Food Offered to Idols
First let me start with this bit of Scripture:
Daniel 1:8 (KJV)
[8] But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
I bring up Daniel because he is our image of Christ on this taboo. Daniel's desire was not ritualism, religiousity, or showing off for others how much better of a Jew he was than the others in captivity (and it was the whole of the nation of Israel which was in captivity as not only did they not keep the laws of God, but they did nothing to even try and honor Him, having turned to idolatry). Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 have been brought up to me, especially in regards to food, and I agree with them, but I find their application by others to be incorrect as far as the food goes. The purpose of Daniel's heart (and that of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) was singular: to honor God even if no one else would and even if it might mean their eventual deaths (Daniel 1-7 pretty much proves that so there is no need for me to spend more time on this matter).
I want to go back a bit, as we need an understanding of how God feels about idols:
Leviticus 19:4 (KJV)
[4] Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 26:14-39 (KJV)
[14] But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; [15] And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: [16] I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. [17] And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. [18] And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. [19] And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: [20] And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. [21] And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. [22] I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. [23] And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; [24] Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. [25] And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. [26] And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. [27] And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; [28] Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. [29] And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. [30] And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. [31] And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. [32] And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. [33] And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. [34] Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. [35] As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. [36] And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. [37] And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. [38] And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. [39] And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
Deuteronomy 29:17 (KJV)
[17] And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them: )
2 Kings 21:10-12 (KJV)
[10] And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, [11] Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: [12] Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.
That's just some of what Scripture has to say on God's views of idolatry and idols. These things, these idols, these false-dieties (who do not exist and God never said does exist nor acknowledges as such) are an abomination. This doesn't change just becuse the Mosaic covenant has passed away. Yes, the stomach is for food and food for the stomach and both will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 6:13 (KJV) [13] Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.), this doesn't necessarily give us clearance to eat foods offered to such things. Nor, however, does 1 Corinthians 8, necessarily. Yes, Paul is rightly teaching that FOOD doesn't condemn a man, no matter how it is prepared, but our consumption of it can be seen as a condoning of such and therefore wind up deceiving those weaker in the faith. Our condmentaion or salvation is only based on our faith in Christ. However, the eating of foods offered to idols, if witnessed by those weaker in the faith (and, according to Scripture, especially those coming from a background of idol worship) can be a stumbling block used by the enemy.
As such, Romans 14 only warns us to not let such things become a stumbling block. Such truths will come out as we grow in Christ individually, and until it becomes a personal (not new, but personal, 1st hand) revelation to each of us, do not make much of it. If eating or not eating such foods would cause such an issue, don't eat or eat as you need. Romans 14:17-23 pretty much sums it up.
The Old Covenant prohibitions against eating food offered up to idols hasn't changed, nor has God's response to it changed. Idolatry is an abomination and anything offered up to idols has been defiled. The point is not the physicality of it all, but it's spiritual significance. Where is your faith in God? Knowingly eating food offered up to idols to me is basically telling God His statutes are not the desire of our hearts. Christ Himself said that those that are His are those whose desires are His Father's desires.
