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Paul’s first letter to Timothy teaches us that we are to reject no foods if they are received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:3-5). He goes so far as to say that anyone who forbids either food or marriage are liars (vv. 2-3)! Therefore, we can have assurance from this passage (along with Romans 14:20) that God removed the distinction between clean and unclean foods under the New Covenant. What about Acts 10? Did Peter’s vision declare all foods clean?

People often consider Acts 10 and Mark 7 to be passages which teach that all foods are clean for disciples of Jesus. It is understandable why people draw this conclusion. A casual reading of both passages could leave one with the impression that they teach the removal of the Old Testament dietary laws. People who conclude the kosher food laws do not apply under the New Covenant are correct, but sometimes for the wrong reason.

The New Testament clearly reveals that the Old Testament dietary laws did not carry over into the New Covenant. However, some of the passages which people think eliminate the dietary laws, in fact, do not. One such verse is Mark 7:19 where many of our English Bibles say that Jesus “declared all foods clean.” 

since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) (Mark 7:19 ESV)

This is a very direct statement, is it not? How could one say that this verse doesn’t teach that Jesus eliminated the Old Testament food laws? The problem is one of translation. As it turns out, translators are not in agreement on the proper way to translate Mark 7:19 into English. In addition, the context does not support the idea that the Old Testament food laws are under consideration in this passage.