Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists

in people's well-being (Matt. 4:23; 1 Thess.
5:23; 1 Peter 1:15, 16).
Mark's statement that Jesus "declared all foods
clean" (Mark 7:19, RSV) does not mean that
He abolished the distinction between clean and
unclean foods. The discussion between Jesus
and the Pharisees and scribes had nothing to do
with the kind of food, but with the manner in
which the disciples ate. The issue was whether
or not the ritual washing of hands before meals
was necessary (Mark 7:2-5). In effect, Jesus
said what defiles a person is not the food eaten
with unwashed hands but the wicked things
from the heart (Mark 7:20-23), because the
food "'does not enter his heart but his stomach,
and is eliminated.'" Thus Jesus declared that all
foods eaten with unwashed hands are "clean"
(Mark 7:19). The Greek word for food
(bromata) used here is the general term for food
that refers to all kinds of foods for human
consumption; it does not designate just flesh
foods.
Peter's vision of the animals, recorded in Acts
10, did not teach that unclean animals had
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