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Fixing Labels Part 2

By Jim Eubanks
Minister, Forney Church of Christ

December 17, 2008

This is part two of a four part article defining who we are. As Christ did not fit the categories to which he was assigned, so the church of Christ does not fit into the pigeonholes into which men normally place it.

Are We Jewish? Those who seek to follow Christ today without a human creed are related in a remote sense to the Jews. We worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We read and believe in the Old Testament scriptures.

We believe in the same basic principals of morality. Nine of their Ten Commandments have been incorporated into the law of Christ. Of the ten only the commandment concerning the Sabbath day has been left behind. Many of the other great principals of the Old Testament have been incorporated into Christianity, for we share with the Jew his faith that the Old Testament is the inspired word of God. Yet, we are not followers of the Jewish religion.

The difference which keeps the church of Christ from being Jewish are numerous and significant. The Bible presents Christ as the divine Son of God, and on Christ is Christianity based. In many places the Old Testament prophesied that the Old was only temporary. Galatians 3.24 reminds us that “…the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”

The new Testament is also an inspired part of God’s word (1 Corinthians 2.13). We are no longer under the Law of Moses for the apostles, by inspiration, taught that it had been nailed to the cross (Colossians 2.14), fulfilled (Galatians 4.4-5), and done away (Colossians 2.14).

However, as Christians we owe a great deal to the Jews because through them God chose to bring the Savior into the world, and the Gospel was first brought to the Jew and then to the Gentile. Based on these and other verses, obviously, the church of Christ does not fit into the pigeonhole marked Jewish.

Next week, part three of Fixing Labels.