Articles of Faith (Detailed)

1. The Godhead

יהוה, the Name of the God, [1] of the Old Testament Scriptures, and the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Testament Scriptures. The God of the Old Testament is revealed as the Father, by Yeshua the Messiah [Jesus the Christ] [2, 3] (John 5:17-18, 5:19-30, 8:18, 17:1-3) [4]. Yeshua Himself, is the Son of the Father (John 5:17-47, 8:54), the Son of God (John 11:4), the Word of God and God (John 1:1); Christ Yeshua is Deity. As the Son of God, Yeshua is God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16), and the fullness of the Godhead dwells within Yeshua physically (Col 2:9).  Yeshua is one with the Father (John 10:30), and yet they are more than one witness (John 8:16-18). Additionally, Yeshua declares the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of Truth, proceeds from the Father (John 15:26), whom the Father shall give, as another Comforter (John 14:15-17). [5] Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is a witness on Earth (1 John 5:6, 5:8, Rom 8:16) and an intercessor (Rom 8:26-27). [6]  Yet, יהוה, our God, our Elohim, [7] the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are one (Deu 6:4).

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[1] May be pronounced and transliterated as Yahweh or Yehovah or other reasonable transliterations.

[2] Yeshua is understood to be the original Hebrew/Aramaic Name of Jesus of Nazareth (the Name people would have used to refer to Jesus, when He was on Earth, back in the 1st century). The Name of Yeshua was transliterated into Greek and then eventually transliterated into English as Jesus.

[3] ‘Christ’ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ meaning, ‘Anointed One’.

[4] Also confirmed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 8:6, Eph 4:6.

[5] Yeshua will pray to the Father, if we love Yeshua and keep His commandments, and the Father shall give another Comforter to abide with us, the saints, forever (John 14:15-16).

[6] The Holy Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to God’s will (Rom 8:26-27).

[7] The word ‘Elohim’ is grammatically plural according to Hebrew grammar rules.

 

2. Yeshua of Nazereth, Jesus Christ, is the Messiah and Lord God Almighty.
Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, as declared in the Gospels of the New Testament is affirmed and proclaimed to be the Son of God, the Word of God made flesh, the Son of Man, the Son of David, the King of the Jews and of Israel, the Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and therefore, the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament. Additionally, Yeshua the Messiah, the Word of God, pre-existed His incarnation (John 1:1-14, John 8:56-58) and all Creation (John 1:1-10, Col 1:15-18). Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, is the Word of God and is God Himself (John 1:1); Christ Yeshua is acknowledged and worshipped as Deity according to the Bible (Isa 9:6-7, John 20:24-29, Acts 7:55-60, Rev 21:22-23, Rev 22:1).

3. The Authority of the Word of God.
The Word of God, in the form of the holy Scriptures, the Bible, is regarded as the highest authority in the Church and in the world (Matt 5:18, 24:35, Isa 40:8, John 17:17, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Acts 5:29, Heb 1:1-2, 4:12, 2 Pet 1:20-21, Psa 119:105, Luk 16:17, 21:33). The Word of God is to be applied to the heart of all Christians by the Holy Spirit; thereby, believers are taught by God (John 6:45, Jer 31:34) and receive the knowledge of God, penitently and faithfully.

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4. God's Judgment (Hell), the Gravity of Sin, and Soon Personal Return of Yeshua Messiah as Judge.

The Letter to the Romans declares that, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Rom 3:23). Additionally, the penalty of sin is specified as death. “For the wages of sin is death;” (Rom 6:23a). The Letter to the Hebrews declare that it has been appointed unto everyone “… once to die, but after this the judgment…” (Heb 9:27).
 

Yeshua of Nazareth, the Christ, has been ordained as the Judge (Acts 10:42, 2 Cor 5:10), as to Him, the Son of God, and the Son of Man, all judgement has been committed (John 5:22, 27). Yeshua will soon personally return to the Earth to judge the world (Dan 7:13-14, Mark 14:61-62, Acts 1:10-11, Rev 19, Rev 22:12, 20).

In the Gospels, Yeshua identifies names, and states of retribution, such as ‘ghehennah’ (also known as ‘hell’, Mark 9:42-48 ) [8], ‘hades’ (also known as ‘hell’, Luke 16:19-31) [8], ‘outer darkness’ (Matt 25:30) or ‘everlasting punishment’ (Matt 25:46). Additionally, Yeshua describes these places of retribution and the condemned who will go through them. Yeshua prophesy of weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who will go through God’s retribution. Yeshua also gave parables which warned of a fiery, burning retribution for the wicked (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50, Luke 16:19-31). This is consistent with OT judgment prophecies such as Isa 66:24. Furthermore, the Book of Revelation reveals that those who names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will have their part in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:15, 21:8) which is the second death after the resurrection and the judgement before the Almighty God, at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11-14, 21:8).
 

God’s judgment does involve wrath and anger. Additionally, the word propitiation (Rom 3:25, 1 John 2:2, 4:10) does imply an appeasement of God’s wrath and anger.
 

[8] translated as ‘hell’ in English Bibles such as KJV.

5. Salvation by Grace Through Faith, Penal Substitutionary Atonement Work of Christ, and Justification by Faith Alone.
In response, to humanity’s dire situation under God’s judgement, the Gospels proclaim God’s great and infinite mercy in Yeshua the Messiah’s crucifixion, and death as the full atoning work of salvation to redeem humanity from the penalty of sin and death (John 3:16, Rom 6:23, John 19:30). The penal substitutionary atonement work of Christ, through His crucifixion on the cross, His atoning blood spilled, and the sacrifice of His life for humanity, is central to Christian theology (Isa 53, John 3:16, 1 Cor 2:2).
 

Therefore, Yeshua’s atonement will provide the heavenly gift of full forgiveness of sins and eternal life (Rom 6:23), for those who believe and accept, with repentant faith, that Yeshua the Messiah is their Lord, God and Saviour. This divine gift of salvation and justification is given to believers in Yeshua, completely by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. 

 

None of our good works contribute to our salvation in the slightest. The doctrine of ‘Justification by Faith Alone’ “apart from works of the law” is essential (Rom 3:28), [9] and non-negotiable to the Apostle Paul (Rom 1-5) and thus, the Evangelical Christian faith. Rather, our good works are done in Christ (Eph 2:10, John 3:21, Col 2:6), coming out from a repentant, good and godly faith, in gratefulness, willing obedience, humility and selfless love. The relationship between Law and Grace, is imitating Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23, 2:2, 4:17, 11:1, 1 Thess 1:6) with a Living Faith that produces good works, including loving obedience to Scripture, the Law of God, the Torah (Rom 5-6, 10:10, Matt 5:17-20, 7:12-27, James 2:14-26) and gracefully loving people.

God through Yeshua’s work on the cross is “to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” (Col 1:20). [1 Cor 15:22, Rom 5:18, 11:32, and Phil 2:11]

[9] "apart from works of the law", referring to the OT Torah.
 

6. Obedience to the Commandments of God Found in the New Testament.
In obedience to Yeshua, the Christ, we obey His commandments to celebrate and perform the two sacraments of Baptism and Communion (the Lord’s Supper). Yeshua has commanded, at the Lord’s Supper, to eat the bread and drink the cup (1 Cor 11:23-25). Additionally, we are commanded by Yeshua to keep on repenting, believing and preaching the Gospel, making disciples, praying, fasting, keeping (hear and do) God’s Word, and worshiping God according to the principles of the New Testament.
 

7. Obedience to the Commandments of God Found in the Old Testament.
In obedience to Yeshua, the Christ, in whom is the same God of the Old Testament, we obey His Commandments declared to Israel in the decalogue, the Ten Commandments (Rom 3:31, Heb 8:10). This includes, keeping the sabbath day holy, on the true, historic 7th day of the week [10]. The principles of the Ten Commandments are to be applied in our lives in a New Testament, Spirit-filled way (Rom 7:12-8:17). This includes obedience to other Torah laws, which are based on the principles of the Decalogue.
 

[10] The historic 7th day of the week, the sabbath, based on the Jewish calendar, runs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday on the Roman calendar.

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8. The Saints and the New Birth.

The Saints are those Born Again from Above by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8, Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-4, Rom 8:14), thus, Christian Saints, have experienced the New Birth, and are truly, genuinely converted. The Saints, Christians, the Body of Christ, the Church, are those keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua as declared in Rev 14:12 and repeated similarly in Rev 12:17. Also, the Saints are those who love Yeshua and keep Yeshua’s commandments and have the Holy Spirit abiding in them as a gift from God the Father (John 14:15-17). Additionally, the Saints are those who have been anointed and sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:21-22, Eph 1:13-14, 1 John 2:27).