The Sin of the Consumption of Blood

Tweetie said:

I'm thinking this Christian Forum discussion is a waste of time. The Eucharist is the Body, Blood and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Jesus told us to eat His body and drink His blood.

What are all of you worried about here? A rare steak?

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Get off you high horse...
If you bothered to read the opening post you would see that "drinking of blood" was NOT , in this thread , anything about spiritualizing it...he was speaking in the OP of literal animal blood
...we all already know what the body and blood of Jesus represents...especially as you repeated yourself five times
......that was NOT the discussion here.

I Kosher my own meat, and there is always some blood left in the meat., even with pressing the meat onto paper towels. The four requirements, that is what I call them, Acts 15 vers 24-since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling to your souls,!saying you must be Circumcised and keep the Law!! We did not send them!!! refer back to vers 5- But some of the sect of the [Pharisees] WHO Believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to Circumcise them, and to Command them to keep the Law of Moses"-- These were Pharisees that allegedly were Believers, and their laws were not that of Moses but they were their own interpretations of the laws of Moses. anyway the four requirements were in vers 29 - that you abstain from things offered to Idols, from blood,from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. if you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. 1- any form of Idol worship - or things offered to Idols --2- from blood - back in those times they would drink the blood of animals, and they also used the blood to make some food dishes, like today they make blood sausage. - 3- things strangled - also back in those times they would strangle an animal to death,and when the body would cool the blood would coagulate in the tissue of the meat, not being drained like a normal form of slaughter by cutting the throat of the animal. -4- sexual immorality - I don't think I need to explain! you need to remember that the Apostles were dealing with people that were used to worshiping anything and everything, Zeus, Eshter, Dagon the fish god, Tammuz the reincarnated sun god the list is endless. They were trying to set boundary's that fit the Faith. The only thing that I can say are the words of Our Savior " IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS". we have been given the Grace to empower us to live and walk in the Spirit, and to try to be Pleasing in our Heavenly Fathers eyes. I also think! that if we get a little blood in our meat it wont be a sin unto death,all we can do is try.

"ByGrace" said:

Get off you high horse...
If you bothered to read the opening post you would see that "drinking of blood" was NOT , in this thread , anything about spiritualizing it...he was speaking in the OP of literal animal blood
...we all already know what the body and blood of Jesus represents...especially as you repeated yourself five times
......that was NOT the discussion here.

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Actually, I thought everyone discussing this issue was on a "high horse". The body and blood of Jesus IS present in the Holy Eucharist. It is not a symbol - it ACTUALLY IS His body and blood.

Tweetie said:

Actually, I thought everyone discussing this issue was on a "high horse". The body and blood of Jesus IS present in the Holy Eucharist. It is not a symbol - it ACTUALLY IS His body and blood.

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Just saying...
Talking about LITERAL MEAT has nothing to do with what you keep on talking about!!
If you want to discuss " the holy eucharist" ..then start you own thread , and start your own new discussion!!

I think it is a mistake here to read these restrictions in Acts 15 as a new sort of Christian "Law." Rather, these were expectations of Gentiles who were entering the church. What is missed by our culture today is how radical these words are. Most Jews would be absolutely outraged at the idea of allowing a Gentile to be considered part of the congregation without fully embracing circumcision, the feasts and all the laws and observances of the Jewish community. Rather, the only expectation is that these Gentiles were to abstain from those things that were associated with corrupt and wicked idolatrous practices. All of these things...blood, strangled meat, sexual immorality...were related to idolatrous practices of the day.

So, it seems to me, that basically they were telling the Gentiles, "Look, you don't have to keep laws to come into the Church. We couldn't keep the law and we aren't going to impose that on you. Christ did not die to put us under law. However, you must break away from the wicked idolatrous practices if you want to identify with Christ and his Church." Thus, in my opinion, this is not so much about how rare a person's steak is but is about putting aside the wicked, idolatrous practices common amongst the Gentile communities if they choose to associate with the community of Christ.

In fact, we see Paul saying in Romans that eating meat sacrificed to idols is really not an issue because an idol is nothing. If a person eats in faith and gives thanks to God, then they are doing nothing wrong. So, it seems the issue was not so much how the meat was prepared, but the mindset behind it. If they are eating it as a means of continuing to identify with a wicked practice and a community associated with false worship, then it is sinful and contrary to the expectations set out in Acts 15. If they are eating it because they are hungry and are giving thanks to God, not knowing it was part of an offering to an idol, then no sin is being committed. At least that is my take on the issue.

Wormwood said:

So, it seems to me, that basically they were telling the Gentiles, "Look, you don't have to keep laws to come into the Church. We couldn't keep the law and we aren't going to impose that on you. Christ did not die to put us under law. However, you must break away from the wicked idolatrous practices if you want to identify with Christ and his Church." Thus, in my opinion, this is not so much about how rare a person's steak is but is about putting aside the wicked, idolatrous practices common amongst the Gentile communities if they choose to associate with the community of Christ.

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Amen...excellent post. Agree.

"ByGrace" said:

BTW christiang...of interest...blood transfusions was mentioned earlier in the thread...where do you stand on that? If you or one of your family were dying would you take blood?

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First of all - a blood transfusion is not the same as "drinking" the blood of another.
There were plenty of battles where blood was mixed from wound to wound and I'm sure God didn't have a problem with it. I think you're all splitting hairs here.

Secondly, you keep dismissing the implications of the Real Presence in the Eucharist as being irrelevant - and it absolutely has relevance in this conversation. The entire law against consuming blood was that the blood is what carries the life of the animal or person - and there is ONE person whose life we WANT to have in us (John 6:53).

To dismiss the Eucharist from this conversation as irrelevant is to be in denial.

If the eucharist is that important to you and tweetie.......then go and start a thread about it!

BreadOfLife said:

First of all - a blood transfusion is not the same as "drinking" the blood of another.
There were plenty of battles where blood was mixed from wound to wound and I'm sure God didn't have a problem with it. I think you're all splitting hairs here.

Secondly, you keep dismissing the implications of the Real Presence in the Eucharist as being irrelevant - and it absolutely has relevance in this conversation. The entire law against consuming blood was that the blood is what carries the life of the animal or person - and there is ONE person whose life we WANT to have in us (John 6:53).

To dismiss the Eucharist from this conversation as irrelevant is to be in denial.

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Thank you, Bread of Life. I can't understand why all the people in this discussion don't just read my post "Christ told us to drink His blood."

"By Grace" is getting angry and hostile and, yes, misses my point entirely. All the Old Testament prohibitions and commands regarding blood are wiped away forever by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus Christ.

Maybe some religions think Jesus's command to drink His blood and eat His flesh is just some sort of symbolic idea.

I guess it's been a long time - since college - when I had to count the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin or spend hours splitting hairs!

It's so simple - and I repeat - Christ told us to drink His blood!

"ByGrace" said:

If the eucharist is that important to you and tweetie.......then go and start a thread about it!

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"By Grace" please read what Bread of Life posted.....this discussion IS about the Holy Eucharist!

Tweetie said:

"By Grace" please read what Bread of Life posted.....this discussion IS about the Holy Eucharist!

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Whatever you say...go ahead...make you own Day...you obviously have a drum to beat...beat on to your hearts content!!!

"ByGrace" said:

If the eucharist is that important to you and tweetie.......then go and start a thread about it!

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And if you want to stick your head in the sand about this relevant topic - then please continue to do so.

Tweetie said:

Thank you, Bread of Life. I can't understand why all the people in this discussion don't just read my post "Christ told us to drink His blood."

"By Grace" is getting angry and hostile and, yes, misses my point entirely. All the Old Testament prohibitions and commands regarding blood are wiped away forever by the blood of the Lamb - Jesus Christ.

Maybe some religions think Jesus's command to drink His blood and eat His flesh is just some sort of symbolic idea.

I guess it's been a long time - since college - when I had to count the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin or spend hours splitting hairs!

It's so simple - and I repeat - Christ told us to drink His blood!

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Well - this type of denial that happens when you have tens of thousands of disjointed and perpetually-splintering Protestant sects all teaching different doctrines - yet all claiming to have the "Truth."

Wormwood said:

I think it is a mistake here to read these restrictions in Acts 15 as a new sort of Christian "Law." Rather, these were expectations of Gentiles who were entering the church. What is missed by our culture today is how radical these words are. Most Jews would be absolutely outraged at the idea of allowing a Gentile to be considered part of the congregation without fully embracing circumcision, the feasts and all the laws and observances of the Jewish community. Rather, the only expectation is that these Gentiles were to abstain from those things that were associated with corrupt and wicked idolatrous practices. All of these things...blood, strangled meat, sexual immorality...were related to idolatrous practices of the day.

So, it seems to me, that basically they were telling the Gentiles, "Look, you don't have to keep laws to come into the Church. We couldn't keep the law and we aren't going to impose that on you. Christ did not die to put us under law. However, you must break away from the wicked idolatrous practices if you want to identify with Christ and his Church." Thus, in my opinion, this is not so much about how rare a person's steak is but is about putting aside the wicked, idolatrous practices common amongst the Gentile communities if they choose to associate with the community of Christ.

In fact, we see Paul saying in Romans that eating meat sacrificed to idols is really not an issue because an idol is nothing. If a person eats in faith and gives thanks to God, then they are doing nothing wrong. So, it seems the issue was not so much how the meat was prepared, but the mindset behind it. If they are eating it as a means of continuing to identify with a wicked practice and a community associated with false worship, then it is sinful and contrary to the expectations set out in Acts 15. If they are eating it because they are hungry and are giving thanks to God, not knowing it was part of an offering to an idol, then no sin is being committed. At least that is my take on the issue.

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very well said, I agree with you almost compleatly.

After the giving of these four requirements, the writer goes on to say that in every city, for generations, in the Synagogues Moses is taught on the Sabbath, so why do you think this was expressed to the gentiles, after saying no Idolatry,no blood, nothing strangled and no sexual misconduct. any opinions on this?

“Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”” (Acts 15:19–21, ESV)


I think the point being made here is that the elements of law of God regarding general morality would have been readily accessible and understood by the Gentile converts. Thus, it would have been understood not to be necessary to go over basic elements of the law such as do not kill, steal, commit adultery, etc. Instructing them to turn from the wicked practices associated with their false worship was sufficient.

There are people in africa who drink animal blood mixed with milk, literally the ywould die if they didnt. Do you think God would condmen them for it. Christians love making rules for others to live by , that they themsleves dont live by.

Wormwood said:

“Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”” (Acts 15:19–21, ESV)


I think the point being made here is that the elements of law of God regarding general morality would have been readily accessible and understood by the Gentile converts. Thus, it would have been understood not to be necessary to go over basic elements of the law such as do not kill, steal, commit adultery, etc. Instructing them to turn from the wicked practices associated with their false worship was sufficient.

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well said, excellent opinion!