1. Blood Represents Life and Belongs to God
The Bible is very clear: blood represents life and is sacred to God.
Leviticus 17:11 (NIV): “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”
Leviticus 17:13 (NIV): “Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth.”
Deuteronomy 12:16 (NIV): “But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.”
Deuteronomy 12:23-24 (NIV): “But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. Do not eat it; pour it out on the ground like water.”
Key takeaway: Blood (dām) is life — sacred and not for consumption. Cooking the meat does not remove blood; proper draining is required.
2. My Journey from Uncertainty to Clarity
I first realized that myoglobin, the red juice in meat, is different from blood, and that allowed me to eat steak again without a guilty conscience. But then someone asked: “How do you know myoglobin isn’t considered blood to God?”
This question lingered. I remembered that the Bible instructs draining the blood from animals, which reminded me that cooking alone doesn’t remove it. Yet I still had doubts.
I started studying deeper — looking into Scripture, the history of meat preparation, and Hebrew cultural practices before the Temple was destroyed. I discovered that the Israelites themselves distinguished between the blood circulating in veins and the red juice in muscles. This distinction, clarified in both Scripture and historical practice, finally cleared my conscience.
3. Ceremonial Meat Does Not Set a Universal Rule
Exodus 12:8–9 (NIV) says:
“They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted over the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire — its head with its legs and its inner parts.”
These instructions were specific to the Passover lamb, a ceremonial event, and not intended as a universal rule for all meat.
The lamb had to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and all parts of the lamb were to be consumed that night. The preparation method was determined by the ceremonial context.
The Torah does not forbid boiling or eating meat rare in general, and it does not require accompanying bread or herbs for everyday meat.
Therefore, the rules about raw or boiled meat apply only to the Passover lamb, not to regular meat consumption.
4. Rabbinic Practices: Extra Safeguards
After the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD, animal slaughter became decentralized, happening in homes rather than in a temple context.
Rabbis introduced practices like salting and soaking meat to remove any remaining blood.
Important: These were precautionary measures, not God’s commands.
The red juice in meat (myoglobin) is not blood, and the Israelites always distinguished between the two, even if they didn’t have a technical name for it until later.
5. Distinguishing Blood from Meat Juice
Dām (דָּם): Biblical Hebrew for blood in veins/arteries — forbidden.
Tzir (צִיר): Rabbinic term (Mishnah/Talmud, ~200–600 AD) for red juice in muscle — permitted.
The distinction clarified that red juice in meat is not blood, especially important after the Temple’s destruction when people were slaughtering animals themselves.
6. New Testament Confirmation
The principle continues into the New Testament:
Acts 15:20 (NIV): “Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.”
Acts 15:29 (NIV): “You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.”
Point: Avoiding blood is still a matter of honoring God.
7. Conscience and Faithfulness
Through this study, I realized the importance of conscience. Obeying rules doesn’t save us — salvation is by grace — but ignoring what we believe to be wrong dishonors God and can feel sinful.
Acting against your genuine convictions can cause inner grief, even if God’s grace covers salvation.
Likewise, if someone believes eating blood dishonors God, ignoring that belief could be sin for them.
Our conscience matters: obedience guided by love and reverence for God brings peace; acting against it brings spiritual unease.
8. Summary Principle
Blood = life = sacred; drain it, don’t consume it.
Rare meat is acceptable if blood is properly drained.
Rabbinic practices (salting/soaking, naming tzir) are extra safeguards, not commands.
Ceremonial rules (like the Passover lamb) do not apply as blanket laws to all meat.
Honoring God through conscience and obedience matters spiritually, even beyond salvation.
Reflection:
Faith is not legalism; it’s about honoring God in our actions, guided by Scripture and conscience. Understanding the difference between blood and meat juice, ceremonial versus general laws, and the role of conscience has given me peace. I can now eat faithfully, follow my convictions, and rest knowing I am honoring God in both heart and action.
