The first debate in the early Church was whether or not gentiles could become Christians and, if so, how. All of the first Christians were Jews and they understood Christianity to be the fulfillment of Judaism. As the Apostles preached the Gospel, more and more gentiles were also converting. Would they need to embrace all of the customs and practices of Judaism in order to follow Christ?
After a period of debate, the answer of the Church, as guided by the Holy Spirit, was that gentiles did not have to become culturally Jewish in order to be Christian. As Christians, we need to follow the teachings and practices established by Christ, which are rooted in and are the fulfillment of the Old Testament. We live according to the Old Testament in the way Christ reinterpreted the Old Testament teachings and practices for us.
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