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Commentary on "Nutrition in the Bible"
Day 2: Sunday, June 13, 2010 - The Original Diet
Overview
Based on Gen. 1:26-30 the assumption is made that our original diet, prior to the consequences of sin impacting our lives was totally vegetarian. The assumption is then made that this implies that the best present day diet is also a vegetarian one.
Observations
While it seems probable that the original diet was vegetarian it is going beyond what the text says to insist that they were restricted to only vegetarian foods. For instance, livestock is mentioned with no explanation as to what their livestock was used for. The point is that there is no stated restriction from also eating meat.
Shortly after Adam and Eve sinned God obviously killed an animal to provide skins that he dressed them with. The death of an innocent animal to cover their nakedness was a prophetic shadow that points to the atoning work of Jesus Christ but also has implications that impinge upon our changed dietary needs.
Assuming that the original diet was vegetarian doesn’t prove that our present day diet should be the same. Our requirements for maintaining a limited measure of good health are much different from what the original needs of Adam and Eve were. The moment they sinned, Gen. 2:17, they died. While the immediate death was spiritual, John 3:1-18, their physical bodies were now subject to decay, sickness and impending death.
The reference to Rev. 22:2-3 simply shows that when our bodies are changed our dietary needs will again change. It says nothing about what we should be doing now.
Summary
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