It doesn't get any more Jewish than this, you asshat.
Our Beliefs
THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH
We believe that the Tanakh (the first 39 books of the Bible) is an accurate, and therefore, reliable record of the origins of all life on earth and of the Creator’s on-going involvement with His creation. Within that record we find a remarkable group of predictive prophecies about a Messianic Person that were fulfilled by Yeshua of Nazareth. We also believe that the historical record preserved and presented in the B'rit Chadashah (the last 27 books of the Bible, also known as the New Covenant) is an accurate and reliable account of the proceedings pertaining to Yeshua and His disciples, and represents the final revelation to man. It is the events described in these two documents that form the basis for our faith.
THE NATURE OF GOD
God, eternally existent, is The Creator of heaven and earth who has revealed Himself throughout the Scriptures as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, One God in Three Persons, commonly referred to as the Tri-Unity of God. (Gen. 1, Deut. 6:4, Is. 48:16, Matt. 28:19, I Cor. 8:6)
THE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
The Holy Scriptures, both the Tanakh and the B'rit Chadashah, are Divine and complete revelations inerrant in the original autographs and were verbally inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit). (I Tim. 3:16, II Pet. 1:21)
THE ATONING WORK OF MESSIAH YESHUA
Yeshua the Messiah took upon Himself the form of man, being conceived by the Ruach HaKodesh and born of the virgin Miriam (Mary), a descendant of King David, of the tribe of Judah, some 2000 years ago. Yeshua died upon the Roman execution cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world. He arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where He now intercedes for all who place their faith in Him. There is no other way of salvation apart from faith in Him. He will come again visibly to set up His kingdom upon earth and to judge all mankind. (Gen. 3:15 & Isaiah 7:14, Col. 1:15, Phil. 2:5-8, Matt. 1:18-25, I Pet. 2:24,25, Luke 2:4 Heb. 4:14-16, Acts 1:9-11, I Thess.4: 16-18, Matt. 25:31-46, Rev. 11:15-17, 20:4-6 11-15)
MANKIND: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and fell out of his intended relationship with his Creator. If any man wishes to restore that relationship, he must believe in God and believe in the atoning work of His son, Yeshua. Salvation is a gift from God, by grace through faith in Messiah Yeshua. The retribution of the wicked and the unbelieving, and the rewards of the righteous, are everlasting. The reward is conscious, so is the retribution. (Gen. 1:16,27, Rom. 3:10,23, John 3:3, Acts 13:38,39, 4:12, John 3:16, Matt. 25:46, II Cor. 5:1, II Thess. 1:7-10)
THE BODY OF MESSIAH
The Congregation, or body of believers in Messiah Yeshua, is a group of believers immersed (baptized) into one body. Every member of that body is permanently indwelt by the Ruach HaKodesh when they place their faith in Yeshua. The salvation of each believer is eternally secured by the indwelling Ruach HaKodesh rather than by works. The goals of the Congregation are (1) to instruct and encourage those who have already placed their faith in Yeshua, and (2) to witness concerning Messiah, preaching the gospel (good news) to all people. At the Lord's second physical appearance the body of believers, known as the Bride of Messiah, will be caught up to meet Him in the air and will remain in His presence thereafter. The body is distinct from Israel and is composed of both Jews and Gentiles. (Acts 2:41, 15:13-17, Eph. 1:3-6, I Cor. 12:12,13, John 10:28,29, Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 1:6-8, I Thess. 4:16-18)
THE BELIEVER AND THE 'MOSAIC LAWS'
The “Mosaic Laws,” or the “Sinai Covenant” (some improperly refer to it as “The Torah”) was a "Conditional Covenant" (Ex. 19:5) between God and the children of Israel that was first instituted following the Exodus. It was declared “broken” by the Lord Himself about 800 years later (Jer. 31:32). However, God promised (Jer. 31:31) that He would make a “New Covenant” at an unspecified future time. Some 600 years later, Yeshua instituted that New Covenant (Lu. 22:20). Therefore, all believers today, whether Jewish or Gentile, are no longer under the obligations and the condemnation of the Mosaic Laws but are under the teachings of Messiah (I Cor. 9:21, Gal. 6:2). As such, we have the freedom in Messiah to observe (or not) whatever portions of the ceremonial Mosaic Laws (e.g. the Levitical “Appointed Times,” Lv. 23) we choose. It should be mentioned that these outward observances themselves were never the means to salvation; it has always been by faith, even from the days of Abraham (Gen. 15:6, Ro. 4:3, Gal. 3:6, Jas. 2:23). This is clearly re-stated in Eph. 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved by faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works so that no one may boast.” Also, we believe that the "Oral Law," the Talmud, is a document not inspired by the Holy Spirit, but a rabbinic compilation of commentaries and traditions, therefore, must be subordinate to the teachings of the Bible.
For a list of the 613 laws please click here: Adobe PDF format or Excel XLSX format.
(Click below to listen to a sermon on the "Mosaic Laws.")
THE JEWISH WAY TO RETURN TO GOD
What did the ancient Jewish prophets and sages know which most people today have never found? Please click here for an insightful list of Scriptural passages.
ISRAEL
Israel is a nation of people created and sustained by God to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional, irrevocable covenant that God promised to Israel, and God’s promises have not changed. Jewish believers in Yeshua have a twofold identity. They are the spiritual remnant of physical Israel and at the same time are part of the body of Messiah. (Gen. 12:1-3, 15:1-21, 17:1-21; Romans 11:1-29)
WE ARE MEMBERS OF AMC
In order to better be in touch with the community of Messianic believers, God has led us to join the new Association of Messianic Congregations, or AMC. All congregations must sign a doctrinal statement, which you can find here. We are excited and honored to be a part of this historic event, and look forward to working with the wonderful people affiliated with the AMC.
This seriously makes me want to move SoCal, but we have good jobs here.
