"For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten." (Lev 11:45-47)

These verses at the end of Leviticus chapter 11 sum up what the whole chapter is about: The Dietary Laws. To answer possible objections to them being valid for everybody right away, let me also quote the first two verses of the chapter:

"And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. " (Lev 1:1-2)

Obviously, these laws were not only for the Levities to observe, but for all the "children of Israel". And since we are spiritual heirs of Abraham under the New Covenant, that includes us.

For our house, all of God's Law is binding. Since Jesus died as a ransom for our sins, the call to obey God's commandments and trust in Him wholeheartedly has become louder instead of softer. Yes, the sacrificial laws are fulfilled by Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the cross (Heb 10:12), and yes, the temple is not an outward building anymore but our bodies are the temple of God now (1Co 6:19). But that's about all of God's Law that has been fulfilled so far. Therefore, it behooves us - pun only slightly intended - to have a look at what makes us unclean in God's eyes, what prevents us from being holy.

Read on here:

The Dietary Laws Part 2

Read Part 3 here:

The Dietary Laws Part 3