Messianic Congregation in Israel
At Beit Immanuel, our faith is rooted in the Holy Scriptures and centered on Yeshua the Messiah. As a Messianic Jewish congregation in Israel, we stand within the Body of Messiah together with Jewish and Gentile believers who trust in the God of Israel and in His Messiah for the forgiveness of sins.
The Holy Scriptures include only the Tenach (OT) and the New Covenant (NT). They are the absolute and final authority in every area of faith and life of the believer. They were written by means of the Holy Spirit, and are without error in the original manuscripts.
“The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the only God and Creator. There is no other besides Him and all the divine attributes are His alone. His unique unity consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: each of them eternal and divine in the perfection and fullness of deity. The Son, our Messiah, who was born without sin by the Holy Spirit to the virgin Miriam, is also human in the full sense of the term.
God created mankind in His image and likeness in order that they might obey Him forever. Adam and Eve sinned when they broke the commandment of God, and on account of this sin all humankind are sinners. The result of sin is separation from God, a penalty due to all members of the human race.
God has always provided a means of atonement.
The sacrifices of the Tenach (OT) symbolized the one atonement which satisfies the wrath of God, which was provided for us by the death of the Messiah. This death is the full and absolute atonement for sin. Acceptance of this atonement by God was demonstrated by the resurrection of Yeshua. Every Jew or Gentile who repents of his sins and trusts in Yeshua is saved by the grace of God. This grace causes human beings to love God and to obey Him forever.
The Holy Spirit has a vital role in the process by which a person recognizes the holiness of God, his own need for salvation, and that very salvation which was provided by the Messiah. The work of the Holy Spirit is vital also in the process of repentance and faith, and in the gradual process during which the believer is sanctified more and more.
The sons of Israel are the chosen people of God and He loves them with an eternal love. God continues to fulfill all the promises which He gave to the patriarchs.
The Body of Messiah is composed of Jews and Gentiles who trust in the one God and in His Messiah for the forgiveness of their sins. Both Jews and Gentiles, without needing to lose their national identity, are partakers in the spiritual promises which God gave to the sons of Israel, and both are equal before Him.
Yeshua the Messiah will return to establish the Kingdom of God, to raise the dead and to determine the eternal destiny of every person. He will bless eternally those who believe in Him and will punish eternally the wicked.
In these Principles nothing has been said regarding the practical significance of Jewish identity in the Body of Messiah. As to this issue, we believe that Jews have a moral obligation to maintain their Jewish identity and that this obligation cannot be fulfilled without a positive and practical regard for the Law of Moses and Jewish tradition.
By the words “moral obligation” we do not intend to say that Jews who believe in the Messiah and who do not keep the commandments of the Law of Moses or Jewish tradition are inferior. Nor does the expression “moral obligation” teach about a religious obligation.
Principles of Faith of the National Elders’ Conference, Israel, 1990.