Statement of Beliefs

Should The Congregation of Yehovah (“Church of God”) Have A Statement Of Beliefs?

Chapter 41 Preview: Should your local congregation mandate doctrinal requirements beyond the Ten Commandments? To do so would turn that congregation into a Church! Yet “The Church Is Not In God’s Plan”*. I recommend that you preferably dont go to Church, but rather consider The Anatomy of a Church* and if there is a congregation of Disciples within driving distance—under Yehovah (God) and not under hierarchy—congregate there! This is spelled out in How Does the Eternal Govern Through Humans?*.

[Note: Augustine equated the word “Catholic” with “Church of God”, one of many replacements. They exchanged “church” for “assembly” or “congregation”, and in the Aramaic and Greek and Latin texts they replaced the Paleo Hebrew Tetragrammaton “Yehovah” with “Theos” or “God”. Here is an excerpt: “For when you join yourselves to us, i.e. to the Church of God, the heritage of Christ, who has the ends of the earth as his possession, you are restored so that you live in vital union with the Root.... The question between us, however, is, whether your Church or ours is the the Church of God. To resolve this, we must begin with the original inquiry, why you became schismatics.... the practice of the Church of God is the rule of our practice.”]

Be careful: “your minds could be corrupted from the simplicity of the Messiah.” (2 Corinthians 11:3) We must strive not offend one of Yeshua’s (Jesus’*) “little ones” (Mark 9:42) or we could forfeit eternity. The following Ten requirements appear to be the only means by which those of us with the “Testimony of Yeshua” are able to “Come out from among them [unbelievers] and be separate ...” . Simply doing these things—particularly #4—will set you apart from the crowd. In fact you may be standing almost alone. (2 Corinthians 6:17).

1 You will have no other elohim (gods) before Me.

2 You will not make for yourself a carved image.

3 You will not take the name of Yehovah your Elohim (God) in vain.

4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it sacred.

5 Honor your father and your mother.

6 You will not murder.

7 You will not commit adultery.

8 You will not steal.

9 You will not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10 You will not covet.

Most people composing a Statement of Beliefs assume that they are supposed to itemize a complex sectarian constitutional framework of mandatory dogma. Not so! Yeshua did not belong to any sect—His only mention of sects was to condemn them. In fact “sect” and “heresy” is the same word in Greek!

Belonging to a sect will not save you. Yet Yeshua said that obeying the Ten Commandments, given to Israel by Yehovah—both in the letter and in the spirit of the law—will! They are the minimum requirements for obtaining “eternal life” in the best or “first” resurrection. There are many kinds of “other” or “additional” things that could be listed, but for what purpose; to exclude you? Understanding all Ten of these laws and keeping them with your heart, soul and mind will put you into the Kingdom of Yehovah!

Mark 12:29-34 29 Yeshua replied, “The most important of all the Commandments is, “Hear, O Israel; Yehovah our Aloha is One, 30 and you must love Yehovah your Aloha with all of your intellectual endeavors, with all of your being, with all of your understanding, and with all your ability. This is the most important Commandment. 31 The second is similar, “You must love your neighbor, as yourself. No other Commandment is greater than these”. 32 “An excellent answer”, replied the Torah professor. “Rabbi, You have spoken the truth; because there is one Aloha, and no other exists but Him. 33 For a person to love Yehovah, with all of their intellectual endeavors, with their being, with all of their understanding, with their ability and loving their neighbors, as themselves is far better than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 Then Yeshua, noting the wisdom of his reply, told him, “You arent far from the Kingdom of Yehovah”. After this, no one dared to question Him anymore. —The Testimony of Yeshua, Gabriel Version (GV)

Of course Yeshua’s Disciples should “all speak the same thing”, but with the understanding that Paul was really instructing us all to speak the very “same” things that Yeshua spoke! That is always the right thing to do, regardless of the demands of any sect or its representatives! We must obey Yehovah in all things to the best of our understanding. Whenever we find that the ‘church’ appears to be in conflict with what the Word of Yehovah states, then we must unhesitatingly obey Yehovah! This is a straightforward principle that will allow local Assemblies to grow and develop without any vain enticement toward becoming locked into defending erroneous teachings, as we strive to obtain the full maturity of Yeshua.

There is one concept that tends to get trampled under foot in a “Statement of Beliefs”, that being that an individual is generally expected, by a sect’s (denomination’s) hierarchy, to suppress his own conscience if it conflicts with the group’s mandated belief system. To sear one’s own conscience, so that we “may all speak the same thing”, whether technically right or wrong regarding a particular issue, is a sin! Any “minister” who would even insinuate that suppressing one’s own conscience under any circumstances is righteous, does not remotely understand the mind of Yehovah or the very purpose of Yehovahs commandments!

1 Timothy 1:5-7 Now the aim and purpose of the Commandments is love, coming from a pure mind, and from a clear conscience, and from belief without hypocrisy. 6 But some of these people have drifted away, and have turned to speaking absurdities. 7 They are ambitious to become Torah teachers, yet they dont understand what they are saying, or anything about their confident assertions. GV

The primary reason that various assemblies have Statements of Beliefs is so that other people can quickly determine where the organization stands on certain theological issues. The problem with a pre packaged belief system is that the set of teachings tends to cause people to carve these ideas into stone tablets in their minds, rather than depending upon the Bible. It becomes difficult to grow in spiritual understanding beyond those tenants. The Statement of Beliefs becomes, in a real sense, a restraining wall built around the organization’s herd of holy cows.

Most religious bodies came into existence because of one man, or a small group of men, who taught that his God required their particular shopping list of expectations. The resulting doctrinal treatise then becomes the focal point for that group’s understanding. The founders, as their supporters commended them and their philosophies, become even more convinced that his God must be blessing their work, concluding that the numbers of loyal followers is proof of their doctrinal purity. A ministry is carefully selected from among only those men who willingly agree to preach only what they are allowed to preach. When dissent enters the church, and it will, these pre-compromised “yes men” will obviously be quite reluctant to stand for a truth that would cost them their paycheck and their prestige.

For hundreds of years, Christianity advanced through its ‘syncretic’ teachings (meaning the merging together of divergent systems of philosophy, morals, and especially religion) and because civil governments advocated religion as a means of unifying the people. When one particular religion would dominate, the government’s armies gained “converts” by the edge of the sword. Either way, as the body of doctrines solidified into a body of dogma, the Statement of Beliefs became the standard bearers of their theology. As a church wanted to gain followers it had to balance the desires of the “progressive” adherents against the human proclivity to resist change.

There are two approaches to setting doctrinal understandings. Traditional religious sects will hold to a body of doctrine, and will endeavor to twist the Scriptures to back up their belief system. The nearly “untried” approach is Scriptural—viewing the Scriptures without any bias, that is, without putting a sectarian “spin” on the Scriptures.

For example, typical “reasoning” concerning the authenticity of the doctrine of the Trinity would be a statement to the effect that “everyone knows” that God is a Trinity, and it’s not difficult to locate Scriptures that seemingly support the Trinitarian concept. (The situation is further complicated because the translators were Trinitarian!) However, using an unbiased approach, one would search the Scriptures to determine if the doctrine is actually Biblical, rather than merely a fabrication of theologians. If the doctrine cannot be found, or if there were to be any uncertainty or ambiguity about it, the idea should simply be set aside to be discussed, meditated upon, prayed about, and researched further.

To further illustrate the strength of tradition in establishing the meaning of Scripture, let’s look at the universally accepted concept that man is, or has, an immortal soul within his being, and that this immortal soul ascends to heaven or descends to hell immediately following ones death. The “scholars” within many religious organizations begin with the conviction that this is true, and are able to find many Scriptures that seem to indicate that this is the case. Again, this is largely due to the teaching having long been syncretised from popular pagan religions. It is apparent that there are Scriptures that mention “soul”, “heaven”, and “eternal life”. Theologians have been honing their skills of explaining these terms to reflect the ancient philosophies. Seemingly substantiating the doctrine of the “immortal soul”.

Surprisingly, tho there are no Scriptures that would indicate or allude to our being or having, an immortal soul. The words “immortal soul” do not appear together anywhere in the entire Bible; neither does the phrase “going to heaven.” On the contrary, Scripture shows that our soul is mortal! The Scriptures strongly state that immortality and eternal life are gifts from Yehovah, not something we are born with. Scripture teaches that we go to our graves, and we stay there until God resurrects us. There are no Biblical references to Peter being the keeper of the Pearly Gates, or anything remotely resembling that.

Historical reference works inform us that the notion of an immortal soul originated in antiquity, but received its greatest advancement under the influence of well known Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and others. However, there is not a hint of it in the Biblical texts. Scores of other popular teachings, also extant in Christian “Churches”* have also come from extra Biblical sources. The Protestant reformers themselves advanced many lesser explanations that also deviated from Scripture.

God insists that we seek out His “opinion”, not looking to other religions or sources. He is the only source of truth. God denounces the adoption of doctrinal ideas or practices from the worshipers of false gods, and “baptizing” their practices by incorporating them into Christian acceptance. Here is a prime example:

Jeremiah 10:2-4 This statement is from Yehovah, “Dont learn the way of the nations, and dont be dismayed by signs in the sky; because the nations are dismayed at them. 3 The customs of the people are worthless; like when someone cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of a “woodcutter” with an axe. 4 They deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it down with nails and with hammers, so that it wont move. —The Word of Elohim, Gabriel Version (WE)

This bears a remarkably resemblance to a Christmas tree, doesnt it? It’s no coincidence!

True Disciples, those whom Yeshua said would actually follow the narrow road, the one less traveled, would search out what the Bible actually teaches. This is a more gratifying and exciting approach to Bible study, since one’s beliefs may be perfected as further knowledge is discovered, or brought to light by others, from the Scriptures. Therefore, rather than claiming that we hold to certain doctrinal beliefs, I frequently would say—concerning fringe ideas—that I presently hold certain doctrinal understandings. This is more than semantics. By acknowledging this, I acknowledge that I have some misunderstandings, and that my understanding will certainly improve, because I can only grow in grace and knowledge if I make changes! Indeed, as I look back over the past few years, my understanding of teachings, some of which I once cherished and would have died for, have changed to the extent that I would die rather than reinstate them!

We absolutely must limit our beliefs to what the Bible actually teaches. This differs from the typical practice of following a set of doctrines or dogmas set up by men. Yehovah expects individual Discipless to decide what is true, based on what the Scripture says—to the best of our own understanding. That is what “work out our own salvation” is all about. A well known Muslim teacher, when asked why fanatics claimed that they held to the true understandings of the Koran, explained that those men read the Koran seeking to find passages that would empower them. He went on to assert that Christian and Jewish leaders do the same. Yehovah has absolutely no use for blind followers, even if they just happen to be following the “right” religion!

The strictly Biblical approach is unthinkable to most people, and intimidating to others. To the vast majority of people, it has become second nature to accept a set of teachings from a church headquarters, which ultimately becomes the test of membership–you either accept this collective set of beliefs—in its entirety—or be viewed as a threat to unity. A corporate churches’ immediate first objection to you following your own conscience in spiritual matters, rather than following the “collective conscience” is that this would result in “confusion and doctrinal disputes”. Presumably, we could not possibly handle it when two people read the same Bible, yet arrive at different conclusions. Discussing religion with someone from another “flock” has become a social taboo. When religious discussions occasionally do take place most simply tell themselves that the other person just doesnt have the good fortune of belonging to their group. Then they go their separate ways. Could it be that Yehovah is simply testing our love for each other with these doctrinal disagreements? Consider these passages:

John 13:35 If you love each other, everyone will know that you are My Disciples”! GV

1 Peter 4:8 Above all else, have intense love for each another; because love covers a great number of violations of Yehovahs Torah. GV

1 John 3:11 This is the Commandment that you have heard since the very first person, that you should love each other. GV

1 John 4:7 Beloved, we must love each other, because love is from Yehovah, and whoever loves is engendered by Yehovah and understands Yehovah ... GV

1 John 4:20 Anyone who says, “I love Yehovah”, but they hate a countryman, is a liar. If someone doesnt love their countryman, who is visible, how can they love Yehovah who is invisible? GV

Currently, true Commandment obedient “Nazarenes” (“Christians”) are divided (into sects) over many issues, yet they are still brothers, tho often without even realizing it! The Seven “Churches” (disfunctional “families” of Assemblies) seem to be totally oblivious of the existence of each other! Yet so long as a person is keeping the Commandments, we had better consider him a brother!

2 Timothy 3:1-7 Understand that in the last days, dangerous times will set in. 2 People will be self centered, money loving, pretentious, egotistical, blasphemous, disobedient to their parents, thankless, irreligious, 3 inhumane, non committal, savage, despising those who are good, 4 traitors, rash, arrogant, loving pleasure rather than loving Yehovah. 5 They’ll have something resembling Yehovahs true religion, but deny Yehovahs power. Avoid them! 6 This includes men who creep from house to house, captivating feeble minded women who are overwhelmed by their sins, and enticed by various cravings. 7 They are always “learning”, but never coming a correct knowledge of spiritual truth. GV

Conversations are necessary to reveal that certain individuals are not “approved” by Yehovah if their error is leading them to sin.

1 Corinthians 11:19 Of necessity there must be sects among you, so that the genuine can be distinguished from the counterfeit among you. GV

Probably the most profound deduction about Yehovah is that He cannot instantaneously create character within us. Without that explanation, we would have to wonder about why we were born, just as the most primitive savage or the most “advanced” philosopher does. Love is the bottom line. Character is the outward measuring tool that Yehovah uses to measure our love. We generally think of character as something that we use to evaluate our fellow man with, and indeed we can to a degree much of the time, but only Yehovah can read the mind with certainty. [“A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another’s.”-Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)]

Jeremiah 17:9 The mind is deceitful beyond anything, and it’s exceedingly corrupt; who can understand it? WE

There is a deep seated flaw in the Christian tenant that “The law is done away–nailed to the cross”. They specify that the obsolete law in question is the Ten Commandments. They view the Commandments as optional, pretty good in general, but not something directly tied to salvation! Mankind does not want Yehovah or anyone else to know his real worth. Therefore, anything that would actually serve to accurately measure our true love is held in contempt. At birth, an infant has 100% self interest. Yehovah expects everyone to advance well beyond this self interest. The Law of Love, as it pertains to interpersonal relationships, is expressed in the last six of the Ten Commandments. Everyone, again from the savage to the philosopher, should be able to comprehend the merit of these measuring standards of love.

ARE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS YOUR STATEMENT OF BELIEFS?

If you have any doubts about the tremendous importance of the Commandments, then I would strongly urge you to consider all of the “New Testament” references to the “commandments”. There are a couple of much twisted passages pertaining to man made laws that many would have you believe reflect the notion that Yehovah has rejected His own law. However, the overwhelming majority of the references are clear and powerful endorsements for keeping the Commandments. Your eternal life depends on keeping them! The vast majority of Christians who tell you otherwise are deceived. Here are most of the “New Scripture” references for the word “commandment”.

Matthew 19:16-17 16 Someone came to Him and asked, “Good Master, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal Life”? 17 He replied, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but the one, Aloha. But if you want to enter into eternal Life, OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS”. GV

Mark 7:7 They waste their effort worshiping Me, while teaching human rules as doctrine. GV

Mark 10:17-19 As He walked along the way, someone ran and fell to his knees, and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal Life”? 18 Yeshua replied, “Why call Me good? There is no one good, but One, Yehovah. 19 You know the Commandments; dont commit adultery, dont steal, dont murder, dont give false testimony, dont defraud; and honor your father and your mother”. GV

Luke 1:6 They were both righteous before Yehovah, continuing on life’s journey in all His Commandments, and in the righteousness of Yehovah, without reproach. GV

Luke 18:18-20 One of the leaders asked Him, “Good Master, what must I do, so that I can inherit eternal Life”? 19 Yeshua asked him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except one; Yehovah. 20 You know the Commandments, ‘You must not murder; you must not commit adultery; you must not steal; you must not give a false testimony; and honor your father and your mother’. GV

John 14:15 If you love Me, obey My Commandments. GV

John 14:21 Anyone who hangs onto My Commandments, and regards them, is the one who loves Me. My Father will love anyone of you who loves Me, as will I, and I will reveal Myself to you”. GV

John 15:10 If you carefully obey My Commandments, you’ll remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s Commandments, and remain in His love.

Romans 13:9 It says: “You wont murder”; and “You wont commit adultery”; and “You wont steal”; and “You wont covet” [1]. And if anyone considers the other classes of commandments, they are summarized with this statement, “You will love [agapao] your acquaintances as yourself”. GV

1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, nor is uncircumcision; but obeying of Yehovahs Commandments is. GV

Ephesians 2:15 Having destroyed with His own body, the hatred of the law of prescribed rules [#] contained in public decrees [Gr. dogma] so that, He could create in himself one new man, and make peace. GV

Colossians 2:22 All of these abusive notions will perish. They are the commandments and doctrines of men. 23 These bogus notions appear to reflect humility, and deep respect for Yehovah, but it is ascetic severity; and is nothing of any real value against the carnal indulgences of humanity. GV

Titus 1:14 ... and dont pay attention to Jewish fictions, or to the platitudes imposed by people who hate the truth. GV

1 John 2:3 In this way we know that we know Him, if we obey His Commandments. GV

1 John 2:4 Anyone who says, “I know Him”, but doesnt obey His Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in them. GV

1 John 3:22 Whatever we ask, we receive from Him; because we obey His Commandments, and do the things that please Him. GV

1 John 3:24 Anyone who obeys His Commandments remains in Him, and He remains in him. And this is how we know that He remains in us, by His spirit that He has given to us. GV

1 John 5:2 This is how we know that we love the new converts of Yehovah: when we love Yehovah, and obey His Commandments. GV

1 John 5:3 This is the love of Yehovah, that we obey His Commandments; and His Commandments are not burdensome. GV

2 John 1:6 This is love, that we live according to the Commandments. These are the Commandments that you have heard from the very beginning, that we should regulate our lives by, the same ones. GV

Revelation 12:17 The dragon was provoked to anger against the woman; and he went to war against her remaining survivors, who obey the Commandments of Yehovah, AND have the Testimony of Yeshua. GV

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patient endurance of the Saints, who preserve the Commandments of Yehovah, and are fully convinced about Yeshua. GV

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His Commandments, so that they will have the right to the Tree of Life, and can enter thru the gates into the city. GV

If we all seek to serve Yehovah with a pure heart, then the supreme principle of displaying Godly love when we assemble together with Yeshua’s followers must take precedence over doctrinal disputes, or differences in understanding. We must avoid being so inflexible that we lose sight of the goal line–Godly love.

Wouldnt it be a sad commentary on the last generation of commandment keeping people, if Yeshua said the same things about our “leadership” that He said about the dominant “leadership” of the first century’s “commandment keepers.” Yeshua’s greatest adversaries were righteous religious leader “look-alikes”, who were as rebellious against God’s commandments as their father Satan.

Consider the following Verses:

Matthew 23:13-14, 23 I pity you, Torah teachers, Pharisees and hypocrites, because you block the entrance to the Kingdom of the Heavens right in front of people. You arent coming in yourselves, and you prevent those who are beginning to come in from doing so. 14 I pity you Torah teachers, Pharisees and hypocrites, because you devour widows houses, and then feign righteousness by your long prayers. So you’ll receive greater condemnation. 15 I pity you Torah teachers, Pharisees and hypocrites; because you traverse land and sea to make one convert to Judaism; and when he is won, you make him twice the son of Sheol as yourselves. ... 23 I pity you, Torah teachers, Pharisees and hypocrites; because you tithe on your mint, anise, and cumin, but you neglect the weightier requirements of the Torah: judgment, mercy, and fidelity. You should do these, without neglecting those. GV

I John 3:10-11, 18, 23 This is how the children of Yehovah are plainly distinguished from the children of Satan. Anyone who doesnt live righteously, and doesnt love their Friends, doesnt belong to Yehovah. 11 This is the Commandment that you have heard since the very first person, that you should love each other. ... 18 My new converts, let’s not love each other in words and in speech only, but in works and in truth. ... 23 These are His Commandments: that we believe on the name of His Son Yeshua the Messiah, and that we love each other as He has commanded us. GV

I John 4:7-8, 12,16, 20-21 Beloved, we must love each other, because love is from Yehovah, and whoever loves is engendered by Yehovah and understands Yehovah, 8 because Yehovah is love; and whoever doesnt love, doesnt know Yehovah. ... 12 No one has ever seen Yehovah; but if we love each other, Yehovah remains in us, and His love is being completed in us. ... 16 We have believed and known the love that Yehovah has for us; because Yehovah is love, and whoever remains in love, remains in Yehovah. ... 20 Anyone who says, “I love Yehovah”, but they hate a countryman, is a liar. If someone doesnt love their countryman, who is visible, how can they love Yehovah who is invisible? 21 We have received this Commandment from Him—whoever loves Yehovah, must also love their countrymen. GV

With these thoughts in mind, if someone is honestly and diligently studying his Bible, and yet arrives at conclusions that are not in agreement with yours–who is wrong? Are you wrong, or is the other person wrong? Quite likely, both viewpoints are somewhat in error. Yet, if each respects the other person’s sincerity, Yehovah may very likely respect both individuals. We are all at differing levels of understanding, and our Father accepts us as a human parent accepts his own children, knowing that the child’s understanding will certainly grow. Yehovah can create knowledge out of thin air, that is why there are geniuses born every day, but He cant create character that way. That is where “free moral agency” comes into the picture. Simply put, when Yehovah looks down from heaven at His human offspring, the only way that He can differentiate the wicked from the righteous is by how they live!

Toleration of the other person’s free moral agency is quite difficult to maintain. Many congregations have been scattered to the winds because of factions, one believing or behaving one way, others believing or behaving another way. However, this is in accordance with what Yehovah warned would be happening.

Those who are driven to understand the will of Yehovah with a pure heart can be easily differentiated from among those who clash with others, forcefully insisting that others accept doctrines and dogmas, as they strive for positions and power.

Human nature insists that: “I am right, and you are wrong.” How people act in response to us, and how we respond to others, is God’s best assessment of our conversion. Yehovah is far more interested in how we work through our problems, than He is in our understanding of the more technical aspects of Biblical understanding.

Are there issues that would cause us to cast someone from our presence? This, too, is something each of us must consider for ourselves. There are situations when we should separate ourselves from others–it is due to their deliberate sinfulness, but never merely for a lack of understanding! If a commandment keeping brother is “marked” by an assembly without sin being the reason, it is a sin to shun that brother! To the degree that we can accept each other and love each other, regardless of our differing opinions–that is the limiting degree to which Yehovah will accept us!

Consider Yeshua’s words as it relates to this subject:

Matthew 7:1-5, 23-24 Dont condemn, so that you wont be condemned, 2 because the way you judge others is the way that you’ll be judged. The same measuring standards that you judge other people by will measure your worth. 3 Why do you look at the chaff in your brother’s eye, without considering the beam that’s in your own eye? 4 And how can you ask your brother, “Allow me to pluck the chaff from your eye; when look, a beam is in your own eye”? 5 You hypocrite, first pluck the beam from your own eye, and then you’ll see clearly to pluck the chaff out of your brother’s eye! ... 23 Then I will tell them publicly, [see root words], “I never knew you. Get away from Me you Lawbreakers”. 24 So everyone who hears these teachings, and acts on them, will be like a wise man; one who built his house on a rock. GV

Matthew 6:14-15 Because if you disregard people’s faults, your Heavenly Father will also disregard and acquit yours. 15 But if you dont disregard people’s faults, your Father wont disregard and acquit your faults. GV

In Part 2, we’ll pick up with:

Some Revealing Things That Yeshua Said