Did God Command Humans to be Vegetarians

Biblical Truths Revisited – Part 2

Did God Command Humans to Be Vegetarians?

Diet, Non-Violence, and the Unchanging Will of God in the Bible

Series Context (Alignment with Article 1)

In Part 1 of this series, “Is God Corporeal or Formless?”, we established—purely from Scripture—that the God described in the Bible is personal, visible, interactive, and corporeal, not an abstract formless force. God walks, speaks, appears, eats, and is physically encountered by human beings.

In Part 2, we examine a closely related question:

What kind of moral order does this personal, living God establish for His creation—especially concerning life, violence, and food?

If God is not an impersonal abstraction but a conscious, moral Being, then His dietary instructions are not incidental; they reflect His ethical will.

This article shows that the same God who appears, walks, and speaks also establishes a non-violent, vegetarian order for humans and animals—an order later compromised but never abandoned.

1. God’s Original Command: A Vegetarian Creation

Genesis 1:29

“And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed… and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.’”

This is the first dietary command given by God to humanity. Key facts:

Only plants and fruits are permitted
No allowance for meat exists
This command is given before sin, violence, or death

Genesis 1:30

“And to every beast of the earth… I have given every green plant for food.”

Not only humans, but all animals are assigned a plant-based diet. The original creation is:

Free from killing
Free from bloodshed
Declared “very good” by God (Genesis 1:31)

This establishes the baseline moral order of God.

2. God’s Nature and Moral Consistency

Scripture repeatedly affirms that God’s nature is unchanging. Therefore:

God’s moral will does not evolve
Violence cannot become righteous simply due to circumstance
Any later allowance must be examined against the original command

Genesis 1 is not symbolic theology—it is law at creation.

3. Genesis 9:3 – Ideal or Concession?

Genesis 9:3

“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you…”

This verse appears after the Flood, in a world already described as:

Violent (Genesis 6:11)
Corrupt
Spiritually degraded

Biblically, God often regulates fallen behavior without endorsing it. Examples include:

Divorce
Kingship
Slavery

Genesis 9:3 fits this pattern: It is a concession to human condition, not a reversal of divine ideal.

4. Blood Prohibition: Violence Is Still Condemned

Immediately after permitting meat, God restricts it.

Genesis 9:4–5

“You must not eat meat with its lifeblood… I will demand an accounting for blood.”

Key implications:

Blood equals life
Killing demands accountability
Violence is never morally neutral

If God truly approved of killing animals for food, such severe warnings would be unnecessary.

5. God’s Perfect State: A World Without Killing

Isaiah 11:6–9

Isaiah 65:25

These passages describe God’s future and perfected kingdom:

Predators become herbivores
No harm, fear, or killing exists
Peace extends to all creation

This is not regression—it is restoration.

What God restores at the end reflects what He intended at the beginning.

6. God Rejects Bloodshed Even in Worship

Isaiah 66:3

“Whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man…”

Here, God equates:

Animal sacrifice with murder
Ritual killing with abomination

This verse dismantles the claim that God delights in bloodshed merely because it is religiously justified.

7. Daniel: Practical Proof of God-Aligned Diet

Daniel 1:12–15

Daniel chooses:

Vegetables and water
Rejection of royal (meat-based) food

Result:

Better health
Divine favor
Moral distinction

This is empirical confirmation, not symbolism.

8. Wisdom Literature: Meat and Moral Decline

Proverbs 23:20–21

“Do not join those who gorge themselves on meat…”

Scripture consistently associates meat with:

Indulgence
Excess
Spiritual dullness

Notably, no verse warns against eating too many vegetables.

9. Ethical Trajectory of Scripture

From Genesis to Isaiah:

Creation begins vegetarian
Violence enters through human corruption
God restrains killing
God condemns bloodshed
God restores non-violence

The trajectory is unambiguous.

Appendix: Debate-Proof Q&A (Rebuttal Section)

Q1: “God allowed meat, so He approves it.”

Answer: Allowance is not approval. God allows many things He later condemns. Genesis 9 regulates violence; it does not celebrate it.

Q2: “Jesus ate fish, so vegetarianism is irrelevant.”

Answer: This article addresses God’s ideal law, not survival practices within a fallen system. Temporary participation does not redefine eternal moral order.

Q3: “Animals were created to be eaten.”

Answer: Genesis 1:29–30 explicitly contradicts this claim.

Q4: “Meat is necessary for strength.”

Answer: Daniel 1 disproves this claim within Scripture itself.

Q5: “Isaiah is symbolic, not literal.”

Answer: If Isaiah’s peace is symbolic, then God’s promise of justice and restoration is also symbolic—an interpretation Scripture does not support.

Q6: “Vegetarianism is a modern idea.”

Answer: Genesis predates modern philosophy by millennia.

Conclusion

When read holistically, the Bible reveals a God who:

Creates without violence
Commands plant-based food
Condemns bloodshed
Regulates fallen behavior reluctantly
Restores creation to non-violence

Vegetarianism is not an innovation—it is God’s original and final will.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did God originally command humans to be vegetarian?

Yes. Genesis 1:29 shows that God gave humans only fruits and plants for food. No meat was permitted in creation.

Was Adam vegetarian according to the Bible?

Yes. Adam lived before sin and violence entered creation. His diet was entirely plant-based.

Does the Bible approve of eating meat?

Meat was allowed only after the Flood as a concession to human corruption, not as God’s ideal will (Genesis 9:3).

Did God forbid killing animals?

God repeatedly condemns bloodshed and equates animal sacrifice with murder (Isaiah 66:3).

Did Jesus eat meat?

Jesus lived in a fallen world system. Temporary participation does not override God’s eternal moral law.

Is vegetarianism biblical?

Yes. The Bible begins and ends with a vegetarian world (Genesis 1, Isaiah 11).

Will people eat meat in God’s Kingdom?

No. God’s restored kingdom returns to non-violence and plant-based life (Isaiah 11:6–9).

Does God care about animal life?

Yes. God demands accountability for bloodshed and forbids consuming blood (Genesis 9:4–5).