What We Believe

Messianic Judiasm

Is it Jewish to believe in Jesus (Yeshua, his Hebrew name)? One answer to this and other complex questions is simply that all those who have accepted Yeshua as the Messiah, and have accepted G-d’s provision of atonement through him, remain Jewish. There is no conflict here.

History has come to know him as Jesus of Nazareth, but his friends and close associates just called him Yeshua. He brought a message of life, a message of hope and joy. He injected peace and purpose, meaning and significance into life after life. He has transformed us also.

Some may ask, “Doesn’t Yeshua deny or oppose Judaism?” Not according to his own statements, or according to the lives of his earliest followers, the apostles. They joyfully celebrated the holidays together and followed the Jewish traditions. They came to realize the fullness that Yeshua said he would pack into their rich traditions. Levi further reminds us that Yeshua did not come to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it. “But isn’t this exclusively for Jewish people?,” some Gentiles may ask. Absolutely not! All who respond to the Messiah, Jew and Gentile alike, are heirs to a rich Jewish heritage and have deep Jewish roots. Together, they share the dynamic vibrant life that he gives.

Yeshua was a Jew living in a Jewish land among Jewish people. All the apostles were Jewish as were the writers of the Newer Testament. For many years, faith in Yeshua was strictly a Jewish one. The book of Acts and other historical data tell us that during the first century there were hundreds of thousands of Messianic Jews. Moreover, there were Messianic Synagogues scattered throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. During this time, G-d miraculously showed his people that the Messiah was for both the Jew and the Gentile alike. Today, we are seeking to put the Messiah back into his biblical and Jewish context, and to share its beauty with others.