No, I'm saying those specific rules were what gentile proselytes of the gate were required to observe in order to attend synagogues for gospel teaching. I can eat all of the strangled animals and bloody meat I want because I know nothing a person eats can defile him and the kingdom of God is not food and drink. Paul himself had the faith to eat meat offered to idols. So those Acts 15 rules are nothing for us to be concerned with. Fornication is forbidden elsewhere.
God prohibits participation in idol worship and makes it clear that eating meat offered to idols is part of that prohibition. Let’s look at what
God Himself says in the Scriptures, particularly in the
Old Testament and the
New Testament teachings that align with God’s clear stance on idolatry.
In
Leviticus 17, God lays down the law concerning the proper worship of Him and the rejection of idolatry. In verse 7, He warns against offering sacrifices to idols or demons:
Leviticus 17:7 (NKJV):
"They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations."
This passage explicitly forbids sacrificing to idols or demons. The Israelites were to avoid any practice that involved idolatry, including eating meat that had been offered to false gods. Since the meat offered to idols was part of idol worship, God makes it clear that His people should have no part in it.
In
Deuteronomy 32:17, God further warns about the dangers of idol worship, associating such practices with demons:
Deuteronomy 32:17 (NKJV):
"They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear."
Again, the Bible makes it clear that sacrifices to idols are actually sacrifices to demons.
God forbids any involvement in such practices, making it evident that participating in eating meat sacrificed to idols is incompatible with following Him.
When we move to the
New Testament,
Acts 15 shows how the early church, led by the apostles, made decisions about what Gentile believers should avoid. The council in Jerusalem gave clear instructions that Gentile Christians should abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, along with other practices connected to idolatry.
Acts 15:28-29 (NKJV):
"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
This instruction was given by the apostles, confirming that believers should avoid eating meat offered to idols. This aligns with the idea that participating in idol worship or anything connected to idols—including eating such meat—is wrong in the eyes of God. The decision was not just a suggestion, but a divine directive, affirmed by the Holy Spirit.
In
1 Corinthians 10, while Paul explains the freedom Christians have, he does so within the context of love and concern for others. However, it’s crucial to understand that Paul is addressing a situation in which people are already accustomed to idol worship, not making a blanket statement that it is acceptable for Christians to engage in idolatrous practices. In
1 Corinthians 10:20-21, Paul explains that eating meat sacrificed to idols is a spiritual matter, and Christians cannot partake in both the Lord's table and the table of demons:
1 Corinthians 10:20-21 (NKJV):
"Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons."
Paul here makes a stark distinction: those who partake in meat sacrificed to idols are essentially participating in idol worship, which is a form of fellowship with demons. God does not permit such participation. This reinforces the idea that
God’s law prohibits any involvement in idol worship, including eating meat that has been offered to idols.
Finally, in
Revelation 2:14, God rebukes the church in Pergamos for allowing some among them to eat things sacrificed to idols, indicating that such actions were unacceptable:
Revelation 2:14 (NKJV):
"But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality."
Here, God condemns eating things sacrificed to idols as a serious offense, linking it to false teaching and spiritual compromise. This shows that the practice was not only forbidden in the Old Testament, but also condemned by God in the New Testament era.
The Bible clearly teaches that
eating meat sacrificed to idols is forbidden by God.
Leviticus 17:7 and
Deuteronomy 32:17 show that God forbids sacrifices to idols and calls such practices demonic.
Acts 15:28-29 affirms that Gentile believers should abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21 and
Revelation 2:14 warn that eating such meat is participating in idolatry, which is incompatible with fellowship with God. Therefore, based on God’s direct commands and the warnings throughout Scripture, it is clear that God does not permit eating meat sacrificed to idols.