Statement of Faith ¹

Preamble—Ancient Christian Creeds

I agree with the Apostles' Creed (8^th century A.D.), which is based on the Old Roman Symbol (2^nd 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.

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.

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 5^th 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, and so is complex in His unity (Tri-unity):¹¹
   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.

3. 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 without error 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 books listed below:

      Tanakh (First Covenant, ‘Old’ Testament)			B'rit Chadashah (Apostolic Writings, New Covenant, ‘New’ Testament)
      Torah	Nevi'im (Prophets)	Ketuvim (Writings)
      Genesis	Joshua	Psalms (1-150)	Matthew
      Exodus	Judges	Proverbs	Mark
      Leviticus	1 Samuel (1 Kingdoms)	Ecclesiastes	Luke
      Numbers	2 Samuel (2 Kingdoms)	Song of Songs (Solomon)	John
      Deuteronomy	1 Kings (3 Kingdoms)	Wisdom of Solomon	Acts
      	2 Kings (4 Kingdoms)	Sirach	Romans
      	Isaiah	Job	1 Corinthians
      	Jeremiah	Ruth	2 Corinthians
      	Baruch (w/Letter of Jeremiah)	Tobit	Galatians
      	Ezekiel	Judith	Ephesians
      	Daniel (w/Greek)	1 Chronicles	Philippians
      	Hosea	2 Chronicles	Colossians
      	Joel	Lamentations	1 Thessalonians
      	Amos	Esther (w/Greek)	2 Thessalonians
      	Obadiah	Ezra (2 Esdras*)	1 Timothy
      	Jonah	Nehemiah (2 Esdras*)	2 Timothy
      	Micah	1 Maccabees	Titus
      	Nahum	2 Maccabees	Philemon
      	Habakkuk		Hebrews
      	Zephaniah		James
      	Haggai		1 Peter
      	Zechariah		2 Peter
      	Malachi		1 John
      			2 John
      			3 John
      			Jude
      			Revelation

      
      

      ^*Combined in the Jewish Tanakh as Ezra-Nehemiah, and in the Eastern Orthodox canon as 2 Esdras. See this table for how the various branches of the church treat the books attributed to Ezra.

      
      
   2. Despite an incredibly tumultuous history, the Bible has been faithfully preserved by God's people 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. These books exhibit some or all of the following characteristics:
      1. Some of these works are referenced in the protocanon as being authoritative.
      2. Most of these books have been included by leaders in the Christian Church at least at some point in history, and many are still accepted as being divinely inspired today by segments of the Christian Church.
      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. Some of the particularly helpful deuterocanonical books to study are listed below:
      
      

      Name	Comments
      Enoch	Portion of history between Adam and Noah; it is the majority text for the 'Watchers' narrative, which influenced the theology of ancient Israel through Jesus' day. Together with Jubilees, Enoch provides the only clear textual description of the origin and structure of the satanic kingdom. Quoted directly by the New Covenant authors of 2 Peter and Jude; found Greek and Aramaic fragments in Dead Sea Scrolls; only in its entirety in Ethiopic (Ge'ez). Considered divinely inspired by the Ethiopian Jewish community (Beta Israel) and the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church.
      Jubilees	Often called 'The Little Genesis', many scholars believe Jubilees is an earlier version of Genesis, or perhaps an alternate version of Genesis derived from a common source. It takes a narrative view which purports to be the dictation by an angel to Moses on Mt. Sinai of the events from the Creation account to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt; this ties Genesis into the rest of the Torah. The angelic commentary could be later treatises added by 2nd Temple-era rabbis who were hoping to counter Greek pagan influences among the Jewish people during the Maccabean period. A number of interesting theological elements are either introduced or clarified. Fifteen Hebrew fragments were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls; exists in its entirety only in Ethiopic. Considered divinely inspired by Beta Israel and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
      Psalm 151	Seems to lack the character and quality of David's authorship, but is an accurate account of David's early life up to his fight with Goliath. Considered divinely inspired by Beta Israel as well as the Eastern, Ethiopian, and Oriental Orthodox Churches.
      Prayer of Manasseh	Historically accurate but not divinely inspired account of evil King Manasseh's prayer of repentance at the end of his life. Considered divinely inspired by Beta Israel and the Eastern, Ethiopian, and Oriental Orthodox Christian Churches.
      2 Ezra	What I am calling 2 Ezra is 1 Esdras in the Eastern Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Catholic traditions. I use the term 2 Ezra because the protocanonical book of Ezra is obviously primary. Considered divinely inspired by Beta Israel and all branches of the Christian Church except Roman Catholic and Protestant.
      Prophecies of Ezra	Prophecies of Ezra is part of 3 Esdras (Eastern Orthodox); it is 4 Esdras from Beta Israel and the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian canon (and Roman Catholic deuterocanon). I use the term Prophecies of Ezra because the entirety of this volume is eschatological prophecy; also, because the numbering jumps around from canon to canon, I did not wish to call it '4 Ezra'.
      3 Maccabees	A possibly somewhat embellished tale of the historical account of the persecution of the Jews of Alexandria by Ptolemy Philopator (circa 215 B.C.). The name of the book is misleading, as the events occurred before the Maccabean uprising against Antiochus IV 'Epiphanes'. Considered divinely inspired by Beta Israel, the Eastern Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Churches.
      4 Maccabees	This book is a rabbinic treatise on the value of good character and critical thinking. It is an independent work from 1 & 2 Maccabees, but uses stories from these works as examples. Considered divinely inspired by Beta Israel, Eastern Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Churches.
      Testament ('Assumption') of Moses	found in Greek and Latin fragments only--no complete copy has been found; quoted directly by New Covenant author of Jude in verse 9. Describes instructions given by Moses to Joshua before his death; after Moses' death, it gives the details of an argument between the archangel Michael and Satan over where to bury Moses' body (God had instructed Michael to bury Moses away from the view of the Israelites so they would not worship it as a god).
      The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations)	1st-century writing contemporary with the Book of Revelation. Served as an early Gentile church 'manual' of instruction, remarkably showing continuity between Christian and Jewish practices. Debated by early Church Fathers as to canonicity; ultimately excluded from the canon. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church included their 'broader canon' a modified, anti-Jewish derivative work, Didascalia Apostolorum, which reverses the Jewish practices of The Didache and warns against Judaism instead.

      
      
      
   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. 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
   
   
5. I believe that Satan,³⁷originally a high-ranking, created spirit being who was in charge of worship in heaven,³⁸ rebelled against God along with many other angels by turning to self-worship.³⁹ They were cast out of God’s presence;⁴⁰ and though they were eternally defeated from the moment of their rebellion, they created a kingdom of darkness, evil, and self-worship with Satan as their leader,⁴¹ because their nature became self-worship. This kingdom has a hierarchy as follows:
   1. ‘Rulers’ (Archdemons, fallen Watchers):⁴² These were once powerful archangels in heaven that are now in charge of orchestrating Satan’s plan to frustrate the success of God’s kingdom
   2. Principalities:⁴³ These are evil spirits that are assigned to a particular locality or person
   3. Powers:⁴⁴ These are evil spirits that are the embodiment of a particular sin or malady

   These three categories of spirits work together to oppose the rule and reign of God over the earth and over humanity.

6. I believe that God entrusted the perfectly good earth to mankind according to the Scriptures.⁴⁵ The kingdom of darkness desired to claim that portion of God’s kingdom which God entrusted to man because of the dark angels’ nature of self-worship; therefore, Satan tempted Eve into capitulating to the nature of self-worship. She enticed Adam to do the same, and he decided to follow her in the disobedience of self-worship in rebellion against God.⁴⁶ This gave Satan and his angels access to God’s good creation, 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, and everything evil that one can experience,⁴⁸ resulting in physical and spiritual death.⁴⁹ All human beings are now born corrupted with and enslaved to the sin nature of self-worship.⁵⁰
   
   
7. I believe that 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.⁵¹ Yeshua (Jesus) the Son would be incarnated as man⁵² in order to represent man⁵³ for the purpose of serving as both the complete payment for the actions of the sin nature (as the Passover Lamb)⁵⁴ and the means of re-connection to God (as the Eternal High Priest of the New Covenant).⁵⁵ In this way, God would reclaim His kingdom over humanity, rescuing all those who would accept it.⁵⁶

8. I believe that while God could have simply destroyed Satan’s kingdom with a word, reclaiming God’s rule by force, God chose to reveal Himself through His everlasting covenants with the people of Israel to His glory because of His love for us⁵⁷ for two purposes: as a testimony for those who will accept God’s offer in worship,⁵⁸ and as a testimony against those who will reject God’s offer of citizenship in God’s Kingdom.⁵⁹ 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;⁶⁰ therefore, it is by man’s free will choice that he/she accepts or rejects the offer of citizenship.⁶¹
   1. The First Covenant was made with Abraham by faith and was carried through Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to his descendants;⁶² Moses became the arbiter of this covenant at Mt. Sinai, which is why this covenant is often referred to as the Sinai Covenant.⁶³ In contrast to the further rebellion of mankind at the Tower of Babel,⁶⁴ 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 people⁶⁵
      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.⁶⁶
      3. All the nations of the world would be blessed through Abraham and his Seed (Jesus).⁶⁷
      4. Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed by God, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed by God⁶⁸
      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.⁶⁹
         
         
   2. When Israel did become a nation, God delivered Israel from Egypt through the blood of the Passover Lamb,⁷⁰ which He commanded them to place on the doorposts of their homes.⁷¹ This represents the blood of Jesus, who later would save the people from their sins.⁷² 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.⁷³
      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.⁷⁴
   3. God’s desire was that the people come to Him directly and worship. The people were afraid to go, however;⁷⁵ 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.⁷⁶
      2. To provide a means of communication by blood sacrifice despite the self-worship nature of man. This was done in the institution of the priesthood through the line of Aaron.⁷⁷
      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.⁷⁸
   4. Collectively, these three purposes serve(d) to drive a true God-worshiper to seek God by faith for salvation from sin.⁷⁹ Mere outward conformity to the Torah’s commandments cannot justify one in the eyes of God;⁸⁰ it is rather the evidence that we already have been justified by faith.⁸¹ This is true of the Torah in both covenants.⁸²
   5. It was God’s intent that Israel would take the First Covenant outward in ministry as a light to the Gentiles.⁸³ 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.⁸⁴ This was not unexpected by God; He had designed Israel as a living picture—a microcosm of the rest of humanity.⁸⁵ God loved Israel so much that He pursued her again and again, as he does with all of humanity.⁸⁶ 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).⁸⁷
      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.⁸⁸ 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.⁸⁹
      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,⁹⁰ and by sending the kingdom of Judah into exile in Babylon.⁹¹ God said that He would raise up a Prophet—and more than a prophet—His Son, the Messiah.⁹² He also promised a New Covenant with the people of Israel.⁹³
   6. At the promised time,⁹⁴ 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.⁹⁵ He was incarnated through the power of the Holy Spirit⁹⁶ and was conceived in the womb of Miriam (Mary), a Jewish virgin, who was both a descendant of Abraham and David.⁹⁷ 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.⁹⁸ The Messiah had to be fully God in order to be born without self-worship; and He remained sinless throughout His earthly life.⁹⁹ He also had to be fully human in order to represent mankind.¹⁰⁰ 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),¹⁰¹ atoning for the sins (acts of self-worship) of those who would accept that sacrifice on their behalf.¹⁰² His blood was shed as the inauguration of the New Covenant¹⁰³ when he suffered under Pontius Pilate,¹⁰⁴ was crucified,¹⁰⁵ died,¹⁰⁶ and was buried¹⁰⁷ according to the Scriptures. The Messiah also fulfilled (and continues to fulfill) three offices in His person:
      1. As a prophet,¹⁰⁸ He preached that the kingdom of God was near at hand.¹⁰⁹ He spoke the intentions of the Father for rescuing the lost.¹¹⁰ He proclaimed the eschatological plan for Israel and humanity.¹¹¹ He performed miracles as a testimony to His message,¹¹² healing the sick,¹¹³ casting out demons,¹¹⁴ raising the dead,¹¹⁵ and preaching the good news of salvation.¹¹⁶
      2. As a priest,¹¹⁷ Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist as required by the Torah as the proper way to begin the ministry of the priesthood.^{118 119} 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.¹²⁰ 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),¹²¹ and ascended to the right hand of the Father in glory as the holy and acceptable firstfruits offering in victory over death.¹²² He remains forever our Eternal High Priest and arbiter of the New Covenant.¹²³
      3. As the King of Kings,¹²⁴ Jesus demonstrated His superior authority over the kingdom of darkness¹²⁵and over the laws of nature.¹²⁶ Upon His resurrection, He delegated this authority to His disciples and subsequently to His people;¹²⁷ upon His ascension, the name of Jesus was exalted above every other name by the Father.¹²⁸ 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:¹²⁹
      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.¹³⁰ Thus, obedience to the Torah becomes the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit’s work in us as we actively yield to His work.¹³¹
      2. The sacrificial system provided in the Torah was changed as a result of Jesus’ fulfillment of its priestly requirements,¹³² thus effectively abolishing this system for the New Covenant citizen.¹³³ No more sacrifice or sentence for sin is necessary, because “…the LORD has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.”¹³⁴
      3. However, the Torah is still in effect for the New Covenant citizen until heaven and earth pass away.¹³⁵ 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.¹³⁶ 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.¹³⁷
      5. There is no longer a priesthood between God and His people except the High Priesthood of Jesus;¹³⁸ all have equal and complete access to intimacy with God,¹³⁹ and all have the same access to knowledge of God.¹⁴⁰ In the Sinai Covenant, worshipers could only worship at a distance;¹⁴¹ in the New Covenant, worshipers are embraced as reconciled sons and daughters.¹⁴²
      6. The eternal consequences of our sin nature are immediately and permanently erased upon our acceptance of God’s New Covenant;¹⁴³ 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;¹⁴⁴ see point 9 below.
      7. Both the Mt.Sinai and New Covenants were made with the people of Israel (and Judah).¹⁴⁵ 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.¹⁴⁶ 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).¹⁴⁷
      8. God has promised to physically return the people of Israel to their land and allow them to reign over the nations from there.¹⁴⁸
         
         

9. 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).¹⁴⁹ The Law of Moses was given on the first Pentecost to define holiness;¹⁵⁰ the Holy Spirit was given at the fulfillment of Pentecost to produce holiness in the life of the true God-worshiper.¹⁵¹ Moreover, the Holy Spirit releases the power and wisdom of God to us through our connection to God in Jesus Christ.¹⁵² 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;¹⁵³ second, as witnesses of the New Covenant—proclaimers of the kingdom of God;¹⁵⁴ 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;¹⁵⁵ fourthly, to provide the community of the Spirit in the fullness of God’s people, the assembly.¹⁵⁶
   
   
10. 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],¹⁵⁷ and who are empowered by the Holy Spirit, both Jew and Gentile.¹⁵⁸ 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).¹⁵⁹ The assembly is the agent through which God is restoring His kingdom to earth until He returns.¹⁶⁰
    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.¹⁶¹ 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.¹⁶²
    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.¹⁶³
       
       
    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:¹⁶⁴
       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.¹⁶⁵ 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.”
          
          
11. I believe that Jesus Christ will physically return to the earth to reign for 1000 years according to the Scriptures.¹⁶⁶ Immediately prior to Jesus’ return, God will pour out His wrath on all those who reject Him,¹⁶⁷ 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).¹⁶⁸
    
    
12. 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.¹⁶⁹
    
    
13. 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.¹⁷⁰

¹ Note: The Scripture references contained in this statement 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.

² Deuteronomy 4:35

³ Exodus 3:13-15a

⁴ Exodus 3:6

⁵ Psalm 95:3

⁶ Genesis 1:31

⁷ Psalm 147:5

⁸ Psalm 139:7-12

⁹ Numbers 11:23

¹⁰ Isaiah 40:28

¹¹ Psalm 90:2, Isaiah 48:16

¹² John 14:16-17, John 14:26

¹³ Psalm 89:26

¹⁴ Psalm 2:7, Luke 1:35

¹⁵ John 1:1-18

¹⁶ Isaiah 9:6-7; 18

¹⁷ John 20:28, 1 John 4:2

¹⁸ 2 Corinthians 3:16

¹⁹ Wisdom 1:6-7, Ephesians 1:17, John 14:26

²⁰ Acts 1:8

²¹ John 15:26

²² Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:6-8 (late manuscripts say “…in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth…”)

²³ 1 John 4:8

²⁴ Philippians 2:9, John 20:17, Matthew 12:32, Mark 12:36, John 17, John 16:14

²⁵ John 1:14, Revelation 19:11-13

²⁶ 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:21

²⁷ John 5:38-40, Luke 24:27

²⁸ The Hebrew Scriptures (Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvi’im) a.k.a. the ‘Old’ Testament

²⁹ The New Covenant a.k.a. the New Testament

³⁰ Genesis 1-2

³¹ Ibid.

³² Ibid.

³³ Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:7, Deuteronomy 6:4-5

³⁴ Genesis 1-2

³⁵ In contrast, Romans 8:18-22

³⁶ Genesis 2:2, Exodus 20:8-11

³⁷ Job 1:6

³⁸ Ezekiel 28:13 (dual reference to Satan and the king of Tyre)

³⁹ Revelation 12:7-9, Enoch 7:1-8:9

⁴⁰ Ibid.

⁴¹ Luke 11:14-28

⁴² Romans 8:38 (NASB)

⁴³ Ibid.

⁴⁴ Ibid.

⁴⁵ Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15

⁴⁶ Genesis 3

⁴⁷ Genesis 6:1-4, 1 John 5:19

⁴⁸ Romans 1:18-32

⁴⁹ Romans 6:23

⁵⁰ Romans 3:23, Psalm 51:5 (NASB)

⁵¹ John 3:16 1 Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8

⁵² Philippians 2:5-8

⁵³ Romans 5:19

⁵⁴ 1 Corinthians 5:7

⁵⁵ Hebrews 2:17-18

⁵⁶ John 3:16, Revelation 11:15

⁵⁷ Genesis 12:3, Exodus 6:2-8, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-36

⁵⁸ 1 John 5:9-11

⁵⁹ Mark 6:11

⁶⁰ Revelation 3:20, John 15, Philemon v.14

⁶¹ Deuteronomy 30:19, Hebrews 3:15

⁶² Exodus 6:2-8

⁶³ Deuteronomy 5:28-31

⁶⁴ Genesis 11:1-9

⁶⁵ Genesis 17:7-8

⁶⁶ Genesis 15:18-20

⁶⁷ Genesis 12:3, Genesis 12:21, Galatians 3:16

⁶⁸ Genesis 12:3

⁶⁹ Genesis 15:13-16

⁷⁰ Exodus 12:7, 23

⁷¹ Ibid.

⁷² 1 Corinthians 5:7

⁷³ Exodus 19:3-6

⁷⁴ Exodus 28-30

⁷⁵ Exodus 20:18-21, Deuteronomy 5:28-31

⁷⁶ Hebrews 8:4-6, Colossians 2:16-17

⁷⁷ Hebrews 9:1-10

⁷⁸ Psalm 119:1, Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 22:34-37

⁷⁹ Galatians 3:24

⁸⁰ Romans 3:20

⁸¹ James 2:14-26

⁸² Hebrews 11

⁸³ Isaiah 49:6, Acts 13:47

⁸⁴ Ezekiel 16, Jeremiah 3

⁸⁵ Deuteronomy 31:16-21

⁸⁶ Jeremiah 31:3

⁸⁷ 1 Samuel 2:27-36

⁸⁸ 1 Samuel 8

⁸⁹ 2 Samuel 7:8-29

⁹⁰ 2 Kings 17

⁹¹ 2 Kings 24-25

⁹² Isaiah 52:13-53:12

⁹³ Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-38

⁹⁴ Daniel 9:24-26a

⁹⁵ Luke 22:20, Philippians 2:5-11

⁹⁶ Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, Isaiah 9:6-7, John 1, Philippians 2:5-11

⁹⁷ Ibid.

⁹⁸ Ibid.

⁹⁹ Hebrews 4:14-15

¹⁰⁰ Hebrews 2:14-18

¹⁰¹ Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:14-22, John 13-17, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

¹⁰² John 3:16

¹⁰³ Luke 22:20

¹⁰⁴ Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19

¹⁰⁵ Ibid.

¹⁰⁶ Ibid.

¹⁰⁷ Ibid.

¹⁰⁸ Luke 4:24

¹⁰⁹ Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 4:43

¹¹⁰ Luke 19:10

¹¹¹ Isaiah 61, Luke 4:16-23

¹¹² Matthew 11:4-6

¹¹³ Ibid.

¹¹⁴ Ibid.

¹¹⁵ Ibid.

¹¹⁶ Ibid.

¹¹⁷ Hebrews 4:14-10:18

¹¹⁸ Exodus 29:4, Exodus 30:17-20, Matthew 3:13-17

¹¹⁹ Leviticus 23:6-8—this was also a fulfillment of the Levitical Feast of Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMotzi) by nature of consecration.

¹²⁰ Matthew 5:17-20, Ephesians 2:15

¹²¹ Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

¹²² Daniel 7:13-14, Ephesians 1:20, 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, Revelation 1:9-20

¹²³ Hebrews 7-9

¹²⁴ Revelation 19:16

¹²⁵ Luke 4:41

¹²⁶ Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 6:45-56

¹²⁷ Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Acts 1:8

¹²⁸ Philippians 2:9-11

¹²⁹ Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:-22-36, Matthew 5:17-20, Romans 9-11, Hebrews 7

¹³⁰ Jeremiah 31:31-34

¹³¹ Galatians 5:22-23

¹³² Hebrews 7:12, Matthew 5:17-20

¹³³ Ephesians 2:15

¹³⁴ Hebrews 10, Isaiah 53:5-7

¹³⁵ Matthew 5:17-20

¹³⁶ Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Leviticus 17:18-19, Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-37

¹³⁷ John 14:6

¹³⁸ Hebrews 7:22-28, Hebrews 10:12

¹³⁹ John 15, Revelation 3:20

¹⁴⁰ Jeremiah 31:34

¹⁴¹ Exodus 33:20

¹⁴² Luke 15:11-32, James 4:8

¹⁴³ Jeremiah 31:34, Ezekiel 36:25

¹⁴⁴ Ezekiel 36:27, Romans 8:1-17, Galatians 6:8-9

¹⁴⁵ Genesis 12:3, Jeremiah 31:31-34

¹⁴⁶ Job 1:1 (Job was a Gentile), Exodus 12:48, Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 10:17-19, 2 Chronicles 3-6 (the outer court was for Gentiles; their prayers were heard, but they could not experience the depth of God’s presence that a Jew could receive), Ephesians 2:11-12

¹⁴⁷ Romans 11, Ephesians 2:11-22

¹⁴⁸ Ezekiel 36:22-38, Isaiah 11:11-12, Jeremiah 31, Micah 5, Revelation 20:1-6

¹⁴⁹ Acts 2:1-41

¹⁵⁰ Romans 7:7

¹⁵¹ Romans 8:26-30, Galatians 5:22

¹⁵² John 16:13-15, Acts 1:8a

¹⁵³ Romans 8:9, Ephesians 1:14, 2 Corinthians 1:22

¹⁵⁴ Acts 1:8b

¹⁵⁵ Exodus 19:3-6, Isaiah 61, Luke 4:14-21, Matthew 11:4-5, Luke 10:1-23, Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-8, 1 Peter 2:9

¹⁵⁶ 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

¹⁵⁷ Romans 6, Romans 8:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17

¹⁵⁸ Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 3:11, Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:7-23, John 3:3-5, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:36-39, Acts 8:14-19, Acts 10:47-48, Acts 18:24-19:6, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

¹⁵⁹ Ephesians 3:1-6

¹⁶⁰ Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶¹ Galatians 3:26-29, Ephesians 3:14, 1 Corinthians 4:14-17, Hebrews 2:10-12

¹⁶² Acts 2:42-47

¹⁶³ Romans 12:1-7, 1 Corinthians 12

¹⁶⁴ Ephesians 4:11-13

¹⁶⁵ Acts 14:23, Acts 15, Acts 16:4, 1 Timothy 3:1-12, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5, James 5:14

¹⁶⁶ Revelation 20:1-6

¹⁶⁷ Revelation 6-19

¹⁶⁸ 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Revelation 10:7

¹⁶⁹ Daniel 7:9-10, Revelation 20:11-15

¹⁷⁰ Isaiah 65:17-25, 1 Peter 2:5, Revelation 21-22