Back to the Word Church Statement of Beliefs

THE SCRIPTURES:
We believe that the Holy Scriptures, both the Old Testament (Tenach – Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament (Brit Hadasha – New Covenant), are fully inspired and are God's complete and final revelation to man until Jesus (Yeshua) returns. The 66 books of the Bible are the divinely inspired word of God and are inerrant in the original autographs. They are true and authoritative in every category of knowledge to which they speak. (Proverbs 30:5,6; Isaiah 40:7,8; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16) 

THE TRI-UNITY:
We believe that God is one but has manifested Himself in three separate and distinct Persons. Hence, we believe that God is a Tri-unity (Trinity of God): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the creator of all things. He is infinite and perfect, eternally existing in three equal persons, each possessing the nature of deity, as well as the characteristics of personality. He is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19)  

God the Father - We believe He is Father over all creation, and thus its sovereign ruler; Father of Israel, whom He has chosen as His unique people; Father of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), whom He sent into the world to redeem mankind and creation; and Father of all who trust in His gracious provision. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:12, 3:16; Galatians 3:26)

God the Son - We believe that God the Son became flesh in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth, the promised Messiah of Israel, who was conceived of the Spirit of God and born of the Jewish virgin, Miriam (Mary). We believe in His full deity and full humanity, His sinless life, and His miracles. We believe that Messiah Yeshua arose from the dead bodily, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for believers. He will come again in glory establishing His literal Millennial kingdom on earth. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; John 1:1,2,14-18; Revelation 20;4-6)

God the Holy Spirit - We believe The Holy Spirit (the Ruach HaKodesh) is a Person. He possesses all the distinct attributes of deity and personality. He does not call attention to Himself and is ever present to glorify and testify of Messiah Yeshua. We believe the Spirit of God is active today, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates, seals, and sets the believer apart to a holy life. At the moment of salvation, each believer is baptized with the Spirit into the body of Messiah and at the same moment is permanently indwelt by the Spirit. All believers are complete in Messiah. We believe that at salvation the Holy Spirit sovereignly imparts at least one spiritual gift to every believer for the purpose of edifying and equipping the body of Messiah. (Nehemiah 9:20; John 15:26, 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:10,11; 12:11) 

SATAN AND DEMONS:
We believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Adversary of God. Satan is the originator of moral evil and the god of this world. He and his agents are active in blinding mankind to spiritual truth, Believers can and should resist him by applying Scriptural truth. (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4; Ephesians 6:10-18) 

ANGELS:
We believe a great company of angels are before the throne of God, praising, worshiping, adoring, and glorifying Him. They are sent forth to bring about God's intended plans and purposes, and to minister to all believers. (Isaiah 6:1-7; Daniel 10:10-21; Luke 1:11-20; Hebrews 1:13,14; Revelation 7:11-12)

MAN:
We believe that man was created in the image of God. Adam sinned and consequently experienced not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful, corrupted nature, and sin in thought, word, and deed. Man's state of sin has so infected his will that he is unable to choose God's provision of redemption in Messiah Yeshua without the work of the Holy Spirit in his understanding. Man is totally depraved and without Jesus (Yeshua) he is utterly lost. (Genesis 1:26,27, 3:6,7, 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; Isaiah 53:6, 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7:20-23; John 3:3-5, 6:44; Romans 3:23, 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:1-10) 

SALVATION:
We believe that anyone who by faith trusts Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) as Savior and Redeemer and who applies His blood to their sins is immediately forgiven of sin and becomes a child of God. This salvation is not the result of any human effort or merit, it is the undeserved favor of God. Further, there is no other way of salvation apart from faith in Messiah Yeshua for any person, whether Jewish or Gentile.  We believe that Messiah Yeshua died as the sacrifice for man's sin and that all who believe in Him are declared righteous on the basis of His shed blood alone. We believe that all believers are kept eternally secure by the power of God through the new birth and the indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit. No one can lose their salvation but one can choose willfully to walk away from it. (Leviticus 17:11; John 1:12,13; Acts 2:37-39; Romans 3:28; Ephesians 1:7, 2:8,9,19; Titus 3:5, Hebrews 10:26-31)

 THE BODY OF MESSIAH:
We believe that all believers in Yeshua (Jesus) are members of the universal body (community) and bride of the Messiah. The body of Messiah began at Shavuot (Pentecost) with the baptism of the Holy Spirit after the ascension of Yeshua. Membership in the body is based solely on faith in Messiah. We believe that the ordinances of the local congregation are water immersion and the Lord's Supper. We believe that the purpose of the local congregation is to glorify God through worship, instruction, accountability, discipline, fellowship and outreach. The Scriptures encourage the active participation and regular assembly of believers in the local body. (Acts 1:5, 2:14-36; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:11-18; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:22-25)

 THE GIFTS AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
We believe that at salvation the Holy Spirit imparts at least one spiritual gift to every believer for the purpose of edifying and equipping the body of Messiah. We believe that God sovereignly distributes Spiritual Gifts to believers and so giving undue emphasis to any one particular gift can be divisive.  We believe that the filling of the Holy Spirit is the ongoing process of God to which we yield whereby He sanctifies us (sets apart) and brings forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; 13:1-3,13; 1 Corinthians 14:12, 19, 23, 27-28; Galatians 5:22-23)

 THE RETURN OF MESSIAH:
We believe in the soon, personal, visible, and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha Mashiach) to take believers unto Himself, execute judgment on the nations  and set up His Millennial Kingdom on the Earth. The return of Yeshua, at a time known only to God the Father, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Revelation 19:11-21, 20:1-6) 

RESPONSE AND ETERNAL DESTINY:
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. (John 3:5-16 Acts 4:12; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:1-4)  

THE SABBATH AND THE FEAST DAYS OF THE LORD:
We believe that the weekly Sabbath and annual Feasts of the Lord (Yahweh) are “statutes forever” and should be celebrated by the body of faith represented by Believers in Yeshua. The feasts of the LORD, or moedim, are appointments for the Bride to meet with her Husband to learn more of Him and His Kingdom to come.  We long for the day when His Kingdom is restored to Israel and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Leviticus 23, Zechariah 14:16-19, Matthew 6:10, Acts 1:6, Revelation 22:17). 

UNITY IN THE MESSIAH:
We believe we are to be One (Echad) in Messiah. This oneness is fueled by actions of love. We are to live in the Father’s love and abide in Messiah Yeshua. This will demonstrate to a lost and dying world that we are One (Echad). We must live in His love to live out the testimony of Yeshua. If we keep His commandments we shall abide in His love; even as He has kept His Father's commandments and abides in His love (John 13:34-35, John 15: 10-17, John 17:11, Philippians 2:2, Galatians 5:14, Revelation 12:17).