Parent: JesusWordsOnly
Paul Contradicts Jesus About Idol Meat
Introduction
Jesus in (Rev. 2:6), 14 takes on those persons teaching the Ephesians that it was acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Among them Jesus says were the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were an actual historical group. They taught Paul's doctrine of grace permitted them to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Jesus commends the Ephesians for refusing to listen to the Nicolaitans on the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols.
Yet the Nicolaitans were not merely deducing it was pennissible to eat such meat from Paul's doctrine of grace. Paul, in fact, clearly teaches three times that there is nothing wrong per se in eating meat sacrificed to idols. ((Rom. 14:21); (1Cor. 8:4-13), and (1Cor. 10:19-29).
However, Jesus, as we will see, three times in Revelation says it is flatly wrong. The Bible says when God commands something, we are not free to "diminish" it by articulating our own exceptions. "What thing soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." 1
Paulunists claim that this prohibition on eating meat sacrificed to idols (which was sold in meat markets) was not an absolute command. It was flexible enough to fit Paul's approach. Paul taught idol meat was perfectly acceptable unless someone else thought it was wrong. Paulunists argue that the Jerusalem Council only meant to prohibit eating such meat if it would undermine a weaker brother who thought it was wrong, as Paul teaches.
- (Exod. 34:13) says Jews were to tear down the altars of the Gentiles rather than make a covenant ( i.e ., a peace treaty). In Exo 34:15-16, God says if you prefer making a covenant and allow their pagan altars, you risk "one call thee [to eat with him] and thou eat of his sacrifice." The command to destroy the pagan altars was so that Jews would avoid eating meat sacrificed to idols even inadvertently at a meal at a Gentile home. This altar-destruction command also had the indirect affect of preventing a Gentile from eating idol meat. For this apparent reason, James in Acts 15:20, 25 and 21:25 prohibits Gentiles from eating idol meat. (On how James construed when the Law applies to Gentiles, see page 102.) It is ludicrous to argue, as some do, that God was concerned only that one knowingly ate such meat. If true, the Bible could have just prohibited such food as it did with other foods. However, idol meat cannot be identified by appearance. Thus, merely prohibiting eating such meat would not be enough if God was displeased by you eating it unknowingly. Hence, to prevent unknowing eating of such meat, God commands the destruction of pagan altars. Thus, Paul's allowance of eating such meat by not asking questions is precisely what the Bible does not countenance. in itself. It is also no less absolute a prohibition than the prohibition on fornication. Had the Jerusalem Council ruling intended the eating-idol-meat rule to be only a command to follow during social intercourse, then the council used the wrong words to convey such an interpretation.
In fact, the prohibition on eating meat sacrificed to idols was stated three times in Acts. It was never once stated with an exception or qualification. There is no hint that eating such meat was pennissible in your private meals. In fact, when we later look at Jesus' words in Revelation absolutely condemning such practice, Jesus is talking after Paul's words are written down. Had Jesus intended to affirm Paul's view that eating such meat is permissible, Jesus' absolute directives against ever eating such meat were the wrong way to communicate this. Jesus left no room to find hairsplitting exceptions.
This absolute prescription first appears at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:20. Initially, James decided that "we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols...." (Acts 15:20). Second, Luke then quotes James' letter to the Gentiles as saying one of the "necessary things" is "you abstain from things sacrificed to idols." (Acts 15:29). James reiterates this for a third and final time in Acts chapter 21. James is reminding Paul what the ruling was at the Jerusalem Council. He tells Paul that previously "we wrote giving judgment that they [ i.e ., the Gentiles] should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols...." (Acts 21:25).
James restates the principle unequivocally. skandalon) before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication." Jesus does not say the error was eating meat sacrificed to idols only if you believed an idol was real. Nor did Jesus say it was wrong only if the person involved thought eating such meat was wrong. Jesus simply laid down a prohibition. Nothing more. Nothing less. (Deut. 4:2) prohibits "diminishing" from God's true inspired words by making up exceptions.
In this (Rev. 2:14) passage, the use of the word skandalon is important. In (Matt. 13:41-43), Jesus warned that on judgement day all those ensnared ( skandalizo-ed ) will be gathered by the angels and sent to the "fiery furnace." Hence, Jesus was telling us in (Rev. 2:14) that eating meat sacrificed to idols was a serious sin. He called it a skandalon -a trap. It was a salvation-ending trap.
Jesus reiterates the prohibition on eating meat sacrificed to idols in (Rev. 2:20). Jesus faults the church at Thyatira for listening to a false Jezebel who "teaches my servants to commit fornication, and Word Pictures confesses the Nicolaitans defended eating such meat based on Paul's gospel:
These early Gnostics practiced licentiousness since they were not under law, but under grace. [Robertson's Word Pictures on (Rev. 2:14)). 3
"You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who
taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating meat
sacrificed to idols."
Jesus in (Rev. 2:14)
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Later, we will examine whether Jesus was identifying Paul in Rev.2:2 as a false apostle. See "Did Jesus Applaud the Ephesians for Exposing Paul as a False Apostle?" on page 215 et seq.
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Irenaeus around 180 A.D. wrote that Nicolas, their founder "departed from sound doctrine, and was in the habit of inculcating indifference of both life and food." (Refutation of All Heresies,
Therefore, we see Jesus extols those who hate the Nicolaitan's grace teaching which says Christians can eat meat sacrificed to idols. Jesus then condemns twice those who teach a Christian may eat meat sacrificed to idols. Jesus is just as absolute and unwavering on this prohibition as James is in Acts. When Jesus says it, we are not free to "diminish" it by making up exceptions. (Deut. 12:32).
Notice too how three times James in Acts repeats the point. Then three times Jesus repeats the point in the Book of Revelation. (Rev. 2:6, 14 (Ephesus); (Rev. 2:14-15) (Pergamum); (Rev. 2:20) (Thyatira)). In the New Testament, there is no command emphasized more frequently than the command against eating meat sacrificed to idols.
This three-times principle, incidentally, is not without its own significance. For Paul says three times that it is permissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols, as discussed next. God wanted us to know for a fact He is responding to Paul.
"To the pure, all things are pure."
Paul in Titus 1:15
Paul Permits Eating Meat Sacrificed To Idols
Paul clearly teaches three times that there is nothing wrong in itself eating meat sacrificed to idols. ((Rom. 14:21); (1Cor. 8:4-13), and 1 Corinthians 10:19-29). The first time Paul addresses the question of "eating meat sacrificed to idols," Paul answers: "But food will not commend us to God; neither if we eat not...." (1Cor. 8:8). Paul then explained it is only necessary to abstain from eating such meat if you are around a "weaker" brother who thinks an idol is something. (1 Cor. 8:7, 8:10, 9:22). Then, and only then, must you abstain. The reason is that then a brother might be emboldened to do something he thinks is sinful. The brother is weak for believing eating meat sacrificed to an idol is wrong. This is thus a sin for him to eat, even though you know it is not sinful to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Thus, even though you know better than your weaker brother that it is no sin to do so, it is better to abstain in his presence than cause him to sin against his weak conscience and be "destroyed." (1Cor. 8:11). 4
"The first sin committed by man was not murder or adultery or stealing; it was eating something they were told not to eat." Gordon Tessler, Ph.D. The Genesis Diet
Paul is essentially laying down a principle on how to be considerate of others who think it is wrong to eat meat sacrificed to idols. At the same time, Paul insists as a matter of principle, there is nothing wrong eating such meat. If you were instead the weaker brother, and read Paul's epistles on this topic, you certainly would walk away knowing Paul teaches it is permissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols. You would even think your weak-mindedness on this issue should be abandoned. You should no longer burden your conscience on your brother who refrains due to your overly sensitive conscience. With Paul's instructions in hand, you would certainly know that it is pennissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols. You can now get over your undue and ill-founded concern about eating such meat.
- Paul is thought to teach you should not take communion if one was eating idol meat at a pagan service. In 1Cor. 10:20-21, Paul says you cannot be partaker of the Lord's table and the "table of devils." This was thus not a flat prohibition on eating idol meat. Most commentators reconcile Paul to Paul by saying Paul means you cannot go to a pagan sacrifice and eat the meat during a pagan service and still partake of communion. There is still thus nothing inherently wrong in eating such meat. In the context in which Paul says this, Paul also repeats his famous axiom, "all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient." (1Cor. 10:23). Then Paul says when you buy food or eat a stranger's home, "ask no question for sake of your conscience." (1Cor. 10:25,27). Thus, Paul says it is best you not know what you are eating. Don't let your conscience wrong. There are no excuses, hairsplitting qualifications, situationalethics, or easy outs in deciding whether to obey God. It is wrong and prohibited.
Paul Clearly Teaches It is Permissible to Eat Idol Meat
Yet, Paul teaches it is pennissible to eat idol meat. This is transparent enough that Pauline Christians admit Paul is saying meat sacrificed to idols is clean and permissible. They make these admissions apparently unaware that Jesus in Revelation reconfirmed the prohibition on meat sacrificed to idols. 5 A Presbyterian pastor unwittingly admits:
Paul says to his readers that even though there is no ontological
or theological basis for refusing to eat meat that has been
sacrificed to an idol, nevertheless out of consideration for
brothers and sisters in Christ for whom it
- Kenneth Loy, Jr. in My Body His Temple: The Prophet Daniel's Guide to Nutrition (Aroh Publishing: 2001) at 69 writes: " Idol Meat Is Clean ((Rom. 14) and (1Cor. 8)): God had forbidden idol meat originally because it caused the children of Israel to go 'whoring after' the gods of other nations. ((Exod. 34:15-16)). Since the Gentiles were now equal in the sight of God, this restriction was no longer necessary. Jewish Christians even preferred idol meat since it was usually less expensive in the market place. ...Paul stipulates another reason why idol meat is permitted'. 6
This pastor unwittingly destroys Paul's validity for a person who wants to obey Jesus Christ.