“the Church mandates fast and abstinence”
Once again, “the Church” supersedes Christ.
1 Timothy 4:3-5. “ the passage discusses how some people are forbidding marriage and commanding abstinence from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. The verse then states that every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if received with thanksgiving”
How does the Church "supersede" Christ by setting rules for it's members for their spiritual benefit? What command of Christ are they superseding? It's not like he commanded us to not abstain from meat on Fridays and then the Church "superseded" that command by establishing the requirement for this limited abstinence.
"1 Timothy 4:3-5. “ the passage discusses how some people are forbidding marriage and commanding abstinence from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. The verse then states that every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if received with thanksgiving”
You know, of course, that in this passage from 1 Timothy, Paul was addressing those who had scruples about eating food offered to pagan idols, which he addressed at some length in 1 Corinthians 10. He was not talking about the periodic spiritual disciplines of abstinence and fasting, the practice of which Jesus and Paul commended.