WHAT WE BELIEVE:
We affirm the following:
There is one God, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Every divine action in the world is accomplished by the Father working
through the Son and in the power of the Spirit. This God has revealed
Himself in creation and in the history of Israel as transmitted in
Scripture. (Genesis 1:1; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:4-6)
God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He created humanity in the
divine image to serve as creation's priest and ruler. God's
intention for creation involves an order of differentiation,
interdependence, and mutual blessing. (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15; Ephesians
1:4-6)
Through the exercise of free will, human beings disobeyed God, tarnished
the divine image, and abandoned their privileged vocation. As a result,
God's consummating purpose for creation met with initial frustration,
and all relationships within creation became subject to violence and
disorder. (Genesis 4:8, 6:5-7; Romans 8:20-20-22)
God chose Israel, the Jewish people, and entered into an everlasting
covenant with them so they might be the firstfruits of a renewed humanity,
who would mediate blessing and restoration to all the nations of the world.
In gracious love, God gave to Israel the holy Torah as a covenantal way of
life, and the holy Land of Israel as an inheritance and pledge of the
blessing of the World to Come. (Genesis 12:1-3; Jeremiah 31:34-36, 35-37;
Romans 11:28-29)
In the fullness of time, the Divine Son became a human being - Yeshua the
Messiah, born of a Jewish virgin, a true and perfect Israelite, a fitting
representative and one-man embodiment of the entire nation. He lived as a
holy tzaddik, fulfilling without blemish the mitzvot of the
Torah. He brings to perfection the human expression of the divine image
(Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14; Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 1:1-4, 4:15)
Yeshua died as an atonement for the sins of Israel and of the entire world.
He was raised bodily from the dead, as the firstfruits of the resurrection
promised to Israel as its glorification. He ascended to heaven and was
there enthroned at God's right hand as Israel's Messiah, with
authority extending to the ends of creation. (Isaiah 53:4-6; Psams 110:1;
Matthew 28:18; Mark 14:61-62; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Philippians 2:9-11)
God poured out the Divine Spirit on the community of Yeshua's
followers, so that they might be joined intimately to the Messiah as His
Body and become the preliminary representation of the New Covenant fullness
promised to Israel. Being filled with the Spirit is a definite experience
that enables us to share the Gospel with power and to more readily receive
the supernatural gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are important in
enabling God's people for all kinds of service. To the early Jewish
community of Yeshua's followers, God added partners from among the
nations, who heard the news of God's work in Yeshua and responded to
the good news with faith. (Isaiah 66:20-21; Acts 2:1-21, 10:44-48, 15:8-9;
1 Corinthians 12, 14; Romans 12; Ephesians 1:13, 2:11-22)
Messiah's community is a single community expressed in diverse forms
within the Jewish community and among the nations. All are called to a
dedicated life of worship, neighborly service, and public testimony to
Yeshua. Unity and love throughout the entire community confirm
Yeshua's role, as the One sent by the Father, and God's purpose
in Messiah for Israel and the Nations. (John 17:20-21; Acts 21:20;
Galatians 2:7-8)
Spiritual life is grounded in godly family units within the relational
framework of congregations, whereby persons are to be encouraged, trained,
and disciplined. Families in Messianic Jewish congregations should be
strengthened and established in their Jewish calling to covenant life.
Messianic Jewish congregations are called to connect in Messianic Jewish
associations, where they will find mutual enrichment and accountability.
(Matthew 18:15-18; Galatians 6:1-2; Romans 9:1-5; 1 Corinthians 7:17-20)
The Torah is God's gift to Israel. It serves as the constitution of
the Jewish people and thus also of the Messianic Jewish community, which
comprises Israel's eschatological firstfruits. The Torah does not
have the same role for Messianic communities from the nations, though it
does provide spiritual nourishment as a witness to the Messiah. The Torah
also provides universal norms of behavior and practical life teaching for
all. The Torah is to be applied anew in every generation, and in this age
as is fitting to the New Covenant order. (Matthew 5:17-20; 2 Timothy
3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 7:17-20)
Forgiveness of sins, spiritual renewal, union with Messiah, the empowering
and sanctifying presence of the indwelling Ruach Ha Kodesh, and the
confident hope of eternal life and a glorious resurrection are now
available to all, Jews and Gentiles, who put their faith in Yeshua, the
Risen Lord, and in obedience to His word are joined to Him and His Body
through immersion and sustained in that union through Messiah's
remembrance meal. Yeshua is the Mediator between God and all creation, and
no one can come to the Father except through Him. (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke
24:46-48; John 14:6; Romans 6:22-23; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27)
Messiah Yeshua will return to Jerusalem in glory at the end of this age, to
rule forever on David's throne. He will effect the restoration of
Israel in fullness, raise the dead, save all who belong to Him, judge the
wicked not written in the Book of Life who are separated from His presence,
and accomplish the final Tikkun Olam in which Israel and the nations will
be united under Messiah's rule forever. This restoration will bring
everlasting joy for those who belong to Him. They will live forever in an
order of mutual blessing and fellowship with God, in a cosmos perfected
beyond description. (Isaiah 9:4-5/5-6; Romans 8:18-19; Revelation
20:11-15, 21:1-4)
The writings of Tanakh and Brit Hadasha are divinely inspired and fully
trustworthy (true), a gift given by God to His people, provided to impart
life and to form, nurture, and guide them in the ways of truth. They are
of supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2
Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
The Jewish tradition serves as the living link that connects us as
contemporary Jews to our biblical past and provides resources needed to
develop a Messianic Jewish way of life and thought. Furthermore, the
Christian theological tradition offers riches of insight into the
revelation of the Messiah and His will, and Messianic Jews need to draw
upon this wealth. (1 Thessalonians 2:15; Romans 13:7; Jude 3)
Understanding and embracing the meaning of five fold ministry is crucial
for equipping the followers of Yeshua to do their works of service.
Leaders are called to exercise one or more of these gifts. Understanding
these gifts maximizes the potential for effective leadership and ensures
that leaders and others not be placed in the wrong roles. In order to
further this, apostles and prophets that are part of larger teams oversee
and coordinate networks of congregations. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
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