Beliefs and Perspective

This is not a standard statement of faith but rather an overview of the perspective from which this blog is written.

Why am I sharing this information? Transparency (thank you, Krista).

The faith I have today is the result of a rather long, winding journey much like my ancestors had on the way to the Promised Land. Like Israel, I have a history of rebellion. Also like Israel, my ears have needed to be opened to hear truth.

In recent years, God has begun to pry my very neatly packaged set of doctrines from my grasp so that my thoughts will align more closely with His.  Believe it or not, I actually needed to be reminded that His ways are far above mine and I don't know it all but He does.

Many Christian blogs and websites I've visited are not exactly upfront about what they believe. Some don't say anything at all about what they believe or what they stand for. Perhaps part of that has to do with marketing – they want to appeal to a wider audience.

My prayer for Faith Reviewed is that God will use it to bless someone. If that means 500 page views a day or just 1, so be it. My name might be attached to it, but this blog isn't mine. It belongs to God and I pray He will use it for His glory. And, I'm not sure how He will do that if I'm not honest about what I believe or where I stand.

So, if you want an idea of where God has brought me and where I'm coming from and you're willing to put up with my longwindedness, check out the following 4 points...

1. I am not a Hebrew Roots Christian

Though I agree with Hebrew Roots proponents that in some ways much of the church has strayed from Biblical precepts, placing believers under the burden of the law not only negates the effect of Christ's complete and perfect atonement but also quenches the Holy Spirit in His work to produce His fruit in the heart and life of the believer and instead focuses upon the works of the law.

Some in the Hebrew Roots movement acknowledge that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but deny that He is God. I would encourage anyone in that movement to ask God to show them the truth concerning His Son. The Bible contains much evidence of Jesus' deity but I suggest beginning by comparing Exodus 3:14 with John 8:58 (NKJV) while bearing in mind that all Scripture is God-breathed.

And God said to Moses,
"I AM WHO I AM.”

Jesus said to them,
“Most assuredly, I say to you,
before Abraham was, I AM".

That statement caused many of the people who heard it to desire to kill Jesus in that very moment. Why? They knew the power behind such a statement. They knew about the I AM appearing to Moses in the desert. They knew that Jesus was claiming to be the great I AM Himself.

The Hebrew Roots Movement also claims we should only use certain sacred names for God and His Son, meaning the Hebrew names (some of which they have distorted to further their own philosophy).

The majority of the readers of this blog, I expect, will be English-speaking. In the English language, we know the name of the Son of God as “Jesus.” That Name was translated from Hebrew/Aramaic to Greek, then to Latin and, finally, made it's way into the English language. Yes, it was changed in the process. Most names change in translation from one language to another. 

But, think about this... Who created language, gave us ears to hear His voice and tongues to sing His praise? The Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Did God prequalify that promise by saying you'd better learn the ancient Biblical languages first? Absolutely not! God hears and answer those who call upon His Name whether in Swahili, Arabic, Chinese, Urdu, English, Hebrew or any other language!

2. I am not a Messianic Jew

Although I have a Jewish heritage, I was not raised in Judaism but in a Bible-believing church where my father, who is Jewish (by ethnicity, not religion), was the pastor. My interest in the roots of our faith, the very beginnings of true faith, is a fairly recent phenomenon for me.

 Messianic Judaism is essentially a movement begun by Jewish people who have come to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah. Some refer to this revelation as becoming a “completed Jew.”

A traditional rabbi may say otherwise, but a Jew does not stop being Jewish simply because God has opened their eyes to the fact that Messiah has indeed come for the salvation of Israel and the world and will return again.

 Most Messianic Jews continue to celebrate the feast days God introduced to their ancestors but now realizing how each of those holy observances point to Yeshua (Jesus) as the anointed and promised Redeemer which, as we may address in future articles, is completely appropriate in praise and remembrance of the great power and faithfulness of the LORD God of Israel who has not forgotten nor abandoned His chosen people.

 A more in depth definition of Messianic Judaism can be found at The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America website.

3. I am a Born-again, Somewhat Fundamentalist Christian

Not everyone reading this will be familiar with “born-again Christians” or what that even means. The term “born again” was first used by Jesus and is recorded in John chapter 3. Later in that chapter, Jesus explains the need and what one must do to be born again.

In simplest terms, a born-again Christian is a person who has repented of sin and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again. That person then chooses to follow God's ways and His Word as the guide for all of life.

For more information on what it means to be born-again, click here.

The Bible stresses the importance of fellowship with like-minded believers. For that reason, I attend church as often as I can. The denomination is not important. My faith is not directed or mandated by any church. What I believe is based on how God has revealed Himself and His Son through His Word. I attend a church that follows the patterns of Scripture, rather than conforming to the ideologies of human beings.

I have a great deal of respect for my pastor. He is an anointed man of God who has faithfully led the flock both in word and in deed in the 8 years I have known him. I'm sure he would agree, however, that just because a pastor says it from the pulpit, that doesn't necessarily make it so. It is important for all believers to, like the Bereans, be ready to receive the Word and to search the Scriptures to see if the preaching aligns with what God has revealed (Acts 17:10-12).

The word “fundamentalist” in relation to Christianity has been misused and tarnished in the last decade or so. Christian fundamental theology began to be emphasized among evangelicals in the early 20^th century in response to the growing threat of so-called “higher thinking” and modernism creeping into the church. Dispensationalism, a system of categorizing God's works, revelation and covenants into certain periods of time, was a later outgrowth of this fundamental stance on theology.

The basic tenets of fundamentalism are:

• There is only one true God, the Creator of the world and all that is therein, who has revealed Himself in 3 persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• The Scriptures are without error, intended for literal interpretation and their Source is God Himself.
• Jesus, God incarnate, was born of a virgin, died for our sins on the cross, rose again on the third day and is coming again.
• Repentance and faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of the world, is the only means of salvation.

I hold to those basic fundamentals of the faith but no longer include dispensationalism in my personal theology for 2 reasons.

First, God says that He keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9). A New Covenant doesn't necessarily mean that all of the former covenants are no longer in effect, nor does it mean that He has cast aside the apple of His eye, Israel (Zechariah 2:8).

Second, I used to say,“Well, God doesn't work that way any more,” but God, the Sovereign Creator of the universe, has shown me that He can (and often does) choose to work in ways far above my understanding, outside the box of my limited human thinking.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:8-9

4. I stand with Israel

In addition to being a patriotic American, I also stand with Israel.

I once told my dad that he is twice chosen – as one of God's chosen people and, as a believer in Christ, chosen before the foundation of the world (see Ephesians 1:3-5). His response was, “Well, you're my daughter and you're a believer so you are as well. But what about your mother?” With a smile, I said, “Oh, she's all right. She's been grafted in.” (See Romans 11:13-36.)

My “Jewishness” is a matter of debate. The Bible indicates that blessing and inheritance were handed down through the father to his children, but a rabbi would say I am not Jewish because my mother is not Jewish. (Just so you know, my mother's lineage makes no difference to me. She's a great mom and my sister in Christ so she's twice loved.)

In light of eternity, it really doesn't matter. Being Jewish is not a criteria for salvation, nor does it somehow make one more favored by God than a Gentile believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”(Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV)

I am, therefore, simply a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who stands with God's people; those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb (Jew and Gentile) and also with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whether they have believed in Jesus as Messiah yet or not).

So, why support Israel and her people? For many reasons, but here are just a few...

• God promised Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
• The land was given by God to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-7).
• The Word of God came through the Jewish people. Nearly all of the authors of the individual books of the Bible were Jewish.
• Jesus and the disciples were Jewish and they obeyed the laws given by God to Moses.
• The gospel was given to the Jew first, then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16).
• Like the apostle Paul, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1 NKJV).

Perhaps a "The End" would be appropriate here. Or, perhaps not. God is still working on all believers, including me, to make us more like His Son, Jesus. I don't know it all, and I'm far from perfect. I'm just thankful that God doesn't give up on me (Philippians 1:6) and that He continues to teach me day by day.