Do all churches of Christ teach that the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross?

Question:

I stumbled upon the La Vista Church of Christ web site in the course of searching for an answer to the question, "Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross?"  Simply stated, your answer is "Yes," and I fully agree with every single comment I found on your web site regarding the answer to this question - good work; I'm impressed.  Somebody finally read the Bible and believed it!  And thanks for giving righteousness by faith a chance.

My question is: Is this answer the 'official' Church of Christ doctrine, or are these only the thoughts, opinions, interpretations of a particular local minister?

A related question is: do you happen to know of other denominations or churches which agree with the answer posted on your web site?  Obviously, Sabbatarian churches will disagree and claim that the 4th or Sabbath Commandment still stands the same as the Jewish Sabbath (e.g. Seventh Day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists, etc), while others with no particular interest in a Jewish Sabbath claim that the Ten Commandments are exempt from cancellation, with the 4th or Sabbath Commandment still standing as a Sunday 'Christian' Sabbath.

Answer:

Perhaps a bit of background will help. There have always been believers in Christ who have rejected all denominational concepts and demand that we simply follow what is taught in the New Testament. Individual Christians and whole congregations may stray off the true path, but because only the Bible is used as the guide book the church as a whole remains self-correcting and self-restarting. This is what Paul referred to when he took the Corinthians to task: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (I Corinthians 1:10). Denominationalism is a violation of Paul's plea; the very term means a division. Let me refer you to the article: "What Makes the Church of Christ Different?" Then to illustrate what I mean by self-restarting, take a look at the article: "The Story of the Churches of Christ in Central Europe."

In the United States, the vast majority of the congregations have traditionally used the name "church of Christ" to refer to themselves. Other names could be used, but sticking to one name has made it easier to find like-minded brethren. The name is not trademarked and there are other groups with differing beliefs who also use the same name. So often we resort to word of mouth to find other congregations. The only central headquarters the churches of Christ acknowledge is the one in heaven. We have no creed book or statements of faith to define us -- beyond the Bible alone. There is no human organization deciding what is the official church of Christ doctrine.

Since we use the same standard and have the same love for the truth, the simple answer to your question is that the views expressed by the author of the article are what you will find taught in churches of Christ around the world. You will find a few exceptions to the rule. We aren't immune from the presence of false teachers (I John 4:1). But that is why you will find that most preachers in the churches of Christ are careful to document what the Bible teaches and why they came to the conclusions they did. We want to pass down our knowledge from one generation to the next. "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (II Timothy 2:2).

Our knowledge of the Scriptures (II Timothy 2:15) and love for the truth tend to make us targets. It is surprising how many people get irritated that we actually practice Christianity that is found in the New Testament and we can justify our practices from the Scriptures. Most denominations these days don't bother to seek out a "thus saith the Lord" and think that all others should be like them. We don't mind being a peculiar people (I Peter 2:9-10).

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