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Foundations of the Faith, Part 5: Life After Birth

Foundation of the Faith: Life After BirthToo many people are led to believe that Salvation is the ultimate goal, and once they “get saved” they are “eternally secure”. This type of thinking leads to complacency. I’ve seen congregations full of people who think nothing is really required of them and nothing they do really matters, because they are “saved by grace” and “once saved, always saved”. The common result of this thinking is people sitting in a pew once a week, waiting to be “raptured” away, and spending the other six days a week with business as usual.

The truth is: When we turn to God, acknowledge our sin, ask His forgiveness, and trust in His son’s sacrifice for the removal of our sins…that is just the beginning of our relationship with YHWH. These things change us from children of the beast to children of the Most High God, but they are not ”it”. There is a popular false gospel that says God just wants to save us then bless us forever after. But, what God actually said He wants is people who will revere Him, walk in all His ways, love Him, serve Him with all our heart and soul, and keep His commandments that were given for our benefit (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

We need to break free from the lie that God does everything, we do nothing, and He just showers us with blessings and gifts for all eternity. Salvation is the turning point in our lives; and, after we turn that corner it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

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Foundations of the Faith, Part 4: Salvation

salvation

YHWH is God,
creator and ruler of the universe

Torah is the instructions and commandments of YHWH,
given for our benefit
teaching us to distinguish good from evil,
teaching us to distinguish right from wrong,
teaching us to distinguish clean from unclean

Sin is violation of Torah,
lawlessness,
or breaking “The Law”

The penalty for sin is death,
the soul that sins will die

Everyone has sinned,
so, everyone is destined for death,
unless we can be saved from destruction

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Foundations of the Faith, Part 3: Sin

Sin is a central concept of our faith. But, what is sin? How do we define sin? And, what are the consequences for the sinful acts we commit?

Our entire relationship with YHWH rests on identifying what sin is, acknowledging we have sinned, and addressing the penalty of our sin. Without an understanding of sin we will not recognize our need for Messiah, nor will we be able to explain it to others.

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Foundations of the Faith, Part 2: Torah

Torah is commonly translated as “Law” in English translations of the Bible, and Torah does contain commands and prohibitions. However, Torah more properly means teaching or instruction. The purpose of YHWH’s Torah is to teach mankind right from wrong, to show us how to distinguish good from evil, and to instruct us on the best way to live. Torah was given to us for our benefit; through it, we learn how to relate to YHWH and walk in His righteous ways.

To have a relationship with YHWH and be His people, we must act in obedience to His word and will. We must have a genuine value of, and desire for, YHWH’s word. We must strive to live according to YHWH’s word out of love and obedience to Him, revering His Torah without adding to or subtracting from it.

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Foundations of the Faith, Part 1: God

Foundations of the Faith: GodFoundations of the Faith is a series where we will look at the basic teachings and beliefs of our faith in YHWH as recorded in the Bible. This series is intended to be a summarized overview of the faith, which we hope will guide new disciples in the beginning of their study. Throughout this series, we will address such fundamental issues as:

Who is God and how do we relate to Him?

What is Torah (God’s teachings and commandments)?

What is sin and the penalty of sin?

How can the penalty of our sins be resolved?

What do we do after receiving salvation?

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