We are now in that part of the Bible dealing with the Lord’s commands concerning food and what God has deemed fit for His people to eat or not to eat.
Before getting into the text, as with many of my other teachings, there are a couple of fundamental Biblical realities I need to make sure you’re aware of first.
Some of this is going to be a bit deep and technical, especially for Western churchgoers because this knowledge is never taught in the churches, but it should be.
Via the medium of human language (which is so limited), I’m going to attempt to explain certain spiritual principles that God has woven into the entire universe.
There are no exceptions to this.
Everything, and I mean everything in our universe, operates according to these principles.
If you are going to even remotely comprehend the nature of “Salvation” and what it means to be “saved”, understanding these core principles is a must.
What is so unfortunate is that your average Christian will go their entire lives without ever being taught what I’m going to be explaining in the next couple of days.
In comparison, your average Jewish child who went to a proper Jewish school will at around the age of 6 or 7 already know these principles by heart.
They might not know fully comprehend their significance, but they will have internalized the principles.
Recall from my last post that I said God has placed diet directly at the center of what it means to live a holy life.
In the Bible, food has always been a major issue starting in the Garden of Eden when the Lord told Adam and Eve what they were permitted to eat for food.
From the time of Adam up until the Great Flood, it seems that men were vegetarians.
The Lord didn’t allow the killing of animals for meat until after the flood.
One thing I can say about God’s instructions regarding diet is that they have always been very simple.
When one looks at all the complex commentary produced by the ancient Jewish sages on this topic, it’s hard to believe that the Lord’s original commands about diet are actually quite simple.
So before we even touch on the food laws, I need to introduce the following four principles to you.
PRINCIPLE 1: THE OPPOSITE OF HOLY IS COMMON
The first point you need to understand is that the opposite of HOLY is COMMON.
When I say “common”, I am referring to the plain definition as we normally understand it.
Common means “typical” or “usual”, and refers to those things that are NOT set apart.
COMMON applies to the vast majority or the largest group.
Therefore, there are always more common things than it’s opposite, holy things.
On the other end of the spectrum, HOLY carries the greatest value and occupies the highest position.
HOLY means something unusual and set apart.
It refers to that minority that has been separated from the COMMON to be of service to God.
So understand that HOLY refers to the precious few, while COMMON refers to the majority or the unwashed masses.
Simply put, almost everything is common.
PRINCIPLE 2: SOMETHING CANNOT SIMULTANEOUSLY BE HOLY AND COMMON
Just like something cannot be clean and unclean at the same time, something cannot also be HOLY and COMMON at the same time.
This is so important, I need to say it again.
There is NOTHING in this universe that can be a combination of HOLY and COMMON!
Got it?
A great example of this is God’s chosen people Israel.
God has decreed that ONLY Israel is holy and the rest of the gentile nations are common.
And you had best believe that what I’ve just said about Israel is NOT some man-made doctrine or philosophy reflecting some extremist’s views.
The FACT that Israel is HOLY and the rest of world is COMMON is a fundamental axiom that rules the Universe.
PRINCIPLE 3: EVERYTHING BEGINS AS SOMETHING COMMON
Everything in this universe, all humans, plants, animals, dirt, water, EVERYTHING starts as something common.
Or to say it in reverse, in this universe NOTHING in its natural state is HOLY.
PRINCIPLE 4: ONLY GOD CAN DECLARE SOMETHING HOLY
How does something or someone become HOLY?
There is only ONE WAY!
The Creator of the Universe has to declare something or someone HOLY.
Once something is declared HOLY, it is no longer COMMON.
Why?
Because it is now HOLY.
I can’t think of any other simpler way to put it.
A COMMON thing doesn’t start out with a little holiness and then over time gradually become holier and holier through effort or one’s works.
Once the Lord declares something or someone HOLY, that’s it.
Its state of common-ness is left behind.
Another common “churchy” word used to describe what happens when the Lord makes something HOLY is “sanctify”.
So how do these principles affect us believers today?
Very simple, the very second we placed our trust in Yeshua, the Lord declared us holy.
In that instant, the Holy Spirit entered into us and as a result we transformed from being COMMON to becoming HOLY.
Or to use Western churchy terminology, we left the old self behind and became “a new person in Christ”.
The Western gentile church isn’t describing anything new.
They’re just using different words to describe the ancient Torah principle of the COMMON becoming HOLY based on the Lord’s sovereign decree.
Once the Creator of the universe declares you HOLY, that’s it!
You are no longer COMMON.
It doesn’t matter how may feel about yourself.
If you are a believer, from God’s perspective, you are 100% holy.
And non-believers are 100% common.
There is no middle ground here.
I am talking about a 100% separation from the common things of this world.
Believe and trust that this is true.
Actually, let me rephrase that.
Don’t just believe and trust that this is true, LIVE IT!!!
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For God’s will
was for us to be made holy
by the sacrifice of the body
of Yeshua the Messiah,
once for all time.”
-Hebrews 10:10
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