My Doctrinal Statement

I believe that the GOD of Israel has kept His promise and sent His Mashiach and Son, Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth.  Therefore, I endeavor to seriously love (agape) and obey Him; to love my neighbor; and, to witness to His grace, especially to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.   I specifically believe:

  • There is One GOD as declared in the Shema (Dt. 6:4) that is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent that manifests Himself as GOD the Father, as Yeshua haMashiach, and as the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).
  • That in the fullness of time, GOD sent His Son Yeshua into the world to redeem us from the curses which we incurred through our own disobedience and that of our ancestors. Yeshua entered our world by miraculous birth, lived a perfectly obedient life, and gave Himself as the unblemished sacrifice for our sins, surrendering to death at the hands of Roman authorities. GOD raised Him from the dead according to the words of the prophets, and received Him back into His heavenly home, where He is now seated at GOD’s own right hand. I believe that He is both Mashiach Ben Yosef (suffering Servant – first coming) and Mashiach Ben David (ruling King – soon coming). Therefore, it is my privilege and obligation to proclaim forgiveness and life through His name, and to honor Him in all that I do.
  • That GOD has sent His Ruach HaKodesh to live in us, to make us new creations, to write His Torah in our hearts, and to consecrate our daily lives. Therefore, I seek to yield myself to the Spirit of GOD, to discover His gifting and calling in my live, and to walk by faith as He guides me.
  • The Bible, composed of the Tenach (commonly called the Old Testament) and the Brit Hadashah (known as the New Covenant or Testament), is the only infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of GOD. Its teachings are our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
  • That man, through disobedience, fell and became separated from GOD. Each person born inherits a sinful nature, ultimately leading to death.   I believe that only through the atonement made by Yeshua haMashiach, can salvation and redemption be accomplished, but it is available to every person who asks. Salvation has always been by God’s grace through our faith in Yeshua’s redemptive work on the execution stake. Works of law, or righteous acts, could never bring us into right standing with GOD.   No one is justified through keeping the Law of Moses. Rather, the Torah was given as a guide for Godly living. Since GOD is immutable, the spiritual principles embodied in Torah are binding upon believers today.   I believe that Yeshua did not come to abolish the Torah or the prophets, but to complete them (Matthew 5:17).
  • There will be a resurrection of both the saved and unsaved, ultimately leading to either everlasting life and continual fellowship with Adonai or eternal separation from GOD in a place of everlasting punishment.
  • That GOD has called the people of Israel to be His witnesses to the whole world, to the end that all people would acknowledge our GOD – Jews and Gentiles.   All who acknowledge Yeshua as the promised Mashiach are one – there is neither Jew nor Gentile in Mashiach (Hos. 2:23, Gal. 3:28). Yet I believe that GOD’s particular calling for me is to be a part of the redeemed remnant of Israel, to be a testimony to His faithfulness in these last days. I believe that Jew and Gentile are reconciled in Mashiach, and that part of my testimony is the uniting of Jews and Gentiles who are called to the Messianic faith and life. Therefore, I embrace the Jewish heritage of our faith, seeking to learn and do what is good and biblically valid as taught and practiced by our Jewish ancestors, Yeshua Himself being our Chief Rabbi. As the scriptures teach, I agree to refrain from judging anyone regarding practices where the Scriptures allow room for discretion.
  • GOD’s eternal covenant is with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I, therefore, stand with and support the Jewish people and the state of Israel and hold fast to the Biblical heritage of our forefathers.
  • In the imminent return of Yeshua HaMashiach to earth, to establish His Kingdom, to rule and reign over Israel from Jerusalem in peace and righteousness that will cover the earth; and that the body of believers will be resurrected in eternal blessings for the righteous and endless suffering for the wicked.

13 comments

  1. Hello Don,

    I enjoyed our conversions in the past and your posts. Recently, after I have come to one of your posts and found out your stance in keeping part of the Law of Moses, as a must for Christians, with a good conscience, knowing what Galatians clearly says, I can no longer support your ministry. I believe you are in error. Only the Holy Spirit can touch your heart and convict you. I will miss your posts, but I must be faithful to God’s Word, first. May the Lord reveal to you His Word in reference to one’s relationship to the Law.

    I would like this comment to be between you and I. After reading it, please delete it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Alex ~ I’m confused. In re-reading my doctrinal statement, I cannot see where I stated that “keeping part of the Law of Moses is a must for Christians.” In fact, it is impossible even for Jews in this day and age without a Temple or Tabernacle. Of course, we know that it is only by the Blood of Yeshua that we are made right with the Father. ~ Don

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • It is not in your doctrinal statement. It was in one of your latest posts that you said that we, as Christians are under the dietary Law. I replied with verses to show you that we are not under that law but you agreed to disagree with me, which is okay, we all have to answer to God alone. I just wanted to warn you and was hoping that you would reconsider and look at it again. That’s all. I chose to comment here because it seems private and you did not have the option to contact you through an email. I looked for a contact button but I saw that you didn’t have one so I had to comment in a place with less traffic.

        Like

      • Don, if you choose to follow one law (the dietary law), the Bible explicitly says that if you try to follow one law, you have to keep them all. You know where I stand and the Bible is very clear on the subject. We are not under the law, which includes, the dietary law. To try to keep even one, you are going back to the law (bondage), which in reality you have to keep them all. For example, The Seventh Day Adventists is a false Christian church that keeps the Sabbath. We are free in Christ. Paul says, don’t use your freedom for sin. We are under the law of the Spirit (the moral standard) while the rest have been fulfilled in Christ.

        Like

  2. Alex ~ thanx for your response. I will delete these replies in the morning. I still think you have not judged me correctly. I do believe that the dietary laws are still in play, but recognize that for many of us they are not feasible to fully implement due to the lack of kosher butchers. I did say that I won’t be going to hell because I could break the law, but only because I would reject the sacrifice of my Savior. You know I occasionally disagree with you, but that is not a valid enough reason to stop following you.

    Don
    dnorris@norrisassociates.com

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Alex ~ the explanation is quite simple. As a leader of a Messianic Congregation, I did not want to cause a stumbling blog for our Jewish members of the Jewish community in our city. I had become convicted that our family always had ham on Easter Sunday. Here we were celebrating His Resurrection with a non-Kosher meal. For me, I felt that giving up on pork, shellfish, and catfish was a small sacrifice to not creating a stumbling block. Once a month, we would celebrate Communion and follow that with an Oneg (Potluck). We did request that the above three foods not be brought.

    Don

    Like

    Reply

    • It is okay for you to do that for yourself, but the problem becomes when you say that all Christians need to do it as well. That is unbiblical and in the Book of Acts, Peter said that not even the Jews could keep the law,, why put a burden to the gentiles. We are justified by grace. Paul extends that to say in Galatians, that if we started in grace why would you start to go back to the law? Don, I hope you would go back to Galatians with prayer and see what scripture clearly teaches about not living according to the Law. If you try to live by the law, you will forfeit grace.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.