Here is my problem with the opinion that Acts 15 gives Christians commandments on food only to avoid offending Jews.
Acts 15
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
Ok, so here we are given commandments to abide by while we are first turning to God. They are commandments which deal with how to keep clean food from becoming unclean. What do you think would offend the Jewish population more?
Eating a clean animal which hasn't been properly prepared or eating something which God has said is an abomination to eat? Do you really think this passage is saying it is ok to eat swine as long as it is drained of all blood? The only way this makes sense is if it was well known that unclean foods were still not meant to be eaten.
Acts 15
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
Ok, so here we are given commandments to abide by while we are first turning to God. They are commandments which deal with how to keep clean food from becoming unclean. What do you think would offend the Jewish population more?
Eating a clean animal which hasn't been properly prepared or eating something which God has said is an abomination to eat? Do you really think this passage is saying it is ok to eat swine as long as it is drained of all blood? The only way this makes sense is if it was well known that unclean foods were still not meant to be eaten.
Clean and unclean applied only to the sacrifices until the Mosaic law.
When the Mosaic covenant was made obsolete by the new covenant (Heb 8:13), and the Levitical
priesthood was changed (Heb 7:11) to the priesthood of Melchizedek with a new eternal High Priest,
the Mosaic law, which depended on the Levitical priesthood (Heb 7:12) for its administration,
was also set aside (Heb 7:18-19), including the law's establishment of unclean foods.
There are no unclean foods in the NT (Ro 14:14), just as there were none (Ge 9:3) before the Mosaic law.
The regulation was temporary to teach/show/pattern the meaning of spiritual uncleanness, which must be cleansed and is fulfilled in Christ, as are all the patterns, copies, shadows of the Mosaic law.