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International
Alliance of Messianic Congregations & Synagogues
Statement
of Belief
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That the BIBLE, consisting
of the Tenach (Holy Scriptures) and the later writings commonly known as
the B'rit Hadasha (New Covenant), is the only infallible and authoritative
word of God. We recognize its divine inspiration, and accept its teachings
as our final authority in all matters of faith and practice (Deut.
6:4-9; Prov.
3:1-6; Ps.
119:89, 105; Isa.
48:12-16; Rom.
8:14-17; II
Tim. 2:15, 3:16-17).
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GOD - We believe that the
Shema, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one" (Deut.
6:4), teaches that God is Echad, as so declared: a united one, a
composite unity, eternally existent in plural oneness [Gen.
1:1 (Elohim: God); Gen.
1:26 "Let us make man in our image"; Gen.
2:24 Adam & Eve were created to be as one flesh (basar echad)],
that He is a personal God who created us ( Gen.
1 & 2), and that He exists forever in three persons: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, as mentioned in Romans
8:14-17 (Father, Spirit, and Messiah - Son) and Matt.
28:18-20 (immersing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
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GOD THE FATHER (Abba) - John
6:27b; I
Cor 1:3; Gal.
1:1; Rev.
3:5, 21; Jer.
3:4, 19; 31:9; Mal.
1:6; Matt.
6:9, 32; Luke
10:21-22; John
1:14; 4:23; 5:17-26; 6:28-46; Rom.
8:14-15.
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GOD THE SON (HaBen)
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God does have a Son [Ps.
2; Prov.
30:4-6 (cf. Heb.
1); Luke
12:35-37; John
1:29-34, 49; 3:14-18].
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The Son, called Yeshua (Jesus),
meaning salvation, came to this world born of a virgin [Isa.
7:14 (cf. Luke
1:30-35)].
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The Son is God (Deity), and is
worshipped as God, having existed eternally [Ps.
110:1 (cf. Heb.
1:13); Isa.
9:6-7; Matt.
28:18-20; Phil.
2:5-11; Col.
1:15-19; Rev.
3:21 (Heb.
1 - worshipped by angels); Rev.
4:8, 5:5-14].
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This One is the promised
Mashiach (Messiah) of Israel [ Is.
9:6-7; 11:1; Dan.
9 (esp. verses 20-26);
Isa.
53; John
1:17, 40-41, 45, 49; Mark
8:29].
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He is the root and offspring of
David, the bright and morning star (Num.
24:17; Rev.
22:16).
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He is our Passover, the Lamb of
God ( I
Cor. 5:7; Rev.
5; John
1:29).
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GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT (Ruach HaKodesh)
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Introduced in Gen.
1:2b.
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In the Tenach, the Spirit of God
came upon individuals during the times of our forefathers, like
Moses, David (see II
Sam. 23:1-3), and the Prophets, for the specific purposes.
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In the New Covenant, the
Messiah, Yeshua, promised His disciples that "the
Comforter" would come to them after He was gone, described as
the Spirit of Truth (John
14:17, 26), who was with them and would be in them. Yeshua
further declared that the Spirit of Truth, would guide us into all
truth and would glorify Him - the Messiah - not Himself (John
16:13-15). He empowers us (Acts
1:8). He seals us [Eph.
1:13; 4:30 (see NIV and Jewish New Testatment versions)]. If
we have not the Spirit, we are not His (Rom.
8:9). He leads us and teaches us (Rom.
8:14-17). His indwelling enables us to live a godly life. Acts
2:38 says, "Repent, be immersed, and receive the Holy
Spirit."
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MAN
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Created in the image of God (Gen.
1:26-27), but:
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through disobedience, man fell from
his first state and became separated from God (Gen.
2:17; 3:22-24). Therefore, according to the Scriptures, all men
are born with a sinful nature (Ps.
14:1-3; 49:7; 53:13; Isa.
64:6; Rom.
3:9-12, 23; 5:12).
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Man's only hope for redemption
(salvation) is through the atonement made by the Messiah (Lev.
17:11; Isa.
53; Dan.
9:24-26; I
Cor. 15:22; Heb.
9:11-14, 28; John
1:12, 3:36), resulting in regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Tit.
3:5), which is the new birth (John
3:3-8). For by grace we are saved through faith, it is a gift of
God (Eph.
2:8-9).
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RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT
We believe in the resurrection of both
the redeemed and the lost: the former to everlasting life and the latter
to eternal separation from God, a state of everlasting punishment (Job
14:14; 19:25-27; Dan.
12:2-3; John
3:36; 11:25-26; Rev.
20:5-6, 10-15; 21:7-8).
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THE MESSIAH - The
Redeemer.
The Scriptures promised two
"comings" of the Messiah:
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First coming
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Promised in Dan.
9:24-26.
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Its purpose was to make an
atonement for sin (Dan.
9:24-26; Isa.
53; Rom.
3:21-31; Heb.
9-10; John
3:16-17).
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Second coming
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Promised coming in
the air to receive the believers to Himself (I
Thess. 4:13-18; John
14:1-6; I
Cor. 15:51-57).
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Messiah's return to
the earth.
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The Redeemer shall come to
Zion (Isa.
59:20-21; Zech.
14:4).
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Israel's spiritual
redemption (Zech.
12:8-13:1; Rom.
11:25-27; Heb.
9:28; Jer.
31:31-40; the New Covenant).
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Israel's national
restoration is to recover the remnant of His people Israel
from the four corners of the earth, and restore the Davidic
Kingdom (Isa.
11 - to re-establish the throne and kingdom of David,
which will last forever) [Isa.
9:6-7 (cf. Luke
1:30-33); Jer.
23:3-8].
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ISRAEL IN PROPHECY
We believe in God's end-time plan for
the nation of Israel and for the world. A central part of Messianic
Judaism is the belief in the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel,
as taught in the Scriptures. The greatest miracle of our day has been the
re-establishment or rebirth of the State of Israel according to prophecy (Ezek.
34:11-31; 36-39; Hos.
3; Amos
9:11-15; Zech.
12-14; Isa.
11; 43; 54; 60-62; 66; Rom.
11:1-34) (see also Scriptures under V. THE MESSIAH).
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MESSIANIC JUDAISM
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We recognize that Jewish people
(physical descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, whether
through the mother's or the father's blood-line) who place their faith
in Israel's Messiah, Yeshua, continue to be Jewish according to the
Scriptures (Rom.
2:28-29). Gentiles who place their faith in Yeshua, are
"grafted into" the Jewish olive tree of faith (Rom.
11:17-25) becoming spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham (Gal.
3:28-29).
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We observe and celebrate the Jewish
Holy Days given by God to Israel, with their fulfillment in and
through the Messiah Yeshua. We believe that true "Biblical
Judaism," the faith of first century believers, which we seek to
practice, acknowledges the continuity of faith in the one true God,
revealed throughout the Scriptures, and ultimately manifested in God's
Son, Yeshua the Messiah. We believe that salvation has always been
"by faith," and that works of law, or righteous acts, have
never saved anyone (Gen.
15:6; Rom.
2-6; Eph.
2:8-9; Heb.
11:6, 39).
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We acknowledge that the New Covenant
body of believers is composed of both Jews and Gentiles who have
received Yeshua the Messiah as the Promised Redeemer. The "middle
wall of partition" has been broken down and now we worship the
God of Israel together (I
Cor. 12:13; Eph.
2:13-14).
Source - IAMCS
web site
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