2. Pastor Michael Onyedikachi Akpa, PhD
Professor of New Testament Studies and Youth Ministry
Department of Religious Studies
Babcock University, Nigeria
moakpa@gmail.com
+234-703-965-7145
3. Biblical Origin, History and Development of
Human Nutrition
The origin, history and
development of human
nutrition are as old as the
biblical account of Creation
in the book of Genesis.
4. At the conclusion of His creation on
the sixth (6th) day, God blesses
humanity with manifold blessings
(Genesis 1:28-30) which include:
exponential procreation
dominance over nature
nutrition
5. From the account in Genesis 1:28-30, the original food which
God gave to humanity and every animal consisted
exclusively of plants:
Seed-bearing plants (1:29a)
Fruits from trees (1:29b)
Vegetables (1:30)
This clearly indicates that in God’s original and undented
Creation, there was no carnivore (flesh-eating creature), not
even among the animals.
6. To sustain His original design of plant-based
nutrition for humanity, God planted a Garden in Eden
and put the first humans there to take care of (dress)
and work (plough) it (Gen 2:7-8, 15).
In the Garden of Eden grew all kinds of trees;
pleasant to the eyes (beautiful) and good for food
(edible) – Gen 2:9.
7. Except for the Tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, God
granted humanity free access to
eat from every other tree in the
Garden of Eden (Gen 2:16-17).
8. That God’s original nutrition for humanity
is plant-based is sustained to the point
that even when Satan, through the serpent
would tempt Eve (and through her, Adam)
to disobey God, he (Satan) attacked them
through appetite, using the FRUIT from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil;
nothing else (Gen 3:1-7).
9. It therefore stands that from
Creation to the Fall (Gen 1-
3), human nutrition
consisted exclusively of
plant-based diet.
10. In His directives to Noah on how to conduct activities
around and in the ark in connection with the Flood,
God told Noah that every living creature (animal) will
come to him.
Therefore, he (Noah) is to take the animals into the
ark in pairs of male and female, to keep them
(preserve/conserve) on the surface of the earth (Gen
6:19-21).
11. Further in God’s directives to Noah, Noah was instructed
by God to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and
store it away in the ark as food for himself, his family and
the animals (in context of Gen 6:19-21).
AN ASTONISHING POINT OF DISCOVERY HERE IS THAT
EVEN AT THE POINT OF ENTERING THE ARK IN
PREPARATION FOR AND DURING THE FLOOD, THERE
WAS NO CARNIVORE. Humans and animals alike ate plant-
based food (in context of Gen 6:21).
12. Prior to the Flood God
explicitly classified the
animals as CLEAN and
UNCLEAN (Gen 7:1-16).
13. It is SIGNIFICANT that God instructed Noah to take
the animals into the ark in disproportionate numbers
based on the CLEAN and UNCLEAN status as God
caused them to come to Noah (Gen 7:2-3, 8-9).
CLEAN animals => 7 pairs, male and female
UNCLEAN animals => 1 pair, male and female
BIRDS => 7 pairs, male and female
14. The basis for this
classification, although not
explicitly stated in Gen 7, will
become explicit in Gen 8, 9 and
following.
15. After the Flood waters receded
and dried up completely, God
commanded Noah, his
household and all the animals
in the ark to come out of the
ark (Gen 8:15-19).
16. Driven by gratitude, reverence and
worship, Noah built an altar for
God. Noah took some of the
CLEAN animals and birds and
sacrificed them to God as burnt
offering (Gen 8:20).
17. God accepted Noah’s sacrifice of the CLEAN animals
and birds and blessed the earth with blessings of
various seasons; culminating in planting time and
harvest time (Gen 8:21-22).
THIS IS THE FIRST EXPLICIT RATIONALE FOR THE
CLASSIFICATION OF THE ANIMALS AND BIRDS AS
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN.
18. Change in Human Nutrition
A major change in human
nutrition took place
immediately after the Flood
when God expanded human
diet from plant-based to
include the flesh of animals
19. Although the language of God’s expansion of
human nutrition to include animal flesh used
“EVERYTHING” (Gen 9:3), it must be
emphasized that everything here referred to the
expansion of categories of diet to include:
Plant-based category and
Animal-based category
20. This view is sustained by the language of the
expansion when God said: “Just as I gave you
the green plants, I now give you everything”
(Gen 9:3, NIV).
Here, “EVERYTHING” in Gen 9:3 implies
inclusion of plants and animals.
21. Animal-Based Food and Longevity
The Fall in Genesis 3 not withstanding, human beings enjoyed obvious
longevity until after the Flood in Genesis 9:
Adam => 930 years (Gen 5:5)
Set => 912 years (Gen 5:8)
Enosh => 905 years (Gen 5:11)
Kenan => 910 years (Gen 5:14)
Mahalalel => 895 years (Gen 5:17)
Jared => 962 years (Gen 5:20)
Enoch => 365 years when God took him to heaven (Gen 5:23-24)
Methuselah => 969 years (Gen 5:27)
Lamech => 777 years (Gen 5:31)
Noah => 950 years (Gen 9:29)
22. As soon as God permitted humans to eat animals as food after the Flood, longevity
began to nose-dive at an obvious level:
Shem => 500 years (Gen 11:11)
Arphaxad => 403 years (Gen 11:13)
Shelah => 403 years (Gen 11:15)
Eber => 430 years (Gen 11:17)
Peleg => 209 years (Gen 11:19)
Reu => 207 years (Gen 11:21)
Serug => 200 years (Gen 11:23)
Nahor => 119 years (Gen 11:25)
Terah => 205 years (Gen 11:32)
Abraham => 175 years (Gen 25:7)
Moses => 120 years (Deut 34:7)
Human Struggle to reach and exceed 70 years (Psalm 90:9-12)
23. By comparing human longevity before God’s
permission of eating animal flesh and after
God’s permission of eating animal flesh, it is
clear that apart from the withdrawal of human
access to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden
(Gen 3:22-24) and increase in human iniquity
and violence (Gen 6:1-6), human lifespan was
drastically reduced by the introduction of the
eating of animal flesh in Gen 9:3.
24. Clarifications on the Use of Animals as Food
In Genesis 1:31, God evaluated EVERYTHING He created
and said it was VERY GOOD.
Nevertheless, not everything was good for food.
While giving instructions to the Israelites (God’s holy,
chosen people) God drew an explicit boundary between
CLEAN and UNCLEAN animals regarding human nutrition.
25. In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, God
clearly distinguished between what humans
could eat and should not eat among:
animals,
birds,
sea creatures, and
insects.
26. Two specific dimensions of God’s
instructions regarding the use of
animals as food in Lev 11 and Deut 14
are summarized as:
Permission
Prohibition
27. The PERMISSION to eat the flesh of some
animals is clearly highlighted by the phrase:
… you MAY eat (Lev 11:2-3; Deut 14:4); making it
OPTIONAL, not compulsory.
It is not sinful to eat from the category of
creatures that are permitted.
28. The PROHIBITION, not to eat the flesh of some
animals is clearly highlighted by the phrase:
. . . you MUST/SHALL NOT eat or even touch their
carcass (Lev 11:8; Deut 14:8); making it
IMPERATIVE not to eat.
It is sinful to eat from the category of creatures
that are prohibited or touch their carcass.
29. Because the Priests, Levites and worshipers ate from
the meat of most animals sacrificed on the altar
under the Old Testament sacrificial system (with the
exception of sin/guilt offering that was completely
burned for God), it is on record that ONLY CLEAN
ANIMALS AND BIRDS (eg. turtle dove, lamb, goat,
ram, cattle) were used in making sacrifices to God in
the Bible.
30. In His threat of judgment and destruction sent
to the people of Judah (Isaiah 66:15-17), God
swore to punish, among others, those who eat
unclean and abominable creatures such as:
Pigs
Rats
Other unclean things
31. Unclean Foods Still Abhorred in the New
Testament
The UNCLEAN nature of some animals for food is
sustained in the New Testament even at the time of Christ,
the Early Church and the Apostles.
Specific mention is made of the PIG (SWINE) as UNCLEAN
to the point that it was considered the lowest level of
degradation for a Jew to work at the piggery. See the story
of the prodigal son in Luke 15, for example.
32. In the vision shown to Peter while hungry and
in a trance (Acts 10 and 11), Peter still
recognized some four-footed animals, birds
and reptiles as unclean for food, even though
God chose to use his repulsion for unclean
animals to teach him a spiritual lesson on the
Jewish dislike for Gentiles of whom Cornelius
the centurion who was seeking salvation was
one.
33. Through Peter’s encounter with the vision and
Cornelius in person, God broke the barriers
between the Jews and Gentiles in matters of
salvation (Acts 10:34-35; 11:18).
However, God, through the vision to Peter, did
not abrogate the command against eating of
unclean animals.
34. A major aspect of food and nutrition which
especially Paul had to deal with in his
letters which people largely misinterpret
today has to do with observing special
holidays characterized by eating and
drinking (eg. Romans 14 and 15) as well as
eating food offered to idols (Acts 15:19-29;
1 Cor 8:1-13; 1 Cor 10:19-33).
35. For Paul and other apostles, food offered to idols is
nothing to the believer, as long as it falls within what is
PERMITTED by God to be accepted with prayer and
thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-6; cf. Lev 11; Deut 14).
Observe that Paul clearly points out that the food in
question refers to what God created to be received with
thanksgiving BY THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND KNOW THE
TRUTH (1 Timothy 4:3; cf. Lev 11; Deut 14). This shows
that it is not unclean foods that are in view here.
36. Nevertheless, Paul would strongly
argue that if eating permitted food and
drinking permitted wine will cause the
weak in faith to stumble, it is better not
to eat or drink (see for example
Romans 14:15-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 1 Cor
10:19-33).
37. In the book of Revelation, in her fallen state, symbolic
Babylon is described as “a dwelling for demons and
a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every
unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and
detestable animal” (Rev 18:2, NIV).
This affirms that until the end of the world, there will
be animals that are unclean and detestable, for food.
38. The blood of Jesus, shed on the cross of Calvary did not
cleanse animals from their uncleanness so that we can
now eat every animal. This teaching betrays a lack of
proper understanding of the efficacy of the vicarious
sacrifice of Christ.
What the Bible consistently teaches is that the blood of
Jesus Christ, shed on the cross of Calvary purifies and
cleanses SINNERS (HUMAN BEINGS) FROM THEIR SINS.
See 1 John 1:7-10; Ephesians 5:25-27; Titus 2:13-14
39. At the end of the Great Controversy between God and
Satan, good and evil, light and darkness, obedience and
disobedience,
God will return humanity to the originally designed plant-based
diet and restore the TREE OF LIFE which was taken away.
The FRUIT from the tree of life will be for food while the
LEAVES will be for the healing (actually preventive) of the
nations (Revelation 22:2, 14; cf. Revelation 2:7).
40. Contemporary Application
Modern science corroborates the facts that
Plant-based food is best for the human body
Animal-based food is not the best for the human body
Plant fat, oil and cholesterol are healthy for the human body
Animal fat, oil and cholesterol are harmful to the human body. They clog
the cardiovascular system, leading to so many complications
(arteriosclerosis, cardiac arrest, etc)
Most of the UNCLEAN animals are scavengers
All the animals classified as UNCLEAN in the Bible harbor various forms of
pathogens, toxins, and infections that are harmful to the human system
People in the blue zones of the world, who subscribe to pant-based diet,
avoid smoking and exercise regularly, live longer than their peers
elsewhere by an upward of 10 years
41. Conclusion
God the Creator of humanity knows what food is best
humans . The original plant-based diet was designed to
sustain human life for ever, as long as they continued to
obey God and eat from the tree of life.
The consequences of human disobedience, which led to
the Fall, have continued to plague humanity with so much
negativity from diseases, violence, sickness, disasters,
aging and ultimately death.
42. The effects of these negative results of disobedience to
God have been further aggravated by the eating of animal
flesh since after the Flood.
Human beings, throughout history have continued to live
in disobedience to God in all things, especially
rationalizing the area of food and drink; defying and
crossing God’s classification and demacartion of animals
as clean and unclean for food.
43. Ultimately, the choice is open for each one to decide to obey
God in all things, including the area of food and drink and
enjoy the immense benefits (death not withstanding),
Quality life
Longevity
Physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellness
Extended and strengthened immunity
Disease prevention and Control
Expedited healing and recovery from sickness
waiting for the time when God will make all things new (Rev
21:1—22:17).
