Can Christians Eat Pork? What the Bible Says.

In fact, all pork was off the table. As a modern follower of Jesus, is that something I’m also expected to follow? Asking for a friend… and that friend happens to be me, a pork-loving kid raised in the South.

Let’s get right to the point. Can Christians eat pork? Yes, Christians can eat pork because followers of Jesus aren’t required to follow the Old Testament dietary laws that prohibited it.

Shewww. I’m feeling better already.

If you’re here for more than just a quick answer—and I hope you are—stick with us and we’ll unpack why the rules around pork changed; the big moment bacon came back on the menu; and what it means for our lives today.

The (Not-So) Magic Number

The Bible is an incredibly diverse book, covering some 1,500 years of history. It has poetry and history, personal correspondence and four biographies of Jesus. And yes, it has some laws too.

Way back in the second book of the Bible, God rescues His people from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. On their way to their new homeland, He reveals a code he expects his people to follow. Spread across the next four books of the Bible, the Law contains (drum-roll, please) 613 different rules, regulations, and guidelines. And you thought remembering the rules to Settlers of Catan was hard.

Among those laws are ones we’re still pretty familiar with (don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t worship other gods), while others might leave us scratching our heads (don’t eat shrimp, don’t build a flat roof without putting a railing around it, don’t wear garments of mixed fabrics).

Scholars agree that, within the Law, there are three different types of regulations.

1. Moral Laws - having to do with right and wrong, and reflecting timeless aspects of God’s character, highlighting what he values.

2. Ceremonial Laws - dealing with Israel’s worship and purity, designed to set them apart from the other tribes and nations of the ancient Middle East.

3. Judicial Laws - focusing on crime and punishment, meant to help the Israelites live together in harmony after 400 years as slaves and exiles.

When referring to all the laws together, Bible scholars capitalize the L—so the Law refers to all 613 of these rules together.

Part of that Law was a prohibition against all things pork. Leviticus 11:7-8 spells it out pretty explicitly. Pigs were considered unclean animals, and ancient followers of God were directed to not eat—or even touch—anything pork-related.

Breakfast sucked back then.

Jesus Changed Things

For the thousands of years between God’s revealing of the Law, until the time of Jesus, people who wanted to worship God, and walk in his ways, were required to keep the Law—all 613 rules. As you might expect, humanity didn’t do so hot.

When they failed, restitution could be made through the offering of a sacrifice, most often a lamb. The idea was that the lamb would take on the sin of the person, dying in their place to make them right with God again.

You might see where this is going.

Jesus was identified as the “Lamb of God,” the only person to ever walk the earth and not break any of the 613 laws. Meaning, Jesus was the only person in history that didn’t need a lamb to die in his place. This perfection allowed Him to take on that role for us.

Scripture is explicit that the death of Christ frees us from the demands of the Law. He took the sins of the world (yours and mine) upon himself, to make us right with God once and for all. No more sheep sacrifices needed.

Paul, an early missionary in the Jesus-movement, a man who grew up an expert in the Law and actually tried to keep all 613 rules, wrote this:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” - Romans 8:1, 10:4

The law was never about mere rule-keeping. It was designed as a bridge between a perfect God and a less-than-perfect humanity. Jesus fulfilled that objective once and for all. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have a new superhighway to God. We don’t have to take the 613 curvy backroads anymore.

Jesus closed the chapter on two things—having to keep the law in order to draw close to God, and killing a sheep when you didn’t—once and for all.

Does that mean everything in the old Law is meaningless? Not all.

Some things in the Law (don’t murder, don’t worship idols, don’t steal) still make sense for modern followers of God to follow, because these laws highlight God’s unchanging character and lead to human thriving. (Turns out, if I steal from you, we won’t get along).

Likewise, because we draw near to God through the sacrifice of Jesus—and not our diet, clothes, or health conditions—things like the ceremonial laws (and pork prohibitions) can be set aside. They’ve been fulfilled, and don’t apply to us anymore.

Can Christians Can Eat Pork? The Vision That Changed Things

To further highlight the new thing He was doing—and to make sure these changes to long-held dieterary expectations didn’t get lost in translation—God sent a vision.

The Bible records that Peter, a leader in the early church, saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth. This sheet contained all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds—things, like pigs, that the Law prohibited its followers from eating.

Peter heard a voice telling him to get up, kill, and eat the animals.

As someone committed to the Law, Peter answered, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything unclean.”

God’s answer? “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

This vision repeated three times, and as it ended, a knock came at the door. It was men Peter had never met, asking him to come explain the story of Jesus at the home of a Gentile.

The meaning is double—and clear. The good news of Jesus is for everyone, not just people who can trace their ethnic background back to Abraham. And, for the benefit of your meal times, no food is considered unclean any longer (though Brussels sprouts do remain notoriously gross).

Pork’s Back on the Menu, Boys

So go ahead, and fill that plate up with strips of strips of bacon, a heaping pile of BBQ, or my personal favorite, salted country ham.

And when you do, remember that Jesus loved you enough to come to earth, endure suffering, hardships, and the most brutal death humanity has ever cooked up, so that you could be painlessly reconciled back to God. He took the punishment we deserved, freeing us from the demands of those 613 ancient laws.

And, in the process, he fixed breakfast forever. Sounds like a win-win to me.

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Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.

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At Crossroads, we major on the majors and minor on the minors. We welcome a diverse community of people who all agree that Jesus is Lord and Savior, even if they view minor theological and faith topics in different ways based on their unique experiences. Our various authors embody that principle, and we approach you, our reader, in the same fashion. You don't have to agree with every detail of any article you see here to be part of this community or pursue faith. Chances are even our whole staff doesn't even agree with every detail of what you just read. We are okay with that tension. And we think God is okay with that, too. The foundation of everything we do is a conviction that the Bible is true and that accepting Jesus is who he said he is leads to a healthy life of purpose and adventure—and eternal life with God.