Beth Melekh Statement of Faith
Anachnu ma’aminim b’emunah shleymah
We affirm with perfect faith

  1. That the Bible (the TaNaKh [OT] and the Brit Ha-Chadashah [NT], the Earlier and the Later Scriptures) is essentially a Jewish document, and is, in its original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic [post exilic Hebrew integration], Greek) the only divinely inspired, inerrant, and authoritative, eternal Word of God. It has come down to us as intact and integral as it was at its inception, and applies as wholly today as it did then, in the same two contexts - to the Jew first, with rich symbolic ritual and traditional observances; and also to the Gentile, in equivalent spirituality of the same kind and at the same level (II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21).
  2. That the Eternal LORD God (Adonai YHVH Elohim: Merciful Judge) of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is Echad. Being a complex unity He has revealed Himself to humanity as the Father (ha-Av) in Heaven, the Son (v’ha-Ben, Yeshua HaMashiach-Jesus the Christ), Who is the Word of God made flesh, Imanu (With us) – El (God), and as the Holy Spirit (v’Ruach HaChodesh), the Spirit of Truth (Is. 48:16; I John 5:7). 
  3. That Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel, was born of a virgin, walked among us sinless, died on the tree for the sins of mankind, rose from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He lives and intercedes for His followers (Heb. 7:24,25). He will also return one day, which is our great hope and consolation. (Is. 7:14; Is.53:610; Acts 1:11)
  4. That in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Israel remains God’s chosen people. They have received a generational covenant with God in regards to the Messiah, the Land of Israel, and in all the Scriptural promises that were addressed to them. The Gentiles are children of Abraham’s faith, not his blood or his covenants, and together with the Jew were without hope in the world, and must be cleansed from sin by the shed blood of the Messiah. Jewish believers and non-Jewish believers remain Jews and non-Jews in the Messiah after believing. They both become joined in one body and shall inherit eternal life through Him (Deut. 7:6-11; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-13). 
  5. That sin is transgression against God and His Torah (Instruction), and can only be forgiven by faith in the atoning blood of Yeshua and by repentance of sins. Upon confession of faith, believers receive everlasting life and are not under the wrath of God, which shall come upon this present age (John 3:16; John 5:25; I John 1:9; 2 Peter 3:8-10).
  6. The Messiah’s death is remembered until He returns by the partaking of the Lord’s Pesach (Passover) Supper, as recorded in the Later Scriptures (New Testament). This involves the breaking of Matzah (symbolizing His body) and taking the cup (symbolizing His blood), and believing that Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us, for both Jew and Gentile (I Cor. 5:7; Is. 53:2-5). 
  7. That upon acceptance of Yeshua as Lord and Messiah, there is immersion (baptism by full immersion [Tevilah]), in a body of water (Mikveh), which is an outward sign of an inward experience of salvation, symbolizing both the effect of the death and resurrection of Messiah in the believer’s life as well as the death of the “old humanity (Fallen/sin affected humanity)” and the resurrection into newness of life (Rom. 6:3; Col. 3:1-4; Matt. 28:18-20).
  8. Furthermore, there is also an immersion in the Holy Spirit, which is accompanied by signs and wonders, and whereby the believer obtains spiritual strength and power to witness of Messiah’s resurrection (Acts 1:8). This immersion is affirmed in the rite of water immersion, which is performed in the Name of the Father (ha-Av), and of the Son (v’ha-Ben), and of the Holy Spirit (v’Ruach ha-Kodesh). 
  9. That the Scriptures teach the orderly practice of the Spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit as outlined in I Corinthians 12 to14 and Rom. 12:6-8. These are for the purpose of edifying the body of believers and bringing the body to maturity in Messiah. The fruit of the Spirit as described in Gal.5:22, 33, should also be the experience of the believer, and are neither a replacement for or in competition with these giftings.
  10. That all believers are to live lives of holiness, with complete freedom of conscience, and total devotion to our joyful task of applying God’s word into every situation of our lives (personal and community halakhah [the way we walk]- Rom. 12:1,2 and 14:1-15:6). 
  11. That Jewish followers of Yeshua are called to maintain their Jewish biblical and historical heritage and to remain a part of the people Israel as well as part of the universal body of believers. This is part of their unique identity and is a witness to the faithfulness of God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
  12. That God gave the practices of the Torah (Instruction, Law) for moral instruction and as a body of cultural-national practice of holiness - which would point forward to the Messiah’s work (Romans 10:4). The Torah (Instruction, Law) remains valid as a reflection of G-d’s righteous standard of holiness, and as a means of preserving the distinct nation of Israel. Fulfilment by the work of Yeshua does not imply the abrogation of the Law. 
  13. That righteousness before God comes solely by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8, 9; Gen. 15:6; Deut. 30:11-20; Deut. 6:20-25; Ps.19:7-14; Matt. 5:17-19; Rom. 3:27-31; 6:23).
  14. That the sacrificial obligations of the Torah (Instruction, Law) were symbolic rituals which are fulfilled in our Glorious Messiah. The moral imperatives of the Torah (Instruction, Law) still apply, both to the Jew (in the practice of the covenants of obedience) and to the Gentile (in application and equivalence – I Cor. 10:6, 11). 
  15. We believe that the nation of Israel is chosen by God to be a channel of blessing to all the nations on earth (Gen. 12:2, 3). We understand that the return of the Jewish people to their land is in fulfilment of Biblical prophecy (Luke 21:24, especially). We believe that the day will also come when Israel as a nation will accept the Messiah Yeshua (Rom. 11:25, 26), then shall the end come, when all shall be fulfilled.
  16. We acknowledge our cultural and theological indebtedness to the rich historical traditions of Judaism, outlined in such documents as the Talmud, the Mishnah and the writings of many learned scholars through the ages. We also acknowledge our indebtedness to the rich tradition of Gentile Christian Writings such as the teachings of the Church Fathers and of other learned theologians through the ages. However, we acknowledge the primacy of the Scriptures, in both matters of faith, and of tradition and practice. We consider it our duty and our privilege to express our faith in every new generation according to the clear principles of the Scriptures. We join hands with all the previous generations of believers, and will joyfully explore these traditions which have come down to us, so that our faith and our observance can be tempered with the wisdom and the insights of those who have gone before us. 
​
—Rav Yaakov Ben Yehoshua (Yaakov Brown): Spiritual Leader
            On behalf of the community of leaders
            The Beth Melekh International Messiah Following Jewish Community
 
25 Elul 5778
(5 September 2018)
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