WHAT RELIGION ARE YOU?
A COMMON QUESTION I GET ABOUT MY BELIEFS
THE DEFINITION OF RELIGION
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
RELIGION (Definition)
The belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers, regarded as creating and governing the universe. "respect for religion."
A particular variety of such belief, especially when organized into a system of doctrine and practice. "the world's many religions."
The second definition is what most are looking for when they ask me this question.
They want to know which "mainstream religion" they can associate me with so they can figure out why I keep Sabbath, Feasts, and call myself a follower of Yah.
It's more about checking a box to suppress their curiosity than to know what I truly believe, because to know what I believe requires only reading the Scriptures. But when I take them to the scriptures they lose interest, probably because at some point in their lives have turned away from Yah, and it convicts them to hear someone trying to follow His Word I believe.
Many assume I'm a 7th Day Adventist because I keep the weekly Sabbath.
Some ask if I’m "Jewish" because I keep the feasts, the feasts are for the “Jews” only right? Actually no, they are His feasts.
Lev 23:2 HRB Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, The set feasts of YAHUAH which you shall proclaim as holy gatherings, shall be these: These are My appointed feasts:
The first definition is what I would call the "by their actions they are known" definition, and is the best definition from the dictionary IMO.
It's not about what "club" you have joined (second definition), but how you make manifest your beliefs by your actions.
Every religion has instructions on how to please its deity the members choose to worship.
In my case, those instructions come from the Scriptures which I consider to be the traditional biblical canon of sixty-six books, commonly known as “The Bible”, as well as other transcripts early church members held to be true.
Such would include the Books of the Apocrypha, as well as Enoch & Jubilees found in mass production in the Qumran caves. Which align with the canon perfectly and were, I believe, hidden by the Roman Catholic Church to allow their false teachings to propagate.
I believe the scriptures to be have been given by Yahuah “GOD” (the father) and the example of how to fulfill them by Yahusha “Jesus” (his son) as written in the “renewed covenant” that dispensationalist (another false teaching) prefer to call the “new testament”, insinuating that the old testament is done away with.
A curious position to take when the same Sunday (false sabbath) worshiping churches cling to the old testament tithe (which was done away with the Levitical priesthood) to fill their coffers as well their teaching of “replacement theology” that turns “Christians” into the new favored children of Yah instead of the “Jews”.
ONE PEOPLE, ONE LAW
Yah only has one people and he calls them Israel (not the 1948 state) but the Biblical people “Israel” he delivered out of Egypt which one law is given.
(Exo 12:49 TS2009) “There is one Torah for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”
We are joined into his family today the same way believers where in the Messiahs time on earth, by keeping his commandments and believing on his Son.
Gal 3:29 The Eth CEPHER (29) And if ye belong to MASHIACH, then are ye Avraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(Joh 14:15 HRB) If you love Me, keep My commandments.
The rules (laws, Torah) have never changed or been replaced, the way we are able to keep them has in some cases (blood covering sins being that of animals replaced with the blood of Yahusha for example) but the commandment to follow Yah’s Torah has not been removed.
TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Hebrew Roots Bible
Exo 20:1-3 And Elohim spoke all these words, saying, (2) I am YAHUAH your Elohim, who has brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (3) You shall not have any other Elohim before My face.
Exo 20:4-6 You shall not make a graven image for yourself, or any likeness in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; (5) you shall not bow to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am YAHUAH your Elohim, a jealous El, visiting the iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third and on the fourth generation, to those that hate Me; (6) and doing kindness to thousands, to those loving Me, and to those keeping My commandments.
Exo 20:7 You shall not take the name of YAHUAH your Elohim in vain; for YAHUAH will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.
Exo 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (set apart); (9) six days you shall labor and do all your work; (10) and the seventh day is a Sabbath to YAHUAH your Elohim; you shall not do any work, you, and your son, and your daughter, your male slave and your slave-girl, and your livestock, and your stranger who is in your gates. (11) For in six days YAHUAH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all which is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; on account of this YAHUAH blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
Exo 20:11 For in six days YAHUAH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all which is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; on account of this YAHUAH blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
Exo 20:13 You shall not murder.
Exo 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 You shall not steal.
Exo 20:16 You shall not testify a witness of falsehood against your neighbor.
Exo 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male slave, or his slave-girl, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything which belongs to your neighbor.
ARE WE REQUIRED TO KEEP COMMANDMENTS?
Joh 15:10 HRB If you keep My commandments you will continue in My love, as I have kept My Father's commandments and continue in His love.
1Jn 2:3 HRB And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments.
2Jn 1:6 HRB And this is love, that we should walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, even as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
1Jn 3:22 HRB And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments, and we do the things pleasing before Him.
1Jn 5:2 HRB By this we know that we love the children of YAHUAH: When we love YAHUAH and keep His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 HRB For this is the love of YAHUAH, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not a burden to us.
1Co 7:19 HRB Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of YAHUAH is everything.
Rev 14:12 HRB Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones keeping the commandments of YAHUAH, and the faith of Yahusha.
Rev 22:14 HRB Blessed are the ones doing His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of Life, and that they may enter by the gates into the city.
THE DRAGON DOESN’T WANT YOU TOO
Rev 12:17 HRB And the dragon was enraged over the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, those keeping the commandments of YAHUAH, and having the testimony of Yahusha Messiah.
DO THE COMMANDMENTS SAVE YOU?
1Th 5:1-11 HRB But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you. (2) For you yourselves know accurately that the day of YAHUAH comes as a thief in the night. (3) For when they say, Peace and safety! Then suddenly destruction comes upon them, like the travail to the woman with child, and not at all shall they escape. (4) But you, brethren,, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you as a thief. (5) You are all sons of light and sons of day; we are not of night, nor of darkness. (6) So then, we should not sleep, as the rest also do, but we should watch and be sober. (7) For those sleeping sleep by night, and those having been drunk are drunk by night. (8) But let us who are children of the day be alert, putting on "the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet put on the hope of salvation;" (Isa. 59:17 ) (9) because YAHUAH has not appointed us to wrath, but for obtaining of salvation through our Master Yahusha Messiah, (10) He dying on our behalf, so that whether we are awake or we sleep, we may live together with Him. (11) Therefore, encourage one another, and build up one another, as you indeed do.
SALVATION BY FAITH ONLY
Salvation is by belief in Yahusha’s atoning work on the cross only!
But if you believe him, why don’t you do as he tells you, to keep his and his father’s commandments? He says you will IF you love him.
So do you? Do you even try?
Joh 14:21 HRB He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is that one who loves Me; and the one that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and will reveal Myself to him.