because /not/
sanctified by Scripture. It is, of course, also obvious that it is
impossible to sanctify something by prayer which is /not/ sanctified
by Scripture.
Recalling Acts 21, in which Paul made a solemn vow on the Word of God
that he kept the Torah Law in every detail, including the food laws,
we see that Paul is indeed reiterating his well-known belief and
teaching on the Word of God, which includes those very laws on what is
food and what is not food.
Paul introduces the subject by talking about how in the latter
times---which, not to put too fine a point on it, includes the present
time---some shall depart from the Faith defined in Scripture, and
these people shall listen to deceiving messages (called 'spirits' here
and elsewhere in the Bible) and the doctrines of demons.
The Word of God to which Paul refers in verse five is none other than
the Hebrew Scriptures, or what Christians normally refer to as the
'Old Testament'. It is clear that those who reject the Old Testament
Scriptures to follow their own teachings, traditions, and doctrines of
men, are the ones who are giving heed to, "seducing spirits and
doctrines of demons."
To drive home his point, in verse two, Paul talks about these false
teachers as being liars and hypocrites, having no conscience remaining
because, figuratively speaking, they have seared it with a hot iron
(by ignoring their conscience repeatedly over a period of time).
Paul further identifies these people as those who forbid
marriage---through ascetic teachings on celibacy most likely, or false
teachings on adultery, perhaps---and who teach abstinence from foods
which God has allowed (perhaps forbidding eating beef, or even all
meat, in what we, today, call vegetarianism).
In verse four, Paul is actually saying that every creature of God
/which has been given by God for food/---understood from the
context---is to be accepted with thanksgiving! It should not even need
to be mentioned that we absolutely do not accept things with
thanksgiving that God has outlawed as food suitable for humans!
Therefore, Paul is *not* talking about eating unclean animals, but
animals declared clean by the Word of God, such as beef, lamb and
poultry, which God has given us for food.
We do not accept poisonous herbs with thanksgiving any more than we
accept animals that are not food with thanksgiving! This is true even
though the Scriptures say that God gave us *every* green herb to eat!
It is understood that the ones that are not food (poisonous) are not
to be eaten. God did not give us permission to eat poison! ever.
In verse five, Paul notes that every (clean) food is sanctified by the
Word of God. What is the Word of God? and what is 'sanctified'? The
Word of God is Scripture (the Hebrew Scriptures, in other words, which
is the Old Testament). 'Sanctified' is just another word for 'made
holy', and 'holy' means set apart for God or by God. So Paul is saying
that the foods we eat are set apart by God in the Old Testament for us
to eat. Where does this happen? Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Paul
is affirming these food laws, and not---as some falsely
teach---tearing down those same laws!
The mystery of lawlessness would have us believe that Paul is speaking
against God's laws on food, when he is speaking /for/ them. These are
unstable minds who twist the meaning intended by Paul, taking his
words out of context, and blaspheming the Holy Spirit, by making it
appear that the Holy Spirit is speaking out against his own laws.
Related Scripture
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul Keeps the Torah
--------------------
Acts 21:24 Take them [Paul], and purify yourself with
them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave
their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in
the things that they have been informed about you, but
that you [Paul] yourself also walk keeping the [Torah]
Law.
Acts 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day,
purified himself and went with them into the Temple,
declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification,
until the offering [animal sacrifice] was offered for
every one of them.
God's Law is Truth
------------------
Psalms 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness, and thy Law is the Truth.
Daniel 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this
evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before
the Yahweh our God, that we might turn from our
iniquities, and understand thy truth.
Malachi 2:6 The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and
iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in
peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
Unstable Minds Twist the Letters of Paul to their Own Destruction
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2 Peter 3:16 [WEB] as also in all of his letters, speaking
in them of these things. In those, there are some things
that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and
unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures,
to their own destruction.
2 Peter 3:16 [KJV] As also in all his epistles, speaking
in them of these things; in which are some things hard to
be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable
wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their
own destruction.
Paul's Nazirite Vow
-------------------
At the conclusion of Paul's Nazirite vow, the following is what was
going to happen:
Numbers 6:13--14
And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his
separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
And he shall offer his offering unto Yahweh, one he lamb
of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering,
and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a
sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace
offerings,
Paul Shaves His Head for the Nazirite Vow:
Acts 18:18 And Paul after this tarried there yet a good
while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed
thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila;
having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.
Test Everything!
----------------
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit [message,
teaching], but test the spirits [messages and teachings],
whether they are of God, because many false prophets have
gone out into the world.
A Final Warning to the Faithful
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because Satan's deceptions pervade the world, we need to test
everything against God's Word and not simply assume that what we have
been taught by anyone is true. In many cases, we have been taught lies
mixed with truth, and even the Bibles we read have been partially
corrupted through having the meanings of a few key words altered so
that they are no longer understood for their true meaning by vast
numbers of Christians.
It is incumbent upon us to pray unceasingly to the Holy Spirit for
guidance.
