Have the Biblical Dietary Laws been Abolished? (Acts 10:9–16)

Acts 10:15 ESV And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

Peter’s vision, recorded in Acts 10:9–16, is often used to prove that the biblical dietary laws have been abolished. God’s saying to Peter, “What God has made clean do not call common,” is popularly understood to mean that God has made all animals clean, such that animals that were unclean according to the biblical dietary laws should no longer be considered unclean. However, this popular interpretation fails to consider several important factors.

1. The Context of Peter’s Vision

The context of Peter’s vision can be found in the preceding passage, Acts 10:1–8. There was a Gentile man named Cornelius who had not yet heard the Gospel and believed in Jesus for salvation. An angel appeared to Cornelius and told him to send for Peter. Peter saw the vision when Cornelius’ men were on their way to visit him.

2. The Details of Peter’s Vision

The account of the vision can be found in Acts 10:9–16:

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. ₁₀ And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance ₁₁ and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. ₁₂ In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. ₁₃ And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ₁₄ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” ₁₅ And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” ₁₆ This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. (ESV)

Firstly, when the voice said, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat,” (v. 13) it did not mean that Peter was allowed to eat unclean animals from then on. Rather, the command must be considered in its context. In Genesis 22:2, God commanded Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, ... and offer him there as a burnt offering.” Yet, this did not mean that God accepted human sacrifices.

Secondly, when the voice said, “What God has made clean, do not call common,” (v. 15) it did not mean that God had made all animals clean. The voice did not say, “God has made all unclean animals clean, so do not call them unclean!” In the biblical law, God had already declared some animals unclean, and there is no indication in this passage that this status quo had changed.

Thirdly, Peter himself did not understand the saying to mean that God had made all animals clean. The biblical text tells us that the vision was repeated three times (v. 16). This means that for three times, the voice told Peter, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat,” and, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” Yet, in each of the three times, Peter declined to eat the unclean animals in the sheet. Even after the vision had ended, Peter still did not know what the vision meant (v. 17). In any case, he did not understand the vision to mean that the biblical dietary laws had been abolished.

3. The Message of Peter’s Vision

Acts 10:17–18 narrates that while Peter was still wondering about what the vision meant, the men who were sent by Cornelius arrived at the house where Peter was staying. This means that the vision was closely related to Cornelius’ request for Peter to visit him.

Moreover, verses 19–20 narrates that while Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Holy Spirit told him, “Rise and go down and go with them, for I have sent them.” Notably, the Greek word used for “rise” here is exactly the same as the Greek word used in the vision, when the voice said to Peter, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” (v. 13)

Later on, in Acts 10:28–29, Peter explained the meaning of the vision to Cornelius and his household:

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. ₂₉ So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” (ESV)

The lesson that Peter learnt from the vision was not that unclean animals were now clean, but that he should not call any human being unclean. There is no indication in the biblical text that Peter was mistaken about his interpretation of the vision.

Peter had been accustomed to thinking that Gentiles were unclean, and that it was not lawful for Jews to associate with Gentiles. Through the vision, Peter realized that his thinking was not scriptural. Peter declined to eat unclean animals because of what was written in the biblical law. However, this was not the case with his attitude toward Gentiles. The biblical law does not suggest that Gentiles were unclean or that Jews may not associate with Gentiles. Rather, God had always considered Gentiles clean. Therefore, Peter should not call any human being unclean.

4. The Purpose of Peter’s Vision

Peter realized the true meaning of the vision when, in connection with the vision, Gentile men arrived to invite him to the house of a Gentile, Cornelius. He made this clear when he recounted the story later on in Acts 11:9–12:

But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ ₁₀ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. ₁₁ And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. ₁₂ And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. (ESV)

The purpose of the vision was to correct Peter’s attitude toward Gentiles, so that he would be willing to go with the Gentile men and preach the Gospel to Gentiles.

Conclusion

When we read the biblical story of Peter’s vision in its context, it becomes clear that it does not at all suggest that the biblical dietary laws had been abolished, or that animals that were unclean according to the biblical law are now clean.