The law of clean and unclean meats remains in force for Christians. It rests on the principle of holiness: God set apart His people from the surrounding nations, and Christians, as the Israel of God, are now commanded to be holy as He is (Leviticus 11:44-47; I Peter 1:13-16). Paul tells the church to touch nothing unclean and to cleanse itself of defilements of both flesh and spirit (II Corinthians 6:16-7:1). The distinction predates the Old Covenant, appearing in Noah's day (Genesis 7:1-3) and possibly Abel's, so it did not die with that covenant, because what did not originate with the Old Covenant did not end with it. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 list which animals may be eaten and give ways to identify those not listed. Christ did not abolish the law. In Mark 7 He addressed the Pharisees' ritual handwashing, and His remark about food concerned the digestive system, while the real defilement is a man's conduct. Peter's vision in Acts 10 taught that no man should be called common or unclean, and the dispute that followed never mentions foods. Paul's discussion in I Corinthians 8 concerns clean meat offered to idols and sensitivity to a brother's conscience, not unclean meats. The distinction will continue in the Millennium, when the priesthood teaches the difference between clean and unclean (Ezekiel 44:23), and nothing defiling will enter the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27).

God's law distinguishing clean from unclean meats still applies to all mankind, not just Jews. It predates Sinai: Noah took seven of every clean animal into the ark and offered clean animals afterward (Genesis 7:2; 8:20), long before any Jews or Israelites existed. Genesis 9:3 gives man flesh for food "even as the green herbs," meaning within the same limits that exclude poisonous plants. Man can discern harmful herbs, but only God can determine which flesh is fit, and He did so in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Although some unclean animals, such as pigs and vultures, are scavengers that can harm health, the commandment is chiefly a test of obedience. Passages commonly cited against it do not address it. Peter's vision in Acts 10 concerned accepting Gentiles, as Peter himself explains (verse 28). In 1 Timothy 4, the foods "received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth" are those sanctified by God's Word, the Levitical list, and prayer cannot make unclean meat clean. Mark 7 concerns unwashed hands and the stomach's purging of waste, not declaring meats clean. Romans 14 concerns vegetarianism and meat defiled by idol association; the Greek word is koinos (common), not akarthatos (unclean). Since God and His law do not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8), the distinction remains in force.

God defines what is clean and unclean, holy and unholy, appropriate and profane, because these designations reveal His nature, character, and way of life. Just as a parent teaches a child right from wrong so the child will mirror the parent's values, God instructs His children so they will reflect Him; left to our own devices, we would not. To be unconcerned with what God defines as acceptable is to be unconcerned with God Himself. Profane means literally "against the temple" or far from the true worship of the true God, so people, behaviors, and instruments of worship can be profane, not only foul speech. God treats the matter with utmost seriousness. Working on the Sabbath carried a death sentence, Nadab and Abihu died for offering profane fire that came from human effort rather than divine causation, and Israel was scattered among the Gentiles for profaning His Sabbaths and His name. God's priests will one day teach the people the difference between the holy and the unholy and the unclean and the clean (Ezekiel 44:23-24), but at present the priests fail to do so (Ezekiel 22:26). Holiness is not transferable, so a holy leader, spouse, friend, or neighbor cannot make anyone holy, but uncleanness is transferable, and contact with the profane contaminates us and makes our work unfit for God's service. Because God is holy, those He calls must be holy and must distinguish between clean and unclean, and by doing so they come to know Him.

The distinction between clean and unclean is illustrated through the principle that what is holy cannot impart holiness through mere contact, whereas uncleanness readily spreads and renders other things unclean. In the account from Haggai, the priests correctly answered that carrying holy meat in a garment does not make bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food holy, yet contact by one who is unclean because of a dead body makes those same items unclean. This demonstrates that any offering presented with unclean hands automatically becomes unclean and unacceptable to God. The same standard applies to the life lived before Him, requiring believers to present themselves as a living sacrifice that remains holy and unspotted from the world. Although every effort is made to avoid all things unclean, such uncleanness can unknowingly touch lives and produce cross-contamination through constant exposure to surrounding misinformation, perversion, and ungodly activities that gradually appear normal. A person who drifts lacks protection against this influence, turning a culture filled with sin and self-focus into a target-rich environment that demands constant vigilance. This physical principle is viewed with a spiritual perspective to show how false doctrines and false gospels likewise contaminate, underscoring the need to remain tethered to God's will rather than drifting into what defiles.