Identity Crisis among-st New Believers in Body of Messiah.

 

In present day 21st Century, there seems to be deep confusion surrounding the identity of modern day believers. This cannot be denied or just thrashed under the carpet. 

Torah based Truths

For newcomers, Torah is the Hebrew word for the first five books of the Bible. They are Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Numbers. 

With being introduced to the new Torah based Truths and getting to know the Almighty Elohim (God) Yahweh who is the Father of our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), we slowly, steadily but surely come out of all the falsehoods percolated and permeated in Christendom, Churchianity and Christianity too. 

So how do we identify ourselves?

Should we call ourselves as Worshiper of Yahweh, Yahwist, As per Genesis 29:35 I praise Yah so I am Jew,  Messianic Judaism, Judeo Christian or Witnesses of Yahweh as per Isaiah 43:10 or Followers of Messiah Yeshua or Hebrew Messianic's or Torah Observers or Spiritual Jews or Sacred Name Worshipers or as one interesting group in Cleveland, Ohio in USA calls themselves as, "Messianic Torah Observant Israel" (MTOI) in short. I may have missed some more other names, pardon me for the same. 

So what do we call ourselves? 

Revelation 14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and the faith of Yahshua".

With relation to some title or identifying name of the believing group, 4 common and repetitive Questions I have encountered with majority of people. They are:

1. Are you a Jew? 
2. What is your Faith called? 
3. What is your religion?
4. What group of believers do you belong to?

1. Are you a Jew?

Romans 2:28

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

Romans 2:29

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Elohim.

In the Renewed Covenant or Brit Hadasha (New Testament)

Secular definition of Jew: "A member of the people and cultural community whose traditional religion is Judaism and who trace their origins through the ancient Hebrew people of Israel to Abraham".

Scriptural definition of Jew: Romans 2:28, 29 and Romans 11: 11 to 24.

Meaning of the word, Jew:

The word 'Jew' originates with the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah, but what its name means is a matter of great controversy. It could even mean 'Thank God'.

According to the Bible, the kingdom was named after the tribe from which it arose. That tribe was Judah, which was in turn was named for its eponymous progenitor- Judah, Jacob's fourth son.

As is the case with his brothers, the Bible explains Judah's name based on a pun, which is totally lost in translation: “And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah” (Genesis 29:35). The phrase the King James Bible renders “will I praise” is o-DEH, which really means “will I thank”. If the name is a concatenation of yehu, an abbreviated form of the divine name, and udah, the verb “thank,” which would mean the name means “Thank God.”

So present day Gentile believers who are not the physical or genealogical or hereditary descendants of the Hebrew Patriarch Abraham cannot be called Jews. Any person not a physical descendant of the Prophet Abraham cannot be called a Jew.

Spiritual Jews or Messianic Israelite?

There is a general consensus among-st the modern day believers to use the term, "Spiritual Jews". But is this Scripturally accurate? Let's see. 

Romans 2:28, 29 is usually the supporting scripture for the above name taking. 

There is nothing in Torah or Tanakh or in Brit Hadasha (teachings of Yeshua) from where did this SPIRITUAL JEWS teaching spring from?. Bible only talks of physical Jews who were regularly faithful or unfaithful to Elohim (God) Yahweh.

Jew or not and who and how decided one is Jew. There is no teaching of Yeshua or any Prophet that in end times there will come new SPIRITUAL JEWS.

Jewish Faith. Yes. 

Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew. The Torah is Jewish. According to our Messiah's words at John 4:22 (New International Version)

“You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews”. So Salvation is from the Jews. Above are Yeshua's words. Salvation requires faith. Salvation is from the Jews. In a way its a Jewish faith, because they are the ones from whom we received the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek scriptures.

So it is a Jewish faith naturally, but one does not need to become a Jew to exercise faith in Jewish Yeshua. 

Modern day new believers or gentiles who are wild are grafted into the true olive tree ie Israel by faith. 

Romans 11:24

"For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?"

Please read in full, Romans 11:11 -24 too.

Then who are Messianic Jews?

Jews born in or out of Israel but who are the from the continuous seed or hereditary line of Patriarch Abraham are natural Jews. When these natural born Jews from Jewish parents and grandparents exercise faith and believe in the Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) then they are the only ones who can be rightly and accurately called as, "Messianic Jews". In short Jews who believe in Jesus (Yeshua).

2. What is your Faith called?

Faith does not need to have a name but can be defined. My faith is built on the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Scriptures of the Bible which points to the Messiah the true Lamb of Elohim.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Revelation 14:12

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and the faith of Yahweh.

3. What is your religion?

Religions are man made. Yeshua did not come to make or form a new religion. When we all believe in the teachings of Messiah Yeshua, then we belong to Israel and become the seed of Abraham by faith. 

Galatians 3:26

For ye are all the children of Yahweh by faith in Messiah Yahshua.

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Messiah have put on Messiah.

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Messiah Yahshua.

Galatians 3:29

And if ye be Messiah's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 11:24 

"For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?"

Please read in full, Romans 11:11 -24 too.

The Abrahamic Covenant

See also Genesis 12 and 15. This is the most central to the biblical story. In it, Elohim Yahweh promises Abraham a land, descendants and blessing to all of his generations forever. 

4. What group of believers do you come under?

Short and simple answer would be, we come under those groups who return back to the First Century, "Jewish Faith" of Yeshua (Jesus), based on the Torah, Tanakh and Brit Hadasha that is the Hebrew/Aramaic Scriptures (Old Testament) and Greek Scriptures (New Testament). - 2 Timothy 3:16. "All scriptureis given by inspiration of Yahweh, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness":

Because we are saved by Grace through the ransom sacrifice of Yeshua, we put in effort to obey the commandments of his Father Yahweh. - Revelation 14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and the faith of Yahshua".

But still the confusion remains: Whats your identifying name?

This article comes to an end. But there is no conclusion to this dilemma.