Monday, January 2, 2012

Completed Jews?

I recently had a discussion with someone about whether we are Jews as Christians. Since all of the Old Testament came through the Jews, and since Jesus and his disciples were Jews by nature, I argued that Christians are actually completed Jews. But through our discussion and scriptures I realized I was wrong. We are a completely new people.

John wrote, “But that he would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad” (John 11:52). Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). He also wrote, “…Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:15). Peter writes, “…Who were once not a people but are now the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10).

Though in this world we are descended from Jews, Germans, Americans, Swedes, etc, as believers we are a new people. We are the people of God.