Statement of Faith

We believe in the one true and almighty Creator—YHWH—the Creator of heaven and earth and the Mighty One (Elohim) of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We believe that Yeshua the Anointed One is the Son of YHWH, the promised Anointed One of Israel, the living expression of the Word, and the Passover Lamb of YHWH.

Yeshua is not YHWH Himself. He is the Son sent and appointed by YHWH.

We believe that Yeshua was born of a virgin, lived without sin, and died as the perfect atoning sacrifice—kapparah (כפרה)—for sin. After three nights, he rose on the third day, on the first day of the week, during the Festival of Firstfruits. He then ascended to the right hand of YHWH.

Yeshua will come again in power and glory. He will gather those who keep the commandments and protect them from the coming judgment of YHWH upon a world that has rejected His Law.

Isaiah 53; Daniel 7:13–14; Matthew 24:30–31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

We believe that Yeshua is the Son of the Most High and the Anointed One sent to Israel. Scripture says:

Luke 1:32 — He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

Luke 1:35 — The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one who is born will be called the Son of YHWH.

Yeshua did not come to cancel the Law. He came to uphold its true meaning because human traditions had distorted the Law of YHWH, and many people had abandoned it altogether.

Matthew 5:17 — Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

We believe that Yeshua renewed the Covenant between the two Houses of Israel—the House of Judah and the House of Israel, the ten tribes—as YHWH had promised through the prophets. Yeshua came to bring back those who had been scattered and to renew the Covenant with his people.

Jeremiah 31:31 — The days are coming, declares YHWH, when I will make a renewed Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

The Covenant is not limited to people who can prove their ancestry. Anyone who desires to enter the Covenant with YHWH—whether descended from the tribes of Israel or unable to trace that ancestry—may become part of His people by turning back in repentance, accepting His commandments, and receiving the atoning sacrifice.

Yeshua came to:

• call people to repentance and back to the commandments of YHWH — Matthew 4:17;
• offer the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people — Isaiah 53; Romans 3:25;
• cancel the certificate of divorce issued to the Northern House of Israel and renew the Covenant — Colossians 2:14; Jeremiah 3:8;
• show a living example of obedience in word and action — John 5:19; 1 Peter 2:21;
• unite the two Houses as one people — Ezekiel 37:16–17.

We believe that Yeshua rose on the third day after spending three nights in the tomb.

He was crucified on Thursday and rose on the first day of the week, during the Festival of Firstfruits, as the first to rise from the dead.

Matthew 5:17 — Do not think that I came to abolish the Law. I came to fulfill it.

We believe that Yeshua did not cancel the Law. Instead, he:

• explained its true meaning;
• brought the prophecies concerning his work to completion;
• offered the sacrifice;
• taught people how to obey the commandments apart from distorted religious traditions.

Yeshua could not personally carry out every commandment because some apply specifically to women, priests, Levites, and other particular groups. He upheld the Law as active and called every faithful person to live by the commandments that apply to them.

Matthew 5:19 — Whoever breaks even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

To fulfill does not mean “to obey in everyone else’s place.” It means to bring the intended meaning into full view and confirm it through faithful action.

Yeshua became the living expression of the Law; he did not replace it.

Galatians 3:24 — The Law served as our guide leading us to the Anointed One.

The Law leads us to the Anointed One. Without agreeing to live by the Word of YHWH—His commandments—a person cannot truly understand the need for Yeshua.

The Law continues to guide us because it identifies sin and helps us understand why atonement is necessary. This is especially important for those who were never taught the Law.

Yeshua does not cancel the Law. He shows its importance and, through his sacrifice, provides atonement when we fall short.

We believe that the Tanakh—the Law, the Prophets, the historical writings, and the Psalms—is true, divinely inspired Scripture and the foundation of faith and teaching.

For clarity, we distinguish Scripture from the later collection commonly called the Bible. We do not treat that later title and arrangement as one automatically inspired canonical collection, because its structure was formed by people much later. Scripture itself warns:

Deuteronomy 4:2 — Do not add to what I command you, and do not take away from it.

We also distinguish Scripture from the Covenant. Scripture is what YHWH revealed from ancient times; the Covenant was renewed with His people at different points in history.

For this reason, we do not treat the collection commonly called the New Testament as new Scripture. Scripture remains unchanged, while the Covenant is renewed.

We understand that ancient books such as Enoch and Jubilees were once read as part of Scripture by early communities and were unjustly removed from later canons. The letters of Paul and other apostles were later included in the Christian canon.

We read the apostolic letters as valuable instruction, but we do not build theology on them independently or place them on the same level as Scripture.

The foundation for life and teaching is the Law of YHWH. It existed from the beginning, long before Moses, and Moses recorded it at the Creator’s command.

There is no new Law and no new path to righteousness.

Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18–19; Genesis 26:5; Psalm 119:89

We understand the statement “All Scripture is inspired” in 2 Timothy 3:16 to refer to the Tanakh—the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings—not to a church collection assembled later and called the Bible.

We do not regard the apostolic letters as part of Scripture because the apostles did not call their own letters Scripture. They wrote them as letters of instruction and testimony, not as additions to Scripture.

Deuteronomy 4:2 — Do not add to what I command you.

In our understanding, later church authorities excluded ancient books that had long been respected, including Enoch and Jubilees, and added the letters of Paul, Peter, and others to their canons. We read those letters through the lens of Scripture. We do not use them to create a separate modern Christian theology, especially one built primarily around Paul, and we do not place them above Scripture.

Paul himself would not have accepted being treated as an object of worship or as an authority above Scripture:

Acts 14:11–15

2 Peter 3:15–17 — Our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him. In his letters there are some things that are difficult to understand, which the uninformed and unstable distort to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. Therefore, since you have been warned, be careful not to be carried away by the error of lawless people and lose your firm footing.

We read the Gospel accounts—Matthew, Luke, and others—as testimony about the life and teaching of Yeshua. Yeshua did not speak independently from the Father, and we do not use the Gospel accounts to build teachings that stand outside the Law.

We read Revelation as a prophetic book because we understand it to be consistent with Exodus and the Book of Enoch.

We approach the idea of a single church canon with caution because canons were defined through human decisions. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and other traditions use different collections. The Protestant collection is the shortest and excludes a number of ancient books found in other traditions.

Since Scripture does not identify one later church canon as uniquely inspired, our reference point is Scripture itself.

We do not believe in a “new covenant” that replaces or improves the former Covenant. We believe in the renewed Covenant that YHWH repeatedly renewed with His people.

2 Chronicles 29:10; 2 Kings 23:3; 2 Chronicles 34:30; 2 Chronicles 15:10–12; Ezra 10:3; Nehemiah 10:28

Scripture is one and does not change; the Covenant is renewed.

Through Yeshua’s sacrificial death, those who sincerely repent and return to the commandments—whether they had abandoned them or had never known them—can be restored to the Covenant.

We believe that Yeshua’s sacrifice applies to those who desire to walk in obedience to the commandments of YHWH. A person who knowingly rejects the commandments does not participate in that sacrifice.

Hebrews 10:26; Deuteronomy 30:2–6; Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hosea 14:1–2

The sacrifice does not replace the commandments.

The sacrifice is for the person who has chosen to live by the commandments and for the person who, while seeking to obey them, falls short.

Without a commitment to the commandments, the sacrifice does not apply. At the same time, without the sacrifice, there is no cleansing from sin.

Hebrews 10:26 — If we deliberately continue in sin—that is, in rejecting the commandments of YHWH—after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins remains.

Sin is a wrong turn, a failure to reach the mark, and a violation of a commandment.

Romans 3:20 — Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Forgiveness is granted once—at the moment when a person recognizes the sin, accepts Yeshua’s sacrifice, and makes the decision to return to the commandments.

Repentance is the continuing process of correcting our path and learning to walk in obedience.

Persistent sin—continuing to violate the commandments—requires genuine correction, not a religious covering that leaves the behavior unchanged.

Without a sincere desire to obey the commandments, a person does not participate in the atonement provided through Yeshua.

Hebrews 10:26; 1 John 3:4

Circumcision is a command given to parents, not first to the child. Scripture instructs parents to circumcise a son on the eighth day after birth:

Leviticus 12:3 — On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin is to be circumcised.

Genesis 17:10 — Every male among you is to be circumcised.

It is a sign of the Covenant given at birth, not a religious ceremony required from adults as a way to earn salvation.

If a man was not circumcised as a child, there is no contradiction in obeying this command as an adult, just as Abraham did. This is especially appropriate when he becomes a father. It would be inconsistent to carry out the sign of circumcision for his son while remaining outside that sign himself.

Scripture gives examples:

• Timothy — Acts 16:1–3. Paul circumcised Timothy as an adult, not as a way to earn salvation, but as a public witness and to maintain Covenant order while serving among Jewish people.
• Joshua and Israel — Joshua 5:2–8. Before entering the promised land, adult men were circumcised at the command of YHWH so that the people would return to the order of the Covenant.

Circumcision of the heart is inward cleansing and change that enables a person to follow the commandments of YHWH:

Deuteronomy 10:16 — Circumcise your hearts and no longer be stubborn.

Romans 2:29 — A true Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit.

Physical circumcision remains the sign of the Covenant given to Abraham’s descendants, but it is not a reason for pride and does not earn salvation:

Romans 2:25 — Circumcision has value if you obey the Law.

1 Corinthians 7:19 — Circumcision itself is not the central issue; keeping the commandments of YHWH is what matters.

We do not support pressuring adults into circumcision as a religious requirement, nor do we require conversion procedures such as giyur, which some believing Pharisees sought to impose in Acts 15.

We understand true circumcision as the combination of obedience to the commandments of YHWH and the outward Covenant sign established in Scripture.

Circumcision is to take place on the eighth day of a boy’s life—Genesis 17:12. If parents failed to do this because of ignorance or departure from the Covenant, a man returning to the Covenant may choose to carry out what was missed as a conscious act of obedience, not as a way to earn acceptance.

Circumcision of the heart means turning inwardly to YHWH and walking in His commandments. It does not erase or replace the outward Covenant sign established by YHWH. When parents failed to provide that sign, a person who later comes to understand the command can affirm the Covenant and obey what was left undone.

We believe Scripture speaks of two Houses of Israel:

• the House of Judah, made up of two tribes;
• the House of Israel, made up of ten tribes that were scattered among the nations after the reign of King Solomon and became assimilated among other peoples.

We understand that the “Gentiles” to whom Paul preached were primarily people of Israel who had been scattered, had fallen away, and had lost both their Covenant identity and the ability to trace their ancestry through their fathers.

Hosea 1:9

Because of their unfaithfulness, the Most High gave the ten tribes—the Northern House of Israel—a certificate of divorce. Under the Law, this made their return impossible—Jeremiah 3:8; Hosea 1–2.

Yeshua cancelled that certificate—Colossians 2:14; Romans 7:1–4—opening the way for the Covenant to be renewed and for the two Houses to become one holy people.

We distinguish between two situations described by the words pagans and Gentiles:

• Pagans—people practicing idolatry: people who serve false mighty ones, follow celebrations that YHWH did not appoint, and organize life around human traditions rather than His commandments. The Covenant is open to them when they leave idolatry, turn to the commandments of YHWH, and receive Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice.
• Gentiles—people of other nations or people who have lost their ancestry: this includes people from other nations and descendants of the Northern House of Israel who can no longer trace their paternal ancestry. They do not have to remain outside the Covenant. Because Yeshua cancelled the certificate of divorce, they may renew the Covenant through repentance, acceptance of the commandments of YHWH, and acceptance of the atoning sacrifice.

The Covenant is open to everyone who is willing to leave false worship and live by the instructions of YHWH. A person cannot enter the Covenant while deliberately continuing to serve false mighty ones, follow religious celebrations YHWH did not appoint, and reject His commandments.

Leviticus 18:3–4; Exodus 12:38; Matthew 3:9

Anyone may join the Covenant people of Israel, just as people from many backgrounds left Mitsrayim with Israel:

Exodus 12:38 — A mixed multitude also went up with them.

The way into Israel is open to everyone, and the Covenant standard is the same for everyone: live by the Scripture of YHWH, keep His Covenant, and obey His commandments.

We do not combine the worship of YHWH with other religious traditions. We seek to leave behind the “weak and elemental principles” described in Colossians 2:8 and Galatians 4:9–11, which once held people from every background in bondage.

We do not assign a higher Covenant value to a person simply because that person is identified as Jewish. Today, very few people can establish tribal ancestry with certainty. At the same time, when a person can trace paternal ancestry to the tribes of Israel, we respect that history and recognize that descendants of the tribes may still be present today.

Membership in the chosen people of YHWH is ultimately shown by faithfulness to the Covenant: repentance, obedience to the commandments, and acceptance of Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice.

Matthew 3:9 — YHWH is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.

True identity is restored through trust in the Word of YHWH. That trust is expressed through repentance, obedience to His commandments, and acceptance of Yeshua’s sacrifice—whether a person can trace tribal ancestry, has lost it, or comes from a background of idolatry.

The commandments of YHWH were established from the beginning. Clean and unclean animals, sacrifice, and Shabbat were known before the Flood.

Genesis 7:2; Genesis 26:5

The Law was not invented at Sinai. It was recorded through Moses.

The Law of YHWH is everlasting.

We believe not only in setting aside a tithe, but also in distributing it according to its intended purposes.

The tithe is an expression of worship and responsible financial order. It provides for:

• the Festivals of YHWH;
• the support of ministries;
• widows, orphans, and people in need.

Deuteronomy 14:22–29; Numbers 18:21–24

We do not practice Christian baptism as a one-time ritual that guarantees salvation.

John’s immersion was for people who had turned away from the commandments—Matthew 3:6. It was a call to repentance and cleansing in keeping with Scripture.

We practice mikvah, full immersion in water, as a cleansing carried out when Scripture calls for it.

Mikvah is not a symbol of joining a religion or a ceremony used to prove faith. It is an act of obedience connected with cleansing, preparation for the Festivals, renewal of one’s path, and other situations described in Scripture.

We do not practice the Eucharist, commonly called Communion, as a mystical ritual because we believe that approach does not reflect the intended meaning of Yeshua’s words.

Scripture clearly says:

Leviticus 17:10–12 — You must not eat or drink blood.

Any practice that presents the literal or symbolic drinking of blood as worship conflicts with the commandments of the Law.

Yeshua’s words about his body and blood were figurative and were spoken during a shared meal—Matthew 26:26–29—as a remembrance of his sacrifice and the Covenant. They did not establish a new ritual that contradicts the Law.

We remember Yeshua through shared meals, especially on Shabbats and the Festivals of YHWH, in fellowship, gratitude, and unity.

We observe Shabbat, the holy seventh day, from sunset to sunset, according to Scripture—Genesis; the Book of Enoch.

Shabbat is set apart for rest, honoring YHWH, family, fellowship, and time together in truth.

Isaiah 58:13–14 — If you keep your foot from pursuing your own interests on My holy day, call Shabbat a delight and the holy day of YHWH honorable, then you will delight yourself in YHWH.

The Most High Himself rested on the seventh day—Genesis 2:2.

Yeshua is Lord of Shabbat—Mark 2:28. This does not cancel or replace Shabbat. It confirms its importance. Without the living practice of Shabbat, the statement “Yeshua is Lord of Shabbat” loses its practical meaning.

Yeshua did not cancel Shabbat. He explained its original purpose as a day of rest and joy after religious rules had turned its observance into a heavy burden.

We do not follow Talmudic rules for Shabbat. We seek to observe it through the simple and direct commandments of Scripture.

On Shabbat we refrain from:

• regular employment;
• household and property work;
• buying and selling;
• hunting and fishing;
• relocating or scheduling travel during the Shabbat day.

A practical note: If someone must work on Shabbat because of circumstances beyond their control—such as emergency medical, firefighting, or other essential service—or works because of error, weakness, or lack of maturity, the money earned that day may be set aside for a good purpose or someone in need. This acknowledges the holiness of Shabbat and expresses a desire to return to faithfulness. Such circumstances should not become the normal pattern; Shabbat remains set apart to YHWH.

Acts of service, mercy, assistance, and healing do not violate Shabbat. They express its purpose—Matthew 12:12; John 7:23.

Preparing a table for a shared meal and fellowship is also part of serving one another on Shabbat, not ordinary commercial work.

Shabbat is a gift from YHWH to the people who are in His Covenant:

Exodus 31:17 — It is a sign forever between Me and the children of Israel.

Mark 2:27 — Shabbat was made for humanity, not humanity for Shabbat.

Hebrews 4:9 — A Shabbat rest remains for the people of YHWH.

Exodus 20:9–10 — Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat to YHWH your Elohim.

Jubilees 2:19–21 says that Shabbat was given to the Covenant people to be kept from generation to generation as an everlasting instruction.

People outside the Covenant are not required to observe Shabbat before they enter the Covenant with YHWH.

We may gather on other days as well, but Shabbat remains the one special weekly day set apart in Scripture—Exodus 20:9–10.

We celebrate the Festivals appointed by YHWH in Leviticus 23:

• the seventh day—Shabbat;
• Passover;
• the Festival of Unleavened Bread;
• the Festival of Firstfruits;
• Shavuot;
• the Festival of Trumpets;
• the Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur;
• the Festival of Booths—Sukkot.

YHWH appointed these days for His Covenant people throughout their generations—Exodus 23:14–17; Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 12:29–32.

Our worship is centered on the days YHWH appointed. For that reason, we do not take part in religious celebrations that come from other traditions, including Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Sunday when it is treated as a day of sun worship or as a replacement for Shabbat, birthday celebrations, or other “holy days” not appointed by YHWH.

Exodus 23:13 — Do not invoke the names of other mighty ones; do not let them be heard from your lips.

Good intentions or new meanings do not change the origin of a religious practice. We therefore choose the Festivals YHWH appointed rather than practices rooted in other forms of worship.

Exodus 23:14–17; Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 12:29–32

We do not follow later rabbinic dietary rules, such as separating meat from dairy, when those rules are not stated in Scripture.

We follow the commandments of Scripture. We do not eat what YHWH identified as not intended for food—Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14—and we seek to keep our table clean.

The Creator made some animals to be food for human beings and others not to be eaten. We respect that distinction.

We do not follow the Talmudic calendar or other systems built on traditions and calculations that we believe are disconnected from the Scriptural cycle.

In Scripture, the lights in the heavens mark times and seasons—Genesis 1:14. Human rulings do not replace that order.

We do not follow the traditional Jewish calendar established in the fourth century CE and commonly associated with Hillel II, or other systems based primarily on later oral traditions and fixed calculations. In our understanding, these calendars do not follow the living observation and direct instructions found in Scripture.

We count the days of a month by the moon:

• Rosh Chodesh—the new moon—is the first day of the month;
• the full moon falls near the middle of the month.

We identify the beginning of the yearly cycle by considering the solar cycle described in Enoch and Exodus 12:2. The first new moon after the spring equalux marks the beginning of the year and the first month.

We do not use Babylonian month names. We number the months as Scripture does: first month, second month, and so on.

We determine the beginning of the year and Shavuot from our reading of Scripture rather than from later rabbinic calculations or traditions.

Exodus 12:2 — This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year.

We believe in the seven-day creation described in Genesis and the Book of Enoch.

The earth was created within the waters:

Genesis 1:6 — Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.

We believe the sun and moon move above the earth and give their own light.

We do not believe the earth revolves around the sun.

We believe the earth is flat and stands at the center of the created world. This complete structure is the ordered universe established by YHWH.

We do not deny the existence of heavenly bodies commonly called planets. We do not, however, understand them as part of the central created system that Scripture presents through the sun, the moon, and the earth.

We believe that now is a favorable time to be reconciled with YHWH—a time to repent and return to His commandments through the atonement provided by Yeshua.

Without repentance and a return to the commandments of YHWH, atonement for sin does not take effect in a person’s life.

Our desire is to walk in righteousness and in the spirit of truth, correcting our mistakes as we learn. As a people being restored, we prepare for the return of the Anointed One and the sign of the Son of Man. He will deliver us from the judgment of YHWH that is coming upon a world that refuses His Word.