Statement of Faith

Note: The numbered links are tooltips containing Scripture references justifying their corresponding points. They are by no means exhaustive; there may be many more references pertaining to an individual statement. However, in the interest of space, I have limited each point to one reference as much as possible, only using more than one reference for emphasis or explanation.

Preamble—Ancient Christian Creeds

I agree with the Apostles’ Creed (8th century A.D.), which is based on the Old Roman Symbol (2nd century A.D.) with the understanding that the words ‘conceived’, ‘communion’, ‘Father’, ‘saints’, and ‘Son’ are used as follows:

conceived: In this case, placed in the womb of the virgin, Miriam. Not meaning ‘fathered by’ or ‘created by’ the Holy Spirit.

communion: A shared life in Jesus Christ. The brotherhood/sisterhood that exists because of the common bond of God-worship that has been seeded into every God-worshiper, which creates a family between all who have experienced the love of God throughout the ages, as well as the family bond between us and God.

Father: In this case, a spiritual and relational term rather than a biological term.

saints: All those who are being made holy in the process of sanctification through our relationship with the Father by our connection in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and thus part of the people of God, both living and dead; not just those who are ‘canonized’ by a particular church body.

Son: As with the Father, a spiritual and relational term rather than a biological term.

Apostles’ Creed Old Roman Symbol
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: I believe in God the Father Almighty;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; And in Christ Jesus, His only Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary;
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again. On the third day He rose again from the dead,
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; Ascended to heaven, [and] sits at the right hand of the Father
He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Whence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
I believe in the Holy Spirit; And in the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Catholic [universal] Church; The Holy Church,
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins; The remission of sins,
The resurrection of the body; The resurrection of the flesh,
And the life everlasting. [And] the life everlasting.
Amen.

I further agree with the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. in the same manner as the creeds above, with the added understanding that the words ‘begotten’ and ‘substance’ are used as follows:

begotten: In this case, the state of incarnation through birth; not ‘created by’ or ‘fathered by’.

substance: With regard to God, eternal, uncreated self-existence.

Nicene Creed 325 A.D. Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed 381 A.D.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (aeons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;
By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; By whom all things were made;
Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and made man; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. From thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;
Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Ghost. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one Holy Catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
But to those who say: “There was a time when He was not;” and “He was not before He was made”; and “He was made out of nothing;” or “He is of another ‘substance’ or ‘essence’;” or “The Son of God is ‘created’, or ‘changeable’, or ‘alterable’—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.

I also agree with the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed additions of 381 A.D. in the same way as the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. with the exception of the line, “we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins…” on two grounds:

  1. Water baptism is not for the remission of sins. Grace applied to us by faith is what saves us, not baptism. Baptism is a symbol of one’s public confession that they have been identified with Christ’s death and resurrection. If baptism was for the remission of sins, then Jesus would not be sinless; for He required John the Baptist to baptize him “in order to fulfill all righteousness.” Jewish water baptism is a ritual preparing one for service to God. It was the proper way for anyone desiring ministry to prepare (priests were baptized before their service in the Temple, according to the Law of Moses). This is why Jesus was baptized at the beginning of his ministry. Jewish baptism also signifies a separation to God from the pagan world, often referred to as being “born again” in rabbinical tradition, thus explaining why Jesus used this terminology when explaining both water and Spirit baptism to Nicodemus (John 3:1-8). These two concepts show why Judeo-Christians are baptized—to identify with Jesus’ death and resurrection, which declares us to be separate from the world and which authorizes us for ministry in the kingdom. Now for all of us who are not sinless, this identification and preparation for ministry involves our repentance from our sins, and this is where the mix-up comes in. This is why John’s baptism is often referred to as a “baptism of repentance.” It is not, however, a baptism for the remediation of our sins.

  2. The Bible distinctly speaks of three different baptisms in the New Testament, two of which are necessary for all God-worshipers to be properly equipped for ministry: water baptism and Spirit baptism. (The third baptism is the baptism of suffering, referred to by Jesus in Mark 10:38 and Luke 12:50; those who undergo this baptism are specially rewarded in Revelation 6:9-11 and also Revelation 20:4-7.) When the Scriptures say, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” they are referring to the symbolic destination of our baptisms—the kingdom of God, denoted by the name of Jesus. (John 3:3-5, Acts 19:5-6) Furthermore, the events of water baptism and and Spirit baptism, while they exist for separate purposes and are separate experiences, are meant to occur at the same moment in time (water baptism by immersion and Spirit baptism by the laying on of hands); it is possible that the authors of Scripture are also referring to these two baptisms as a concurrent experience.

The Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. summarize the New Covenant foundation of Judeo-Christian belief. It must be understood that these beliefs existed from the time of Jesus Himself; the creeds are simply a codification of these beliefs. Therefore, an adherence to these creeds does not necessarily constitute full agreement with all the decisions of the Church Councils that drafted them.

The affirmation of these creedal beliefs is absolutely critical for anyone who calls himself/herself by the name of Christ. Save the one line concerning baptism, I would apply this statement to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as well. There are no theological issues with the Filioque of the 5th century (an addition to the 381 creed), which states that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son, because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

Points of Belief

  1. I believe in One God,2 YHWH,3 the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel),4 King of the Universe,5 who is the Maker of all things visible and invisible.6 He is omniscient,7 omnipresent,8 and omnipotent.9 He is uncreated, self-existent in substance, and exists eternally10 as a fusion of three members (‘persons’), and so is complex in His unity (Tri-unity/Trinity).11 The complex unity of YHWH is a divine mystery; no human analogy or attempt to describe it is wholly adequate; however, below is a description of what can be known, particularly from a functional standpoint.
    1. The Father12/Name,13 who is the origin of all of God’s thought and action; He is the seat of God’s character, nature, and personality. He is the embodiment of omniscience; He is the ‘who’ of YHWH. In the human makeup (see point 4 below), the soul represents the Father/Name.
    2. The Son14/Word,15 who is the conduit between the Father and God’s creation. He is the tangible one, called Immanuel ‘God with us’.16 He is fully God and fully human in the person of Yeshua mi Natzrat’, haMaschiach (Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah [Christ]) (see point 8F below).17 He is the embodiment of omnipresence; He is the ‘what’ of YHWH. In the human makeup (see point 4 below), the body represents the Son/Word.
    3. The Holy Spirit18/Wisdom,19 who is the ‘do-er’, the enlightener, the enabler. He transmits the power and wisdom of God from the Father, through the Son, into God’s creation.20 He is the embodiment of omnipotence; He is the ‘how’ of YHWH. In the human makeup (see point 4 below), the spirit represents the Holy Spirit/Wisdom.
  2. Everything that God does flows from the Father through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit.21 All are present in God’s activity and exist as one being. Though they have chosen defined roles among themselves, each member of YHWH is of equal ‘rank’, power, and glory; it is important to understand that the words ‘Father’ and ‘Son’ are in no way biological, but are relational in nature.22 God’s nature is absolute, self-sacrificial love (ahav in Hebrew, agape in Greek).23 In perpetual deference to one another, each member of YHWH worships the other two.24 In this way, they are eternally reciprocal in giving and receiving love, though they are never looking for reciprocity. They simply give to one another in self-sacrificial love, because this is their nature.
  1. I believe that whereas the person of Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh,25 the protocanon of the Bible is God’s written Word.26 The two are one in message, not in substance. They mutually interpret each other and speak to us together as the very Word of God;27 as such, the Word is the supreme authority of doctrine, faith, and practice.
    1. The protocanon of the Bible is divinely inspired without error or mixture in the original languages in which its various parts were written: The Tanakh28 was primarily written in Hebrew, and the B’rit Chadashah29 was written primarily in Greek and Aramaic. It was written by the Holy Spirit through divinely inspired men.

      I believe that the protocanon of the Bible consists of the 66 books contained in the Protestant canon, having universal acceptance in the Body of Messiah worldwide through the community of the Holy Spirit from the time of the eyewitnesses of Messiah.

    2. Despite an incredibly tumultuous history, the Bible has been faithfully preserved by God throughout time. There exists a class of Jewish writings of a Biblical nature, however, that cannot be admitted to the status of protocanon, yet are worthy of study due to their influence on the writers of the protocanon and the subsequent theology of the Body of Messiah. These books exhibit some or all of the following characteristics:
      1. Some of these works are referenced in the protocanon as being authoritative.
      2. All of these books have been included by Jewish groups or by the Christian Church at least at some point in history, and many are still accepted as being divinely inspired today by Jewish sects or branches of the Christian Church; however, they do not enjoy the universal acceptance that the books of the protocanon do.
      3. Some of the writings were included as divinely inspired during the time of Jesus and the early church; however, the original language copies of these books have been lost in various tragedies including the Roman invasion of Israel in A.D. 70, and have not yet been completely recovered in the original languages in which they were written. Since these currently exist only in fragments or in second- or third-generation translations to unoriginal languages in their entirety, we cannot rely on these documents as completely inerrant until such time as the ‘originals’ are found and examined.
      4. Several of the texts, while not necessarily being divinely inspired from a theological point of view, describe event(s) that were actual history and may serve to explain segments of the Biblical story.
      5. A few of them contain content that may be considered divinely inspired, but also contain commentary or additions that were not part of the original document which are not divinely inspired.
      Biblical-era Jewish writings that meet these criteria are in a deuterocanonical state. The 18 deuterocanonical books of the Judeo-Christian Bible are listed in this article.

    3. I believe the Biblical Era closed with the death of the last persons who were eyewitnesses to the living Word, Jesus Christ. This means that no new Scriptures have been written since this time; the Bible is complete and serves as the written basis of truth when properly interpreted:
      1. The Bible was written by Jews to a mainly Jewish audience, whether Hebraic or Hellenistic; and thus, must be interpreted within their respective Jewish contexts according to the original languages, whether Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic.

      2. The Bible is not primarily a ‘living document’ in terms of having personal, ‘special’ or relative interpretation: in other words, where one simply flips to a section of Scripture and reads it like it was written directly to them. Particularly for the purposes of doctrine and instruction, this sort of relative interpretation has no place: we must view the Scriptures in context to derive the original meaning and application.

      3. Given that the protocanon of the Bible and Jesus' life are mutually interpretive (point 3 above), and given that the New Covenant overlays, interprets, and augments the Sinai Covenant (point 8G below), the Bible must be read with the following premise in mind: the Tanakh gives the B'rit Chadashah its context, and the B'rit Chadashah is the final interpretation of the Tanakh. Furthermore, as the Living Word, the words, spirit, and life of Jesus are paramount over all.
    4. Thus, I believe the entire Bible consists of 84 books, with 66 protocanonical books and 18 deuterocanonical books. The full list of books is the last column on the right of this table.
  1. I believe that YHWH created the world in six literal days according to the Scriptures.30 During these six days, God created everything visible and invisible;31 the final creation being man, both male and female.32 Man, both male and female, was created in God’s image, with a soul (the mind-heart, logic-emotion connection), a body, and a spirit—three distinct parts fused together in one being.33 In this way, man reflects the eternal fusion of the Trinity and the glory of God. God called all parts of His creation very good;34 thus no evil [sin, self-worship, and the effects thereof] existed on earth at this time. All creatures lived in a continual state of God-worship.35 God rested on the seventh day, modeling Shabbat for us.36
  2. I believe that Satan,37 originally a high-ranking, created spirit being known by several names in Scripture who was originally in God's presence in heaven and may have been a leader in worship,38 rebelled against God by turning to self-worship.39 He was cast out of God’s presence to reside on the earth.40 Because he desired to usurp God and raise himself as a god,41 he desired to claim that portion of God’s kingdom which God had entrusted to man,42 and so Satan worked through the serpent to deceive and tempt Eve into capitulating to the nature of self-worship.43 She enticed Adam to do the same,44 deciding to follow her in the disobedience of self-worship in rebellion against God.45 This gave Satan access to God’s good creation,46 which became corrupted by and subject to the laws of self-worship (otherwise known as sin),47 the consequences of which are complete separation from relationship with God,48 and everything evil that one can experience,49 resulting in physical and spiritual death.50 All human beings are now born corrupted with and enslaved to the sin nature of self-worship.51
  3. I believe another group of spirit beings rebelled against God; they were of the group called the Watchers because they were sent to watch over mankind, to teach them good things, and to help them work against the corruption caused by the sin nature.52 Instead, they made a decision to turn in self-worship and rebel against God by attempting to form their own kingdoms through violating their created order to mate with human women and produce children.53 The children resulting from these unions were the Nephilim (giants).54 Instead of ultimately helping mankind, the Nephilim stirred the corruption of self-worship to the point where the thoughts of mankind were evil all the time,55 and the Nephilim were corrupting and consuming everything, which threatened to destroy the earth.56 God stemmed the increase of this corruption in three ways: He bound the Watchers and imprisoned them in Tartarus until their judgment at the end of days;57 he caused the Nephilim to kill each other off; however, as they did so, their spirits became what are now known as demons;58 and God decided to destroy all creatures from the face of the earth with a global Flood.59 Because of the testimony of the prophet Enoch,60 and the righteousness of his great-grandson Noah,61 Noah found favor with God,62 and so Noah and his family alone survived with the animals that were brought onto the ark.63
  4. I believe that God made a covenant with Noah and the rest of the earth to never destroy it again by means of a flood;64 He gave a new righteous nature to all of His creatures that longs for justice and reconciliation with God in order to balance and soften the corruption of the sin nature by giving humanity the free will choice to worship God or worship self in spite of our bent toward self-worship.65 Even while Noah was still alive, however, his descendants began to forsake God and worship the demons.66 Noah prayed to God to bind the demons in the prison of the Watchers,67 but Satan came and declared that men deserved to be led astray because their wickedness.68 God made the decision to bind 90% of the demons into Tartarus, leaving 10% under the authority of Satan as a judgment against the sinfulness of men.68 Several generations later, the descendants of Noah collectively rebelled against God at the Tower of Babel, seeking to unite humanity in a usurpation of God's rule over the earth.69 God came down and confused the language of humanity, destroyed the tower, and divided humanity into the nations,70 each under their own principalities until the end of history.71

    From this point forward, Satan and his demons created a kingdom of darkness, evil, and self-worship with the hierarchy as follows:
    1. ‘Rulers’ (Archdemons/imprisoned, fallen Watchers and powerful Nephilim/demons): These were once powerful spirit beings in heaven that are now in charge of orchestrating Satan’s plan to frustrate the success of God’s kingdom
    2. Principalities: These are powerful evil spirits that are assigned to a particular locality or person
    3. Powers: These are evil spirits that are the embodiment of a particular sin or malady
    These three categories of spirits72 work together to oppose the rule and reign of God over the earth and over humanity.
  1. While God could have simply destroyed Satan's kingdom with a word, reclaiming God's rule by force, I believe God foreknew these events as a possible scenario of history, and decided to send His Son even before the foundation of the world in the event this scenario occurred because of His great love for us.73 Yeshua (Jesus) the Son would be incarnated as man74 in order to represent man75 for the following purposes:

    • to serve as both the complete payment for the actions of the sin nature (as the Passover Lamb)76 and the means of re-connection to God (as the Eternal High Priest of the New Covenant)77
    • to reverse the corruption and evil of the sin nature brought about by Satan and the Watchers78
    • to reclaim God's kingdom over humanity and the world, rescuing all those who would accept it.79
    God revealed Himself through His everlasting covenants with the people of Israel to His glory because of His love for us80 for two purposes: as a testimony for those who will accept God’s offer in worship,81 and as a testimony against those who will reject God’s offer of citizenship in God’s Kingdom.82 Rather than being forced to obey God or be simply annihilated for God to start over, mankind was given free will for the purpose of having true relationship with God;83 therefore, it is by man’s free will choice that he/she accepts or rejects the offer of citizenship.84
    1. The First Covenant was made with Abraham by faith and was carried through Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to his descendants;85 Moses became the arbiter of this covenant at Mt. Sinai, which is why this covenant is often referred to as the Sinai Covenant.86 In contrast to the rebellion of the nations at the Tower of Babel,87 God called Abram out of Babylon to the land that would become Israel, changed his name to Abraham, and there made a covenant with him. In this, the promise was made to Abraham that:
      1. YHWH would be the God of Abraham and his descendants, and they would be His people88
      2. All the land from the Nile to the Euphrates, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River was given to Israel as its permanent possession.89
      3. All the nations of the world would be blessed through Abraham and his Seed (Jesus).90
      4. Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed by God, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed by God91
      5. Israel would grow to become a nation under the yoke of slavery to Egypt, but that God would deliver them and bring them out to reclaim the land.92
    2. When Israel did become a nation, God delivered Israel from Egypt through the blood of the Passover Lamb,93 which He commanded them to place on the doorposts of their homes.94 This represents the blood of Jesus, who later would save the people from their sins.95 To the whole nation of Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai, God proclaimed that:
      1. Although the whole earth belongs to God, the people of Israel would be His kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This means that the kingdom of God is expressed in the relationship between the King of the Universe and His kingdom people.96
      2. Whenever Israel did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, they would retain their land. But if they abandoned the covenant, God would remove them from the land until such time as they repented from their sin.97
    3. God’s desire was that the people come to Him directly and worship. The people were afraid to go, however;98 and so God instituted the Torah for three reasons:
      1. To point toward Jesus’ ultimate redemption and provide an eschatological roadmap of God’s battle strategy in His reclaiming of us for His kingdom. He did this through the symbolism of the ‘appointed times’ and the sacrifices therein.99
      2. To provide a means of communication and ‘cleansing of sacred space’ by blood sacrifice due to the self-worship nature of man. This was done in the institution of the priesthood through the line of Aaron.100
      3. To provide a description of God’s holy nature of self-sacrificial love. This description, when confronting the human condition, also becomes a moral standard of behavior, a set of principles which govern the world, and a call to worship for all those who would call themselves citizens of the kingdom, part of the people of God.101
    4. Collectively, these three purposes serve(d) to drive a true God-worshiper to seek God by faith for salvation from sin.102 Mere outward conformity to the Torah’s commandments cannot justify one in the eyes of God;103 it is rather the evidence that we already have been justified by faith.104 This is true of the Torah in both covenants.105
    5. It was God’s intent that Israel would take the First Covenant outward in ministry as a light to the Gentiles.106 While there certainly were those who upheld this mandate, Israel as a whole not only failed to keep the covenant, but deliberately abandoned the covenant on numerous occasions through direct idolatry.107 This was not unexpected by God; He had designed Israel as a living picture—a microcosm of the rest of humanity.108 God loved Israel so much that He pursued her again and again, as he does with all of humanity.109 Each time Israel rejected God, God pointed toward the New Covenant in a different way:
      1. When the priests of Israel became corrupt (essentially rejecting the holy standard God had set for the priesthood), God rejected the Aaronic priesthood and said that He would raise up for Himself a Priest (Jesus).110
      2. When the people rejected God’s direct rule over them as king and requested a human king, God acquiesced to their request, but with a warning: that He would raise up for them a King that would rule over them whether they wanted Him or not.111 God established the throne of David forever by promising that the Messiah would be a Davidic king, because David was a true God-worshiper. The New Covenant would be established through David’s seed just as through Abraham’s seed.112
      3. When the kings rejected God’s prophets through continued idol worship, God finally acted on His part of the First Covenant by nearly annihilating the kingdom of Israel through Assyria,113 and by sending the kingdom of Judah into exile in Babylon.114 God said that He would raise up a Prophet—and more than a prophet—His Son, the Messiah.115 He also promised a New Covenant with the people of Israel.116
    6. At the promised time,117 the New Covenant was put into effect when God sent the Son/Word, Yeshua (Jesus), into the world, shedding His blood to the point of death on a Roman cross.118 He was incarnated through the power of the Holy Spirit119 and was conceived in the womb of Miriam (Mary), a Jewish virgin, who was both a descendant of Abraham and David.120 In this process, the deity of the Son/Word was infused with the humanity of the line of David [the ancient view of miaphysitism, not monophysitism nor dyophysitism]. As such, Jesus is fully God and fully man in one person.121 The Messiah had to be fully God in order to be born without self-worship and to save humanity; and He remained sinless throughout His earthly life.122 He also had to be fully human in order to represent mankind.123 These two requirements were perfectly met in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah to serve as the perfect Passover Lamb sacrifice in fulfillment of the Passover (Pesach),124 atoning for the sins (acts of self-worship) of those who would accept that sacrifice on their behalf.125 His blood was shed as the inauguration of the New Covenant126 when he suffered under Pontius Pilate,127 was crucified,128 died,129 and was buried130 according to the Scriptures. The Messiah also fulfilled (and continues to fulfill) three offices in His person:
      1. As a prophet,131 He preached that the kingdom of God was near at hand.132 He spoke the intentions of the Father for rescuing the lost.133 He proclaimed the eschatological plan for Israel and humanity.134 He performed miracles as a testimony to His message,135 healing the sick,136 casting out demons,137 raising the dead,138 and preaching the good news of salvation.139
      2. As a priest,140 Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist as required by the Torah as the proper way to begin the ministry of the priesthood.141 142 He willingly offered Himself on our behalf—the death of the righteous being an expiation for the sins of the nation. This willing sacrifice completely satisfied the Torah’s requirements for sacrifice and penalty for sin once for all on behalf of those who accept Him.143 This was made effective and permanent as He was bodily resurrected on the third day by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the Feast of Firstfruits (Reshit Katzir),144 and ascended to the right hand of the Father in glory as the holy and acceptable firstfruits offering in victory over death.145 He remains forever our Eternal High Priest and arbiter of the New Covenant.146
      3. As the King of Kings,147 Jesus demonstrated His superior authority over the kingdom of darkness148 and over the laws of nature.149 Upon His resurrection, He delegated this authority to His disciples and subsequently to His people;150 upon His ascension, the name of Jesus was exalted above every other name by the Father.151 Jesus inaugurated the rescue of mankind and creation itself under God’s Lordship.
    7. The New Covenant did not nullify the Sinai Covenant; rather, it overlays, interprets, and adapts the Sinai Covenant to the reality of the Messiah’s work, differing from it in the following ways:152
      1. The morality of the Torah becomes engraved (that is, internalized) in the hearts and minds of His people by the Holy Spirit, who now lives in us and moves us to obey His Torah by the changing of our nature.153 Thus, obedience to the Torah becomes the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit’s work in us as we actively yield to His work.154
      2. The sacrificial system provided in the Torah was changed as a result of Jesus’ fulfillment of its priestly requirements,155 thus effectively abolishing this system for the New Covenant citizen.156 No more sacrifice or sentence for sin is necessary, because “…the LORD has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.”157
      3. However, the Torah is still in effect for the New Covenant citizen until heaven and earth pass away.158 Jesus summarized the fulfillment of the Torah in the Shema found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and the ordinance in Leviticus 17:18-19 as being the two greatest commandments.159 In this way, God’s nature of self-sacrificial love for God and others is the driving force and final interpretation of the Torah.
      4. The New Covenant is established as the means of claiming citizenship in the kingdom of God as His people; there is no other means of salvation from sin than by accepting Jesus’ offer in the New Covenant.160
      5. There is no longer a priesthood between God and His people except the High Priesthood of Jesus;161 all have equal and complete access to intimacy with God,162 and all have the same access to knowledge of God.163 In the Sinai Covenant, worshipers could only worship at a distance;164 in the New Covenant, worshipers are embraced as reconciled sons and daughters.165
      6. The eternal consequences of our sin nature are immediately and permanently erased upon our acceptance of God’s New Covenant;166 as we walk out our journey with God in the process of sanctification, the sin nature itself is increasingly removed from us by the indwelling Holy Spirit as we partner with Him in obedience to God;167 see point 9 below.
      7. Both the Mt.Sinai and New Covenants were made with the people of Israel (and Judah).168 In the Sinai Covenant, God-worshipping Gentiles gained salvation as a result of their faith; through circumcision they were attached to Israel, but were not allowed to be full participants in the covenant.169 In the New Covenant, however, God-worshipping Gentiles have been grafted like branches into the people of Israel as adopted sons and daughters of Abraham and can expect a full share of citizenship in the kingdom, God’s blessing, and eternal covenant relationship. While not receiving a physical inheritance of the Land of Israel, Gentiles will be able benefit of the blessings from the Land as the ger (resident aliens among the people).170
      8. God has promised to physically return the people of Israel to their land and allow them to reign over the nations from there.171
  1. I believe that the Holy Spirit was poured out, that is, made available, to all humanity in fulfillment of the Levitical Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot).172 The Law of Moses was given on the first Pentecost to define holiness;173 the Holy Spirit was given at the fulfillment of Pentecost to produce holiness in the life of the true God-worshiper.174 Moreover, the Holy Spirit releases the power and wisdom of God to us through our connection to God in Jesus Christ.175 This power is given in order to make us agents of kingdom restoration: first, as a deposit guaranteeing the inheritance of our salvation, a position from which the Spirit acts in us for personal regeneration into God’s nature;176 second, as witnesses of the New Covenant—proclaimers of the kingdom of God;177 third, as demonstrators of the kingdom of God through the release of God’s power to others as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation;178 fourthly, to provide the community of the Spirit in the fullness of God’s people, the assembly.179

  2. I believe that the assembly (also known as the church, Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the citizens of the kingdom, the people of God, or the family of God) is an organism composed of all those who have been connected to God and to each other through the shared life recieved in Jesus Christ by trusting in His sacrifice for sin/self-worship, renouncing self-worship ['dying' to a self-directed life], yielding to His Lordship [being 'resurrected' to a God-controlled life],180 and who are empowered by the Holy Spirit, both Jew and Gentile.181 The physical ordinances God has prescribed in the New Covenant to accompany this transformation are water baptism/baptism in the Holy Spirit (see the note on baptisms in the Preamble to this Statement), and the LORD's Supper (which was derived from the Jewish celebrations of Passover [the Afikomen and the third cup] and Shabbat kiddush).182 The assembly is the agent through which God is restoring His kingdom to earth until He returns.183
    1. The assembly has its roots in the family-nation of Israel; and as such, it is meant to be a familial organism as opposed to an institution or organization such as a business.184 While there are certainly individual components of our relationship to God, the Judeo-Christian life is meant to be a communal, family experience rather than solely an individual experience.185
    2. The Holy Spirit has released particular gifts to individuals within the Body for the purposes of raising up, equipping, edifying, and ministering to (blessing) its members and through its members to the world for the advancement of the kingdom of God. These gifts are available to all members of the assembly and are released when the Holy Spirit determines they are needed. Some examples are prophecy, healing, service, mercy, administration, giving, encouragement, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues.186

    3. However, God has placed a life calling on some individuals who tend to express certain giftings, being particularly strong in a particular area for their use by the LORD as lifelong servants. Together, they are known as the five-fold ministry of the Spirit:187
      1. Apostle: the Greek word simply means ‘one who is sent’. An apostle is one who is chosen by the Holy Spirit as an assembly planter or missionary—to go where there is currently no work of God in a region and plant a local assembly.
      2. Prophet: A prophet is a person who is called by God to deliver His message to the assembly—often, this is a singular, directional message that is continuous over the lifetime of the prophet. This is different than the gift of prophecy: All prophets prophesy, but not all who prophesy are prophets. The biggest difference is a life calling. One who is expressing the gift of prophecy hears the Lord give a specific message that is most often only applicable to the recipient for a specific purpose, whereas the prophet typically has more of a long-term, consistent message to a larger group of people.
      3. Evangelist: one who brings good news’ This is obviously a person who is gifted to present the Gospel in such a powerful way that they win massive amounts of people to Christ.
      4. Pastor: The Greek word for ‘shepherd’ is where we get both our English words pastor and pasture. A pastor is one who intimately nurtures people and helps them to grow in Christ. True pastors are people persons: they love to get down and dirty, rubbing shoulders with people, building relationships with people and mentoring them.
      5. Teacher: A person who can rightly divide the doctrine of the Word of God and easily explain it to others in a way they can understand it.

    4. Just as a family is governed by parents and grandparents, God designed for the assembly to be governed by those who show maturity in their relationship with God.188 There are three offices that God has ordained for this purpose:
      1. Bishop: a regional overseer who serves in a mainly advisory role. He settles any disputes that cannot be resolved by the elders in a given assembly under his authority; he sets the tone and direction for his bishopric, and helps to shepherd the body of elders in the assemblies under his guidance. A bishop is selected out of the body of elders in a region and may be a “retiring” apostle.
      2. Elder: one of many persons within a local assembly that is responsible for the day-to-day governance of that particular body. They are the ones who provide jurisprudence for matters within the assembly; some examples would be the treasury, electing the deaconry, appropriating membership, settling disputes and arguments among the members of the assembly, etc. In the beginning of an assembly’s life, elders are chosen by the apostolic team who is planting the assembly; after the assembly is healthy and stable, the elders are nominated by the current body of elders and chosen by the entire congregation.
      3. Deacon: a hands-on, servant-leader of a ministry of the assembly, particularly outreach ministry. This person is entrusted with that portion of the budget allocated for that ministry; this is why it says in I Tim. 3 that deacons “must be tested—then, if they can prove faithful, they can serve as deacons.”

  3. I believe that Jesus Christ will physically return to the earth to reign for 1000 years according to the Scriptures.189 Immediately prior to Jesus’ return, God will pour out His wrath on all those who reject Him,190 while gathering the citizens of His kingdom to His side in fulfillment of the Levitical Feast of Yom Teruah (popularly known as Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets).191

  4. I believe that God will bodily resurrect every human being that has ever been created and will judge them according to their deeds as stated in the Scriptures in fulfillment of the Levitical Feast of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Atonement will be applied to those under the Lordship of Jesus Christ; all self-worship will be eternally burned in the lake of fire along with Satan, the rest of the kingdom of darkness, and all humans who chose to reject God’s offer of citizenship in His Kingdom.192

  5. I believe that following the judgment of Yom Kippur, God will dwell eternally with His people in fulfillment of the Levitical Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. Heaven and earth will be joined by the New Jerusalem, which is a city made by the living stones of God’s people. It will be a place of eternal paradise forever.193