God gave food guidelines to His people under the Old Covenant, that is, eat only animals that split the hoof and chew the cud, and fish with fins and scales, and so on. These are considered clean by God. But later, after Christ, all food is considered clean and good for food. Why so? “For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:5) “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) But through the law, God teaches us to discern between the clean and the unclean; for we are to separate from any so-called believer who is immoral, or greedy, or covetous; for bad company corrupts good character. (a little bit of sin destroys much that is good, a little bit of leaven leavens the whole lump, and a single dead fly causes the perfume to stink.) Or do you not know that we partake of words into the heart? As it says, " The ear tests words as the palate tastes food. " (Job 34:3)
So we ought to stay away from false teachings which can ruin, for falsehood is trickery; it doesn't proclaim itself as false, but as the truth; if it proclaimed itself as false, then no-one would believe it! Do you not know that there was one commandment, and satan beguiled Adam and Eve to do the very thing they were not supposed to do? And so it is, these false teachings promote the very things God commands us not to do, and discourage the very things we ought to do. But the pure milk is the gospel of God in all its purity. The gospel is not watered down, becoming impure; nor is it like skim milk, which is adulterated, or chocolate milk, which is processed; but the true milk of the Word is first of all pure, unadulterated, and holy; and we are made to drink through faith in the word of the Promise. Just as a child rests in the bosom of his mother, so it is said of the Promised Land, " Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her, That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, That you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom. " (Isaiah 66:10-11)
For she is called a land flowing with milk and honey, which you have come to partake. And the honey is the sweetness of wisdom; as it says, " My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off. " (Proverbs 24:13-14)
The Word of God is our food; we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God; and we consume His Word through faith. We eat the Word of the Lord and drink the Spirit of God, which is truly abiding; if we are living in Him, we are where He is; and He is seated in the heavenly places; as Paul says, "Seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6) Our life comes from Him and in Him we remain in the life; this is how we find true life, for it's found in the Author of life; as it says, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1 John 5:11-12) And in Him there is no sin; as it says, “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.” (1 John 3:5-6) And in Him is all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3); and in Him we are made complete, for He is the fullness of the Deity in bodily form (Colossians 2:9-10). And in Him there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Therefore, come to Him and abide in Him! And separate from the unclean; for there is a season for everything, a time for milk and a time for solid food; but, " As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." (1 John 2:27)
(See more on Abiding in Christ)
What we abide in will come out of us; yes, the filling of the heart will pour out of the mouth; what we set our mind upon will reside in the heart; as Christ says, " The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. " (Matthew 6:22)
Notice it says, "the eye", and it does not say, "the eyes"; so it's the eye of the mind which He is talking about. People can see with their eyes, but they perceive different things; for instance, a man can see and interpret something quite differently than a child. A man whose eye is healthy looks at a dumpster and throws garbage into it; a man with an unhealthy eye dives into it and eats from it. There is an intended use and an unintended use - what is natural and what is unnatural. God created everything and saw that it was good; but the things which were created good are perverted into something sinful by an evil eye. For Lot in Sodom looked at the strangers and he was hospitable to them, but the men of Sodom looked and perceived immorality in their hearts; Lot and the people of Sodom had healthy eyes, for they could see just fine, but the men of Sodom had an evil eye. Lot's eye was generous, but their eye was immoral. The problem is not with the eyes, but the eye; when the eye is set on things above, it is healthy; when it is set on the things below, it is unhealthy; this is why it says, “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.” (Titus 1:15) For the pure are clean and the defiled are unclean. So by this we can discern between the clean and the unclean, and separate ourselves from the unclean that we may be holy. We ought to be watchful in what we consume as God teaches through the Old Covenant in regard to food. The same who live as unclean animals eat unclean things; for the things they eat are unclean, which are false teachings; and they bring them where-ever they go. For what is eaten abides in the flesh, what is consumed spiritually abides in the heart; and these come out of us; as Jesus says, " For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. " (Matthew 12:33-35)
If we walk closely in fellowship with an unbeliever, we will learn his ways; this is why it says, " Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man, Or you will learn his ways And find a snare for yourself. " (Proverbs 22:24-25)
God warns us about false teachers and teaches us through food guidelines to discern between the clean and the unclean. If we are born of Him, we will listen to His voice and not the voice of a stranger (John 10:1-18). We are to reprove such things, not believe in them or be tricked by them. Therefore, abide in Him; and if we abide in the Son, we abide in the Father. Everything we need is in Him. If we abide in Him, we will be able to discern between the clean and the unclean, for He teaches us all things; and we will not be led astray from Him. Words can lead you to God or they can counsel rebellion against God (Jeremiah 28:16, Deuteronomy 13:5); if we trust in His Word alone and discern properly between the clean and the unclean, we will remain in God. (See more on Biblical Separation)
Jesus is the Word of God; it is He who we eat and drink; as He says, " Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever. " (John 6:53-59)
During communion, we remember Him by eating bread, which represents His broken body for us; and we remember Him by drinking the blood of grapes, which represents His poured out blood for us. There are statutes the Lord has given us where the physical and the spiritual overlap (Baptism is also like this). When we partake in communion, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes; we proclaim our unity with all of God's children who partake in the same spiritual food and spiritual drink. We are all one in Christ - just as the one loaf is broken and consumed by many who partake it; and the one loaf is inside many, just as the one Spirit is inside many; we are His Body, and His Body was broken for us. Adam's bride was taken from his body, so Christ's bride is taken from His body; and we are "bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh." For He died for us that we would be united to Him. The old man was taken from the ground, but the new man is taken from Christ; the old man is of dust, but the new man is of God; and if we are from Him, then we are of Him. If we abide in Him, we have His promise: He will abide in us. And if He abides in us, we will bear much fruit, proving that we are truly His disciples (John 15:4-10). For it is not our own ways we follow, it is not our own words we speak, it is not our own strength we live by. If that were so, then it would be us doing the work that we may boast; but if we abide in Him, He works in us and through us; as Paul said, "yet not I, but the grace of God with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10) If we follow His Way, then it's His steps we follow; if we speak His Word, then it's by His Spirit in us; as it says, "The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself." (1 John 5:10) We can do nothing by ourselves, but we fellowship with God who works in us and with us. He will not deviate from His path to walk in our way, but if we deviate from our way to follow Him, then there He is! As the prophet says, "The LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2) So we are not only strengthened by food in the flesh, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God: namely, by the word of His grace. His grace is our strength: just as food works best when hungry, God's grace works best in weakness; we are strengthened in our hearts by His grace - it's grace that matters in a graceless world. This is the key to abiding: remaining firmly planted in the Word of truth which has the power to save, living and walking in Him. For if our roots grow downward into Christ, our fruit will bear upward to God. That which is underneath the soil is hidden for a time; what we do in secret will be manifested abroad. Remember Him; for communion is given in order for us to remember Christ. Abide in His love. The Holy Spirit will bring all things into our remembrance; but the one who sleeps, who treats the Word of God with contempt by lacking in watchfulness and prayer, he becomes disobedient to the Holy Spirit's leading by shutting his eyes; the one who sleeps in watchfullness is careless about the implanted Word entrusted to Him; for instead of being watchful and guarding what is precious, he sleeps, being careless and is lacking in the fear of God. The weapon God has given us against temptation is prayer; and the weapon against slumber, watchfulness. Abiding is humility. Trusting in God is humbling. Faith is child-like. Afflicting oneself is humiliating. The reward is Christ in you. He wants three works from us, even four to remain: do nothing, afflict yourself, come, and abide. The greatest of these is abide.
People who live under a home are sheltered by that home, for a home is a covering, a roof over the head; and we eat and drink and sleep at home; no-one can live without food, drink and rest. So also, in Christ there is rest for our souls. As the Psalmist calls the Lord, "My Refuge", so Christ has become our refuge in these last times; He is our food and our drink, and He is our rest. God alone is holy; and the Seventh day being hallowed by God is also called a holy day of rest. So whoever enters into His rest, rests from His labors as God did from His; for when there is completion of work, there is rest, and when there is rest, there is perfection and holiness (Hebrews 4:8-11). And we have come to rest in the completed work of Christ by the sanctification of His blood; for “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10) The unclean cannot make clean; as it says, "Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!” (Job 14:4) "But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) And in Christ, by His completed and perfect work, we enter into His rest, that we may be holy as He is holy, that we may be righteous as He is righteous, that we may have power where power resides, and share in His glory. And we enter into Him, into His rest through baptism, not of the washing of the flesh, but of the washing of the water of His teachings; for obedience to His commands is faith made perfect; as He says, " If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. " (John 15:10)
And furthermore, the apostle says, " The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. " (1 John 3:24, 1 John 4:13)
And concerning these commandments, it says, “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” (1 John 3:23) For “No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12) If we do as He commands, then we will pray to the Father and He will answer us (1 John 3:21-22); and we will have great confidence in the day of salvation (1 John 2:28, 1 John 4:17). Therefore, abide! As the LORD God says, “It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; From Me comes your fruit.” (Hosea 14:8)