God lives in all flesh, both human and non-human, as evidenced by John 1:14, Joel 2:28, Job 12:7-10, Luke 17:21, etc. God experiences Himself through all sentient beings, the only way God who’s the ALL could know Himself. To cause sufferings to animals and to eat their flesh is thus to go against God.
1. Logos Became Flesh
"The Word (Λόγος/Logos) became flesh (σὰρξ/sarx) and made his dwelling among (ἐν /en) us" (John 1:14 NIV). As pointed out by Rev. Prof. Andrew Linzey (1998:xvi), "by becoming flesh, the Logos identifies... not only with humanity but with all creatures of flesh and blood" (cf. Cunningham 2009:116-117; Clough 2012:103). Sacred incarnation not only recognizes the commonality of all sentient beings before the Lord, but also signifies that God breaks the boundary between creator and creatures and assume creatureliness (Clough 2012:103). And I note that the Greek original for the preposition “among” in this verse is “ἐν/en”. According to HELPS Word-studies, ἐν is means in, inside, or in the realm of. So God dwells IN us, sentient creatures, rather than just “among” us. In other words, Logos or God has incarnated Himself as all sentient beings, as all animals, both human and non-human. And Jesus is a prototypical incarnation of God, a standard for us to live up to.
2. Why Incarnation?
But why does God want to incarnate Himself as His creatures in the first place? Well, in the beginning, God is all there was, and there was nothing else. However, God could not experience Himself—because God is all there was, and there was nothing else. As a result, God created the physical universe and split Himself up into everything in it. Each part of God forgot it was part of the whole so that it might experience itself anew (cf. Walsch 1995).
3. God Pours Out His Spirit upon All Flesh
Similarly, God says, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh (כל-בשר /kol basar)!" (Joel 2:28 KJV). While Joel 2:28 is traditionally interpreted to focus on humans as recipients of prophetic gifts, the language itself does support a broader interpretation that includes all living beings, both human and non-human, in the vision of God’s spirit reaching "all flesh." For example, the BDB lexicon notes that "basar" can mean "flesh" generally and that "kol basar" in particular often refers to all living creatures, including animals. For example, it cites Genesis 6:19 ("bring into the ark two of every kind of flesh") to demonstrate its inclusive meaning beyond just humans. Strong’s Concordance defines "basar" as "flesh (of humans and animals)" and points out that "kol basar" is used inclusively in several passages to mean "all living beings." In Genesis 7:15 (during the flood), "kol basar" is used to include both humans and animals boarding the ark, indicating a scope beyond just human flesh. God's spirit thus permeates all sentient beings with flesh.
4. The Spirit of All Flesh
Moreover, “But now ask the animals, and they will teach you … That the hand of the Lord has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the spirit of all flesh (כל-בשר /kol basar), of mankind?” notes Job (Job 12:7, 9-10, my translation). The Hebrew original for the last phrase in this verse is רוח כל-בשר-איש. Here's a breakdown: רוח (ruach) means "spirit" or "breath; "כל-בשר (kol basar) means "all flesh"; איש (ish) generally means "man" or "person," and in this context, it can imply "mankind" or humanity as a whole. Almost all English versions of the OT inaccurately translate the last phrase in this verse -- רוח כל-בשר-איש -- as either mankind or flesh of man. The only exceptions are A Faithful Version and Peshitta Holy Bible Translated (from Aramaic), which accurate render it as “the breath of all flesh, even of mankind” and “the spirit of all flesh and man”. Again, “all flesh” refers to all sentient creatures.
5. God’s Kingdom is Within you
The verses above are confirmed by Jesus’ saying, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21 KJV).
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, since God resides in, and experiences Himself through, all sentient creatures—both human and non-human—hurting or eating other animals is an act of blasphemy against God. Veganism, by contrast, is an effective way to honor God and benefit His creation.
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