Dear Jodian,
It is important for us to remember that sinning is rebelling against God’s expressed will. His will is given to us in principles in the ten commandments, which is why the Bible tells us that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, KJV). His will is also expressed throughout the Bible. The apostle James wrote, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17 ).
God has spoken to us very clearly about clean and unclean foods. Pork, shrimp and crab are all unclean (see Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy chapter 14). The reason God tells us not to eat them isn’t because He doesn’t want us to have things we like, but because they are carriers of disease that will one day make us very sick. The only reason God ever asks us to stop doing something is for our own good. The Bible says “The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11 ). If God chooses to “withhold” something from us – tell us we shouldn’t do it – it must not be a good thing, because “no good thing does He withhold…”
God says in Deuteronomy 5:29 “Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” God wants us to be well, and He gives us rules to help things to go well in our lives. When God tells us not to do something, we need to believe it is because He loves us. Then we should choose to obey Him for our own good, and that includes not eating the things God tells us are unclean.
Thanks for writing, and remember, there's never been a better time to share Jesus!
Your friend, Pastor Howard
*Note: All Scripture references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise indicated.
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