Christians are not Jewish because Christianity emerged as a new and distinct faith that fulfills and supersedes Judaism through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, who was himself a Jew. Jesus is seen by Christians as the Messiah who completed the Jewish religion, establishing a new covenant that includes both Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, while Jesus and his earliest followers were Jewish, Christianity evolved as a separate religion with its own identity, based on the belief that Jesus fulfilled the promises of Judaism and opened the way to salvation to all people beyond the Jewish ethnic group.
Key Reasons Why Christians Are Not Jewish
- Jesus was Jewish by ethnicity and religion, but Christians believe He established a new covenant that fulfilled and replaced the old Mosaic covenant given to Israel.
- Christianity is considered the fulfillment or completion of Judaism, where Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in Jewish scriptures.
- Early followers of Jesus included Jewish believers who recognized Him as the Messiah and Gentiles who were not ethnically Jewish, leading to a religion that is no longer solely Jewish.
- Christianity developed its own distinct identity partly to differentiate itself from other Jewish sects that did not accept Jesus as the Messiah.
- The new covenant through Jesus is understood as spiritual and universal, not limited to adherence to Jewish Law or ethnic lineage, as expressed in Christian scripture (e.g., Paul’s teachings in Romans).
Summary
Jesus was a Jew, but Christians are followers of Jesus who form a separate religion that views Jesus as the fulfillment of Judaism's promises. Christianity expands beyond Judaism by emphasizing a new covenant through Jesus Christ that is open to all humanity—not only ethnic Jews—resulting in Christians not being Jewish by ethnicity or traditional Jewish religious practice.
