The Historic Faith
While we acknowledge our most recent spiritual history, our congregation seeks to find the full history of our faith. In returning to the early core values, we seek to explore the full biblical history of our faith. We believe the full Bible to be inspired, both Older and Newer Testaments. To find the relevance of God in our lives, we need to understand and believe the full scriptures.
The original spoken and written Word of God was given to the Hebrew people. Those early manuscripts were divinely inspired. When Paul, along with the other Newer Testament writers, referred to Scriptures, they referred to the Older Testament. The Newer Testament was not recognized until a century or so after the Messiah. To understand and properly interpret the Bible, we must seek to understand the earliest Hebrew understanding of the Word.
Because the Scriptures were originally given to the Hebrew People, because Messiah was Hebrew, and because our faith developed from the Hebrew faith, we consider the Hebrew people to be our “older brother.” In doing so we respect, love and support Israel.
The Bible is a whole, complete book. It is a major theological error to arbitrarily make one portion of the Bible more relevant than another. To imply that God changed His mind, or violated His own principles and patterns, is simply not correct. Each verse must be taken in light of the full Word of God.
There is one true God. This is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of creation and the God of Paul and our Messiah.
Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is divine. He is fully human and fully God. He was born of a virgin, lived a life without sin, was crucified for our sins, and resurrected to overcome death. Today he resides in heaven and we anticipate His return.
The church has not replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. The Jewish people are His by decree. Israel—the Land—belongs to the Jewish people, again, by His decree. God has provided a means of salvation for both the Jew and the non-Jew, the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).
Faith is a beginning, not the end of a Believer’s life. Faith comes by studying the Word of God and learning what God intends for His people to do and be. In faith we seek to become obedient to the Word, realizing that simple performance and ritual will not save us. We respond with obedience out of love and appreciation for who God is and the love He sent down to us.
We admit that we do not have all the answers. While we seek to know the fullness of God’s Word, there are things we do not understand and may never understand. The mysteries of God belong to God. He will reveal those mysteries in His time. We believe God is behind it all and place our simple faith in Him.