Our Statement of Faith

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The guiding principles of our Biblical faith, practice, and walk are found in the Shema of Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and the Lord’s Prayer of Mattityahu/Matthew 6:9-13:

“Hear, O Israel: YHVH (Yahweh) is our God, YHVH is the One and Only. You shall love YHVH, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your resources. And these matters that I command you today shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them thoroughly to your children and you shall speak of them while you sit in your home, while you walk on the way, when you retire and when you arise. Bind them as a sign upon your arm and let them be ornaments between your eyes. And write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.”

“Pray, therefore, in this way: ‘Our Father Who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Let Your Kingdom come, and Your Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amein.’”

These principles proclaim the sovereignty of the Holy One of Israel, YHVH Elohim, over our lives, and the necessity of living the life of Messiah Yeshua, seeking our Heavenly Father in all things.

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

The Holy Scriptures or Bible, Genesis-Revelation, comprises the inspired, infallible, Word of God as revealed in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The Bible must be our final authority for faith, doctrine, and practice. While the Bible has been traditionally divided into what are commonly known as the Old and New Testaments, or the Tanakh/Old Covenant and Renewed Covenant/B’rit Chadashah, we do not believe that the New Testament replaces the Old Testament or that the Old Testament is “superior” to the New Testament.

All of Scripture is inspired and paints the picture of our Heavenly Father’s progressive plan for the ages. In forming Biblical theology, we commit ourselves to an holistic view of Scripture, insomuch that we will not limit ourselves exclusively to the Tanakh or to the Renewed Covenant. We will seek to examine all of God’s Word.

THE PLURALITY OF GOD

The Scriptures tell us quite clearly that there is one Creator God of the universe. There is only one Being that is to remain supreme over our lives. Yet at the same time while there is but one God, Elohim, as He is referred to in the Hebrew Scriptures, is a plural word. This is evidenced by the first line of the Shema which says “YHVH is our Elohim, YHVH is One.” The Hebrew word for “one” is echad and denotes a composite, not an absolute oneness. We affirm that in this composite oneness God has revealed Himself to humanity in the manifestations of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also cede the possibility that there may be additional components of the Godhead that He has chosen not to reveal to us at this present time.

THE MESSIAH

We fully affirm that Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) is indeed the prophesied Messiah of Israel, that salvation is only available through Him and Him alone, and that He is Deity, being nothing less than Elohim/God made manifest in the flesh. Through Messiah’s sacrifice at Calvary He atoned for all of sins of mankind, He was indeed resurrected from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, waiting to return to establish His Kingdom on Earth.

Unlike many other doctrinal issues, the Deity of Yeshua is something that we must consider to be a salvation issue as we must believe in a Divine Redeemer to be saved.

SALVATION

Salvation is a free gift of God available to all who acknowledge Yeshua the Messiah as Lord and confess and repent of their sins. The true salvation experience will result in a person being spiritually regenerated and born again and inhabited by God’s Holy Spirit or Ruach HaKodesh. The true salvation experience will also result in the Believer living an abundant life, seeking a greater walk of faith and maturity, by ceding more and more control of his life over to YHVH by following His commandments, even though following commandments and having good works of themselves do not bring salvation.

We believe that all of those who receive Yeshua the Messiah as their personal savior will spend eternity with Him, whether in Heaven if they die in the faith prior to the resurrection, or on Planet Earth during His millennial reign.

ETERNAL PUNISHMENT

Those who reject the salvation available in Messiah Yeshua will spend a conscious eternity in Hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire. We do not believe that an annihilation of the condemned constitutes a viable “eternal” punishment. Just as the Father’s Word is eternal and so are its ordinances, never-ending, not eternal in that their effects are eternal, so is eternal punishment to be never-ending.

While we recognize that this is not a salvation issue, an annihilation of the condemned is not a sustainable punishment for sin.

THE ELECT

YHVH has only one chosen people or group of elect, known as the Body of Messiah or kahal/ekklesia. This assembly/congregation is the Israel of God composed of all who are of faith in Messiah Yeshua, both the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and those who are not. All are citizens of our Heavenly Father’s Commonwealth of Israel.

We totally disavow the widespread notion that God has two groups of elect: Israel and “the Church.” We believe that Messiah’s mission was to come and restore the people of Israel, and all who might enjoin Israel, not “build” a separate “Church.” We believe that the teaching which says that YHVH has two groups of elect has done considerable damage today and it is something we dedicate ourselves to repairing. In saying this, we denounce all forms of dispensational and replacement theology.

THE TORAH

All Believers are called to uphold YHVH’s Eternal Torah or “Teaching” contained in the five Books of Moses: Bereisheet/Genesis, Shemot/Exodus, Vayikra/Leviticus, Bamidbar/Numbers, Devarim/Deuteronomy. These five books of Scripture give us the foundation for the rest of Scripture. By not understanding God’s fundamental guidelines contained in the Torah, we run the risk of misinterpreting many parts of the Bible, especially parts of the Renewed Covenant/New Testament where the Law is commented on.

Insomuch that we believe that the Torah is an eternal document, we do not believe that Messiah Yeshua came to abolish or do away with it. On the contrary, as the Living Word of God, Yeshua came to show us how to live Torah, as He was sinless and lived it without error, and He came in fulfillment of its sacrificial requirements. Yeshua is our example of how to properly follow God’s commandments. Disobedience to Torah is sin and is YHVH’s holy standard for living.

The Torah is commonly referred to as the Law. This, sadly, has caused much confusion in the minds of many Christians as Torah is often viewed as a series of rules and regulations rather than as the fundamental principles of God’s people. The term “Law” derives from the Greek nomos, which specifically refers to the ruling constitution of a society. We believe that it is critical that YHVH’s Torah be viewed in both terms of personal Teaching and Instruction and the national Law or Constitution of His people.

THE NAME OF GOD

In our day our Heavenly Father is revealing His name to His people. The Father’s name as contained in the Hebrew Scriptures is yud(y), hey (h), vav (v), hey (h): hvhy or YHVH/YHWH, usually replaced in Bibles with the titles “the Lord” or “Hashem,” and sometimes with Elohim. While pronunciations of hvhy vary, the most common ones as agreed by Christian and Jewish scholars are Yahweh and Yahveh. We encourage people to use and pronounce hvhy as they feel so led, provided it is done in proper respect and sensitivity to others, and most important that it glorifies the Holy One.

We recognize that God and Lord are not names of our Creator, but they are titles. We will use and treat God, Lord, Master, Elohim, Adonai, Kurios, Theos, etc., as titles and not as “names.”

The original name of our Messiah, Yeshua/Y’shua, is also being revealed to the Father’s people. Yeshua is what Messiah was known by to His early followers and this Hebrew name means “Salvation.” We encourage Believers to use Yeshua, but also recognize that many have come to faith through the English name Jesus Christ. Unlike some in the Messianic community, we do not believe that the English name “Jesus” comes from pagan origins and is derived from “Zeus.” Rather, the English name “Jesus” stems from the Greek name Iesous, which is the Greek transliteration used in the Septuagint for Yeshua by the Jewish translator rabbis some 300 years before Messiah. However, even so, we do not encourage usage of the name Jesus.

We do not consider the “names” issue to be one of salvation, but rather one of greater richness that the Father is revealing to His people.

THE TWO HOUSES OF ISRAEL

YHVH promised the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their physical descendants would be innumerable. The ancient nation of Israel following the reign of King Solomon was divided into the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel. The Northern Kingdom of Ephraim/Israel was prophesied to become the fullness of the nations/Gentiles and was taken into Assyrian exile in 721 B.C.E. and never corporately returned to the Land of Israel. While Judah was taken into Babylonian exile some two-hundred years later, Judah returned to the Land of Israel.

We believe that as the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim was assimilated into the nations that they have multiplied exponentially and that there are many more Israelites on Planet Earth than just the 14 million Jews of today. While these 14 million Jews are legitimate Israelites and descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we also believe that many non-Jews or “Gentiles” are as well. As Yeshua told His Disciples to go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, we believe that this was a reference to go to the scattered tribes and believe that this was to whom the gospel message was first proclaimed.

We believe that in these end-times, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, YHVH is awakening many lost Israelites to their Hebraic heritage as many non-Jewish Believers in Messiah are now honoring the Torah and endeavoring to live as Biblical “Israelites.” The awakening of Ephraim to his Israelite heritage, coupled with faith in Messiah Yeshua, will enable him to truly provoke the House of Judah to jealousy for faith in Messiah.

Just as Judah returned to the Land, so do we believe in fulfillment of end-time prophecy that those of Ephraim too will one day return to Israel prior to Yeshua’s return. Between now and then, God has given us the necessary time to train Israelite Believers up in the truths of His Torah.

(We recognize that there have been groups in the past that have emphasized the scattering of the Lost Tribes, be they British-Israel or Christian Identity. The problem with many in these groups is that they disclude the people of Judah and many of their teachings are laced with blatant anti-Semitism. We believe that these movements, British-Israelism in particular, have been used by the enemy as they limit the scattered seed of the Northern Kingdom to areas of Caucasian European ethnicity, while we believe that many Middle Easterners, Africans, Asians, and other races have lost Israelites in them, in addition to just Europeans.)

ON THE NON-ISRAELITES

Although Israel was divided into the two houses of Judah and Ephraim, citizenship in Israel has always been available to those who are not physically Israelites. In proclaiming that there will be a reunion of the two houses of Israel, within that reunion will be many people who are not physical Israelites but have enjoined themselves to either Judah or Ephraim and are considered part of Israel.

Personal salvation and redemption is not something that is ethnic or racial by any means. Simply because one is part of Israel, either as a member of the two houses of Judah or Ephraim or as a companion, does not guarantee him a position in God’s Kingdom. Salvation is available to all who receive Messiah Yeshua, and there will be those who are part of the reunion of Judah and Ephraim who do not see YHVH’s Kingdom and will experience eternal punishment.

NECESSARY REPENTANCE BY JUDAH AND EPHRAIM

Both of the houses of Israel experienced their dispersions because they disobeyed the Torah of YHVH and sought after paganism. Ephraim experienced his dispersion to Assyria because the Northern Kingdom broke away from the Southern Kingdom and established its own replacement religious system. Judah experienced his dispersion to Babylon because of likewise seeking after pagan gods and not following the Torah, but returned to the Land of Israel, to only later be dispersed and then return again to establish the State of Israel in 1948.

While in the dispersion, we believe that many of the scattered Northern Kingdom of Israel/Ephraim have come to faith in Messiah Yeshua. But even while they have come to faith, most of the lost Ephraimites continue to follow the pattern of replacing God’s commandments with their own ordinances. We believe that as YHVH reunites Ephraim with Judah, Ephraim will return to the Biblical truths contained in Torah and will repent of his sin.

When Ephraim returns to Torah and to his Biblical Israelite heritage, coupled with faith in Messiah Yeshua, we believe that then and only then will Judah be able to corporately acknowledge Yeshua as the Messiah. Judah will be able to repent for rejecting Yeshua because he will see Him as the One Who came to bring the Torah to a greater fullness, not abolish the Law as has been falsely preached. (Salvation and the Jews)

ON THE CHURCH AND SYNAGOGUE

In our day, many of us are coming out of man-made religious systems as we seek greater Biblical truth. But as we come out of these religious systems, be they of the Church or Synagogue, are we to criticize and berate them without mercy? Or are we to recognize that they have had a place in God’s eternal plan?

We recognize that YHVH has had a role for both the Church and the Synagogue to play and that both Christianity and Judaism have some important and critical truths. This does not mean that all Christian or Jewish teaching is 100% Biblical, but in order to remain in proper balance we realize that the Church and Synagogue have been used by God and that we must continue to reach out to those who are still in these institutions.

THE MESSIANIC LIFESTYLE

We believe that all who know Messiah Yeshua as Lord are called to emulate His Torah-obedient lifestyle. We do not follow the Torah or observe Biblical commandments for salvation, but rather to be part of the holy and set-apart people that our Heavenly Father desires. While each Believer must be led of the Holy Spirit in his individual life, critical components of the Messianic lifestyle consistent with the life of Messiah are honoring the Sabbath/Shabbat, the Biblical feasts/appointed times/moedim, and eating Biblically kosher.

As each individual will be honoring Torah differently, we urge understanding and grace between all Believers, provided that they have an interpretation of Torah commandments and do not simply ignore them.

THE BIBLICAL APPOINTMENTS

A necessary element of a true return to Biblical Torah is the following of YHVH’s appointed times/moedim of Vayikra/Leviticus 23. These prescribed appointments include the weekly seventh-day Sabbath/Shabbat, the monthly New Month/Rosh Chodesh, Passover/Pesach, Unleavened Bread/Chag HaMatzah, First Fruits/Yom HaBikkurim, Pentecost/Shavuot, Day of Blowing/Yom Teruah, Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur, Tabernacles/Sukkot, and The Eighth Day of Assembly/Shemini Atzeret.

We believe that these appointed times reveal the nature of God’s plans for the ages and the plan of salvation. The moedim portray the picture of Messiah’s First Coming, death, burial, resurrection, and the giving of the Holy Spirit, and also His Second Coming where He will gather the saints, judge the world, and establish His Kingdom from Jerusalem.

We do not recognize Sunday as a legitimate “sabbath” day nor Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter as being legitimate expressions of Biblical faith. The Sabbath is the seventh day, and while the birth and resurrection of Messiah are events worthy of celebration, the practices of Christmas and Easter stem from paganism. It is more appropriate to honor Yeshua’s birth and resurrection in correspondence with one of the Biblical moedim. However, we do recognize that most Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter in ignorance, not realizing their non-Biblical origins.

In regard to Jewish holidays such as Purim or Chanukah, we recognize that while these are not in the list of the Biblical moedim, they do nevertheless commemorate important events in Jewish history and by no means discourage their celebration.

THE LAST DAYS

We believe that we are presently living in the Last Days or end-times. While interpretations of future events are not salvation issues, it is important, nevertheless, that we follow world events that signal that we are drawing closer to the return of Messiah Yeshua.

We believe that the Messiah will physically return to Earth following the end or close of the Seventieth Week of Israel, commonly referred to as the Tribulation period. A world leader known as the antimessiah/antichrist will come to power in the Last Days and there will be a world government and world religious system. During the Tribulation, the final judgments of YHVH will be poured out upon humanity.

While we believe in a gathering of the saints into the clouds to meet Yeshua, we disavow any belief in a pre-tribulation rapture, and rather promote the idea of a post-tribulation/pre-wrath gathering of the elect.

DEFINING TITLES

There are many groups, organizations, and ministries that use the title “Messianic Israel” or the terms two-house and Judah and Ephraim. We fully affirm that just like the titles “Christianity” or “Judaism,” titles such as “Messianic Israel” or “two-house” have become generic enough so that all seeking to use them may do so. We do not believe that these can be limited to one particular group or organization and may be used by all, even if definitions of “Messianic Israel” or “two-house” vary from group to group, person to person.

A COMMITMENT TO TRUTH AND FAIRNESS

We commit ourselves to a continual pursuit of Biblical truth and understanding, ceding more and more control of our lives over to YHVH Elohim, the Holy One of Israel. We commit ourselves to research of God’s Word, deeper spiritual insights, and not compromising ourselves. We commit ourselves to being scholarly, fair, balanced, understanding, and loving to others, treating those who do not agree with us as Messiah Yeshua would. We pledge ourselves to not insult others but rather disagree with respect.

Note: In order to give credit to the authors (origin) of the above Statement, we wish to acknowledge the Association of Independent Messianics (AIM), who have written a summation or what we believe, and we embrace these views as our beliefs as well.