Why does the Church of Christ only believe the New Testament?

By Michael W. Gardner

The Church of Christ does believe the Old Testament. What would make you think we do not?  We very much believe the entire Bible. We believe what it says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is inspired by God.

What you may be referring to is our belief of what parts apply to us today and what parts do not.  Colossians 2:14 definitely says something that used to apply no longer does.  It was nailed to the cross or in other words it ceased to apply to us when Christ died.  It was the ordinances of the Law of Moses.

Funny thing about the Law of Moses, it only applied to the Jews.  In particular, the keeping of the Sabbath day was very much between them and God (Exodus 31:13) Whether Jew or Gentile makes no difference now because Hebrews 10:9 clearly says “He taketh away the first that he might establish the second”.    If that does not convince you then consider Ephesians 2:15-22, Romans 7:1-7 and 2 Corinthians 3:7-11.  Christians live under the New Testament  (Hebrews 10:10) but the division is not based on a page in the book.  The change happened when Christ died on the Cross.  Everything that happened before happened under the Law of Moses.  Even the thief on the cross was forgiven according to Old Testament law, the law given by God to Moses.

Some in the first century wanted to bind Old Testament Law on the Christians.  In particular, they wanted to require circumcision on the Gentiles as a requirement for salvation (Acts 15:1).  Paul said that if we keep one part of the law we are obligated to keep it all in order to be justified by that law (Galatians 5:1-4).  That would include animal sacrifices, going to Jerusalem of feast days and even stoning as penalty for breaking any law.  Remember, Jesus was the only person to keep the law perfectly enough to be justified by it and we can’t even try if we are not Jewish. 

We should study and learn from the Old Testament (Rom 15:4), but we are not to keep the laws of the Old Testament for they ended at the cross.  It should be observed that what ended at the cross was the law.  Most of the Old Testament is history, which was not removed.  Genesis 1:1 is history.  God actually created all things.  It is just as true now as when Moses wrote it about 1500 B C. Examples in the Old Testament show how God dealt with people and we can learn from that.

The Lord did not make a defective law and then fix it.  The Old Law pattern was a shadow of the new law to come (Hebrews 10:1) The plan from the beginning was for the Old law to get us to where we needed to be before the perfect plan was revealed through Christ’s coming to earth.  The old law was a prophesy of the law or plan of salvation to come and that prophesy was fulfilled when Christ rose victorious over death having paid for the Church with his life.  (Gal. 3:23-28)

So, when you study the Bible you should also do as the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15 and rightly divide the Bible.  That is the only way we will understand the message God has given us there.  So the question back to you is are you dividing the Bible properly?  Are you doing what God says to do in the New and perfect testament?  Are you learning from the examples and prophesies of the Old Testament?  Or, are you trying to bind on Christians or believe in yourself what should not be bound on them and what you have no right to believe?