Answer: There is nothing said in the Bible that requires the Christian to
be vegetarian. Jesus never gave us the doctrine; "Be ye vegetarian." Jesus
was NOT vegetarian when He walked this earth. In fact, let's just go over
what the Bible does say:
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect
of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
1Tim 4:2-4 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a
hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
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:
Deut 14:4-5 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and
the goat, The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat,
and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Isaac wanted venison before he died:
Gen 27:2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
Gen 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow,
and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
Gen 27:4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I
may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
We know from Scripture, that Jesus fed the multitudes with bread and fish.
(Matthew 15, Mark 6, Mark 8, Luke 9, John 6) In the Gospels, we read
about Jesus eating at rich people's homes and being at different feasts.
(Luke 5:28-29 and John 2:9) Certainly, the rich people did not serve Tofu or
lettuce for dinner or feasts. :-)
So to answer your question, it is not biblical mandatory that we become
vegetarians. We may want to limit the amount of meat we ingest because a
vegetarian diet consisting of beans and rice, vegetables, and fish is a better,
healthier lifestyle that you will find written in most health books. (Ask your
doctor for his advice.)
Remember that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew:
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did
eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his
birthright.
The Isrealites longed for fish while in the desert:
Num 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
2Sam 17:28-29 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat,
and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and
parched pulse, And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for
David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The
people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
The meat most people consume today is not the meat of years ago. Putting
aside the fact that a fair majority of meat sold in stores is loaded with
growth hormones and pesticides and is not free range, the Bible meat was
still different.
Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe,
and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luke 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and
be merry:
Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found. And they began to be merry.
In the Bible, the people ate lamb and a fatted calf. These animals are young.
No one in their right mind, back then, would kill a huge cow for dinner or a
feast. There were no freezers to store the meat in. The large animal was kept
to procreate and to provide milk. The animals that were eaten were young.
We must remember that a lamb is a baby sheep.
We know that most common people did not eat meat on a daily basis. They
ate fish which was inexpensive and one could go and catch it themselves in
the river or lake. Meat was eaten during a special occasion.
Deut 32:14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams
of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and
thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
We read of Abraham:
Gen 18:6-8 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make
ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon
the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and
good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he
took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before
them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
Of Saul:
1Sa 28:24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and
killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread
thereof:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his
neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls;
every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and
unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Here in Luke 24, we find Jesus eating fish after His resurrection:
Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said
unto them, Have ye here any meat?
Luke 24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an
honeycomb.
Luke 24:43 And he took it, and did eat before them.
We find Jesus cooking breakfast for the disciples in John, chapter 21.
John 21:10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now
caught.
John 21:11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great
fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet
was not the net broken.
John 21:12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the
disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
John 21:13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish
likewise.
Copyright © 2003 Cobblestone Road Ministries
All Rights Reserved
be vegetarian. Jesus never gave us the doctrine; "Be ye vegetarian." Jesus
was NOT vegetarian when He walked this earth. In fact, let's just go over
what the Bible does say:
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect
of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
1Tim 4:2-4 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a
hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
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:
Deut 14:4-5 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and
the goat, The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat,
and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
Isaac wanted venison before he died:
Gen 27:2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:
Gen 27:3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow,
and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
Gen 27:4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I
may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
We know from Scripture, that Jesus fed the multitudes with bread and fish.
(Matthew 15, Mark 6, Mark 8, Luke 9, John 6) In the Gospels, we read
about Jesus eating at rich people's homes and being at different feasts.
(Luke 5:28-29 and John 2:9) Certainly, the rich people did not serve Tofu or
lettuce for dinner or feasts. :-)
So to answer your question, it is not biblical mandatory that we become
vegetarians. We may want to limit the amount of meat we ingest because a
vegetarian diet consisting of beans and rice, vegetables, and fish is a better,
healthier lifestyle that you will find written in most health books. (Ask your
doctor for his advice.)
Remember that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew:
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did
eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his
birthright.
The Isrealites longed for fish while in the desert:
Num 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
2Sam 17:28-29 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat,
and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and
parched pulse, And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for
David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The
people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
The meat most people consume today is not the meat of years ago. Putting
aside the fact that a fair majority of meat sold in stores is loaded with
growth hormones and pesticides and is not free range, the Bible meat was
still different.
Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe,
and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luke 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and
be merry:
Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found. And they began to be merry.
In the Bible, the people ate lamb and a fatted calf. These animals are young.
No one in their right mind, back then, would kill a huge cow for dinner or a
feast. There were no freezers to store the meat in. The large animal was kept
to procreate and to provide milk. The animals that were eaten were young.
We must remember that a lamb is a baby sheep.
We know that most common people did not eat meat on a daily basis. They
ate fish which was inexpensive and one could go and catch it themselves in
the river or lake. Meat was eaten during a special occasion.
Deut 32:14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams
of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and
thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
We read of Abraham:
Gen 18:6-8 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make
ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon
the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and
good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he
took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before
them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
Of Saul:
1Sa 28:24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and
killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread
thereof:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his
neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls;
every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and
unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Here in Luke 24, we find Jesus eating fish after His resurrection:
Luke 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said
unto them, Have ye here any meat?
Luke 24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an
honeycomb.
Luke 24:43 And he took it, and did eat before them.
We find Jesus cooking breakfast for the disciples in John, chapter 21.
John 21:10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now
caught.
John 21:11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great
fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet
was not the net broken.
John 21:12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the
disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
John 21:13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish
likewise.
Copyright © 2003 Cobblestone Road Ministries
All Rights Reserved
| Some denominations have said that we, as Christians, should be vegetarian. What is the Biblical answer? |
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