For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving…1 Timothy 4:4

The back story to this comment of Paul is the controversy over whether or not Christians are to eat certain foods. The Jewish law declared certain food (like pork) unclean and forbade law abiding Jews to eat it. Furthermore, in those days, meat was often sacrificed to idol gods and the leftover meat from these sacrifices was sold in the market place.

Even if these leftover meats were otherwise allowable by the Jewish law, such sacrificed food too was to be avoided. So, now comes the practical decision on what to teach and preach about how and what especially the gentiles are to eat.

We get the Apostles answer when we couple this text with I Corinthians 8: 1-13. There. he instructs:

What you eat won’t get you any closer to God. Yes, if you eat unhealthy foods it may cause you to get sick and die and thus meet God quicker.

“…But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.” – I Corinthians 8: 8

What you eat may cause others to go further from God. Personally, Paul doesn’t think it matters what you eat as it relates to your relationship with God. However, he does acknowledge that eating and drinking habits which truly might be irrelevant to your faith may be a stumbling block to the faith of another who sees certain ones as irreverent and indeed sinful. Paul’s compromise is just don’t eat and drink such foods around certain people.

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? – I Corinthians 8: 9-11

What you eat will be fine as long as you receive it with thanksgiving to God. Here again, these words are aimed at theological sense and not common sense or medical sense. Eating foods that are harmful to your body is simply poor stewardship of your body which is the temple of the Holy Ghost. The preacher is not giving your free reign to eat and drink anything and everything even if it will kill you! Rather, he is saying that as Jesus said:

“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. – Matthew 15: 11;17-18

God made it. So, if it won’t kill you. Receive it. Pray over it. Thank God for it. Then, go on an eat it!