I Believe by Marie L Schryver

I believe in the inerrant, infallible Word of Yehovah called the TeNaKh¹ and the B’rit Chadasha² - in English - I believe in the Bible. The renaming, “Old and New Testament” were derogatory terms given to the Bible by Marcion of Sinope, a dualist who only held to 11 books of the New Testament as true canon scripture. He also believed that the God of the Old Testament was not omniscient but was only a demiurge (creator/maintainer) and was without grace. He also believed that Yashua absolved all of humanity without any efforts on man to reach out to God, thus eternal life belongs to all mankind. This is heresy and the roots of the division of the so-called “old and new testaments”.

I believe that Yehovah is the One and Only true Elohim (God), Creator and Judge of the universe, maker of the heavens and earth, all mankind, all plants and animals great and small. I believe that Yehovah is Yehovah; Yashua is Yehovah; and the Ruach HaKodesh (aka Holy Spirit) is Yehovah. Yashua is Yehovah in the flesh; the One that came to complete His portion of the blood covenant by dying in our place because He loves us and He knew that with free will, came the opportunity to sin. His Ruach HaKodesh indwells our spirit when we acknowledge that Yehovah is Elohim and acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior, accept His sacrificial offering as propitiation for our sin, and obey the example that He left for us, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling by being obedient to our Father’s instructions - Genesis through Revelation. It is not too difficult. Deuteronomy 30:11; 1 John 5:3

To say that Yehovah Elohim, our Creator gave us instructions (aka Torah or the law) that were too hard for us to do and then turn around and send His Son to suffer and die to eliminate those same instructions is slander of His character! It makes Him out to be sadistic. This is blasphemy! Yashua, as Yehovah in the flesh, gave Himself freely so that He could remarry the adulterous bride that He divorced because she played the harlot with false gods. Once she repents/turns away from her sins and becomes obedient to His Marriage Covenant, aka Torah, she is restored!

I believe that neither the “church” nor any denomination thereof, whether catholic or protestant, denominational, non-denominational or inter-denominational is the true kehillah (assembly) of Yehovah. Nor have they replaced Israel in her covenants with Yehovah. Up to now, they have failed at their commission to make the Jew jealous (Romans 11:11) for their Messiah because they portray Him as a Torah-breaker!

They (the covenants) have not been done away with or changed but each one builds upon the other. I believe that when I came to believe in Yehovah through Yashua as my Messiah, that I am grafted into Israel and all Yehovah’s covenants with her. However, I do not replace her. I am part of the commonwealth Israel, [not the modern, secular nation but the Scriptural definition] a citizen and a joint heir with Yashua and as such, a member of the kehillah of Yehovah.

We as believers are not perfect, but we are to do our best to follow Yehovah’s instructions - all of them that apply to each of us as individuals - to the best of our ability. Samuel said, “obedience is better than sacrifice” and yet, if sacrifice were required, sacrifice is a part of obedience. Yashua said, “If you love Me, obey My commandments.” John 14:15 He said, “Anyone who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” John 14:9 “I and the Father are ONE” ECHAD (a unit). John 10:30

“If you are obedient, legalism is moot*.” (A revelation given to me after being label a legalist.) Legalism is following man-made laws - the taking away from or adding to Yehovah’s instructions [takanot] and it is turning man-made traditions into laws [ma’asim]. This is what is known as “works of the law”. This is specifically forbidden in scripture and misconstrued to mean that Yehovah’s original instructions are null and void; and any instruction in the B’rit Chadashah takes their place. This is not the case! Yashua obeyed the Torah and told His disciples to follow His example. You never see Him do anything to break or change Yehovah’s original instructions. If He had broken Torah or told us to break the Torah, He would not be the Messiah! PERIOD! He strengthened the importance of Torah because He is the Living Torah. He only broke the traditions of the pharisees and sadducees!

                        *Moot in English means questionable or debatable. However, the Hebrew word transliterated as ‘moot’ מוּת H4191 and means “is dead”. If you are obedient, legalism is dead!

His Blood did what the blood of bulls and goats could not do - completely remove sin - once and for all! We are to learn and walk out His character depicted in the Torah-instituted sacrificial system that by doing so, we come to understand the gravity of the price of sin. “Do we go on sinning (breaking Torah) after coming to the knowledge of the truth? Yehovah forbid!” Hebrews 10:23 [1 John 3:4 defines sin; Psalm 119:142 defines truth] 

I believe to know what Yehovah meant in His Word, we must “rightly divide the Word of truth” by seeking out the original Hebrew meanings of words and language i.e. word plays, and puns also known as Hebrew-isms. Hebrew is the ONLY language that was restored after being lost. We have a remnant of Jews to thank because they took care of the Torah and now, in modern times, Hebrew and the Torah flourishes again. “"Therefore, wait for Me," declares Yehovah, "For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the Name of Yehovah, to serve Him in one accord.” Zephaniah 3:8-9 .... the only verses in the Bible with every Hebrew letter including their final forms and declares His judgment, the gathering of His people, His language, and His Name!

I believe that all 9 gifts of the Ruach HaKodesh mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 are still in operation today, but we are not to force them on others or to force them to manifest individually or in a group setting; it is as He wills, not by our will that they edify the Body of Messiah.
>word of wisdom; word of knowledge; faith; healing; miracles; prophecy; discerning of spirits; speaking in different kinds of tongues; interpretation of tongues<

“And these signs will accompany those who do trust: in My Name, they will drive out demons, speak with new tongues, not be injured if they handle snakes or drink poison, and heal the sick by laying hands on them." Mark 16:17-18 CJB

Deliverance is applicable for all believers, usually not unbelievers. “Does a deceived person know they are deceived?” No, they do not! If a person is an unbeliever, Yehovah may divinely step in and set them free as part of their salvation experience, He is Elohim, but most unbelievers do not think that they need deliverance, much less salvation. In that case, it is not impossible, but it would require divine intervention. A believer is the foremost candidate for deliverance because Yehovah is merciful and gracious and loving. He wants to see His children free from the bondage of sin, sickness and religion. Deliverance does not require an “exorcist”. The person seeking deliverance can go to Yehovah for him or herself. However, if a person needs the strength of other mature and willing brothers and/or sisters to help them through it, the Ruach HaKodesh is ever ready to help. Keep in mind that sometimes “this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21 Deliverance can be for personal sin issue, addictions, wounds or trauma, both emotional and physical as well as for generational curses and outside influences by others, such as people who speak word curses against a person. Pride, fear and rejection (rejection by others, rejecting others as a defense mechanism and self-rejection) are the primary blocks to personal deliverance but is not limited to them.

Handling snakes is NOT a type of worship practice. That statement is meant to show that Yehovah will protect those who may be bitten by snakes set as a trap to harm them because of their belief in Yashua. Be that literally or figuratively. This also applies to poison but may include pharmakia [aka sorcery] in our medications and a tainted food supply in these last days.

We (Brett and I) are not into religious labels but are akin to the Hebrew Roots Movement. However, we may not completely follow their exact design. We are Messianic because we believe in a Hebrew Messiah, of the tribe of Yehudah, an Israelite; however, we don’t feel it is necessary to follow rabbinical tradition. We are more similar to Hebrew Scripturalists but not Karaite because we believe Messiah has already come and His Name is Yashua of Netzeret and King of the Yehudim!  We believe that the “church” traditions of halloween, valentine’s day, lent, ash Wednesday, maundy Thursday, easter, and christmas are all based in paganism and instead, choose to recognize the mo’edim of Yehovah, the set-apart convocations of Yehovah - Aviv 1/Rosh HaShanah; Chag HaMatzah; Pesach; Bikkurim; Shavuot; Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. [The New Year; Unleavened Bread; Passover; First Fruits; Pentecost; Day of Trumpets; Day of Atonement; and Tabernacles]. We keep the weekly Shabbat as the 4th commandment instructs us because it was instituted at creation [Genesis 2:2-3] and NOT changed by Yashua but by the catholic church, which they admit in their catechism, who has no authority to change anything! We acknowledge Purim and Hanukkah [The Feast of Esther and the Feast of Dedication] as memorial days as well as Holocaust Memorial Day because Yehovah saved His chosen people from destruction. We do recognize Yashua’s birth during Sukkot but do not incorporate anything that is traditionally “christmas” in doing so. I do not believe that I need to find out what “lost tribe” I am from. I might be from a tribe but if I had come from paganism, I am still grafted into the Olive Tree through Yashua! I don’t want to be Jewish because I don’t need to be. I love and respect the Jewish people because of Yehovah’s covenants and because the preservation of our Scriptures was entrusted to them and our Messiah came through the tribe of Judah. We are instructed to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6) and not to divide the land (Joel 3:2) The “Tribes” are of great importance in the last days because Revelation chapter 7 specifically says that 144,000 - 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes will be sealed f or Yehovah. These are not all Jews; only 12,000 are Jew’s aka tribe of Judah! The multitude of believers dressed in white, standing around the throne, is from “every nation, tribe, people and language” but will enter through 12 gates, each with the name of one of the tribes. Revelation 21:12

I believe that the rapture will happen but according to the original pattern in Exodus. Yehovah’s people were still in Egypt during the plagues and as such, we will be present during the final judgments upon the earth prior to The Greater Exodus. They suffered through some but were protected by Yehovah through all of them. Only Yehovah knows who the wheat and the tares are. We must go back to the beginning {B’raysheet or Genesis} to understand the end {Revelation of Yashua}. That is why Yashua said, I AM the alef and the tav, the beginning and the end!”

I am not equal with Yehovah but because His Ruach lives in me, I have the honor of being a vessel of His Spirit. I am His humble servant of my own free will and will not take credit or glory for anything I do - that all belongs to Him. I am humbled by Yashua’s love and sacrifice for me and I’m grateful for His being my Redeemer. I love Him; therefore, I choose to obey His commandments.

HalleluYah!

 

¹ TaNaKh – T=Torah or Yehovah’s instructions; N=Nebi’im or prophets; K=Ketuvim or writings – an acronym for the Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi (as well as several books removed by Christian church leaders)
² B’rit Chadasha – Renewed Covenant

References:

Deuteronomy 30:11 For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.

1 John 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Romans 11:11  I say then, they (the Yehudim) did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the nations, to make them jealous.

John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 10:30  I and the Father are one.

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful

1 John 3:4  Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Psalm 119:142  Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and Your law is truth.

1 Corinthians 12 The description begins in verse 4 starting off with “varieties of gifts but the same Spirit.” = Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues

Mark 16:17-18  These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Matthew 17:21  But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Genesis 2:2-3  By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Isaiah 46:10  Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’ [Yehovah speaking]

Romans 3:31  Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.