The Everlasting Covenant

Eat Ye That Which is Good

But in order that men may discern the Lord’s body in their food, it is necessary that they should eat only that in which His body is clearly to be discerned. That is, they must eat that in which His life is contained in its purest form, and that, as we saw in the beginning, is the food which grows directly from the earth. In partaking of that, they get the life of Christ at first hand. They are not taking in the viciousness that has come as the result of the curse. It is true that God gave man permission to eat flesh, and so He allowed man to practice polygamy, because of the hardness of their hearts; “but from the beginning it was not so.” Out of the ground God makes food grow. No living creature can find anything to eat except that which grows from the ground; the beasts need exactly the same food elements that man does, and they find them in the plant creation; and the only change that the food elements in the plants undergo in the body of the beast is degeneration; so that when man eats the flesh of animals, he is simply, at the very best, taking life one degree removed from the hand of God. He is taking second-hand food, food that has been impaired by use. EVCO 259.1

It is not by any means claimed that all religion is summed up in abstinence from animal food; only that since we live by the life of God, we ought to give diligence to eat those things that contain that life most nearly in its fulness. This applies to the purity of one’s drink, and of the air which one breathes, and to the securing of abundance of bright sunshine, and perfect cleanliness as well. We are to live by faith; faith comes only by God’s Word: and “every word of God is pure;” God has nothing to do with impurity of any sort; therefore whatsoever is not pure is not of the Word of God, and so cannot possibly be of faith. But however pure air, food, or drink and surroundings may be, though it be the perfect body of Christ, yet if all be not received in faith, in conscious recognition of Christ, it is as though it were not. The history of ancient Israel shows this. They had the best of food, direct from heaven, yet they died, because they did not eat in faith. But this must by no means be taken as evidence that what one eats or drinks is of no consequence. EVCO 259.2

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” ¹ This is the sum of all godliness. ¹ And in this will be found life for the body as well as for the soul; for godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” ³ Christ is our life, and “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” If therefore we receive Him absolutely as our life, we shall experience the truthfulness of the words that He forgiveth all our iniquities, and healeth all our diseases. EVCO 260.1

“If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of those diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee;” literally, “I am the Lord thy Physician.” ¹ EVCO 260.2

“And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” ² EVCO 261.1

“My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings, let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” ³ EVCO 261.2