“Declaration of Faith” in Relation to My Identity in Yeshua Messiah
(April 2013 original published date)
November 2022 revised date

Who am I, with respect to my position and functions in life?
I am a citizen of the heavenly realm and reign of Jesus Christ over this material sphere and all its inhabitants. This requires that I be an active participant in His spiritual church, which is composed of called, chosen and faithful followers.  I follow His teachings and laws as recorded exclusively in the divinely-inspired word of God, known as the Bible.  Therefore, my position as a member of the Lord’s spiritual body is that of a servant who is blessed and gifted by my Master and Friend to be able to continue in this world making disciples of humans, who are made in the very image and likeness of their Creator, and who are in every nation, tribe, language and people on the face of the earth.  To accomplish this commission, I was called to be trained by Christ Himself, by the indwelling holy Spirit, in order that I might become a brightly shining light in the darkened world and an ambassador for my native homeland coming soon from the heavens. This is in preparation for, and anticipation of, the final restoration of the Creator’s government on the earth under the returning King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus the Christ!

With whom or what are my loyalties aligned?
I pledge my allegiance to the Most High God who is bringing many of His sons into glory through the experiences of human life. I know and believe that His primary directive is to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Not even a human family, including father, mother, husband, wife, or child can claim a greater loyalty or allegiance from me than what I freely give to the faithful God.  Certainly no human or ecclesiastical potentate, executive, legislative, or judicial power can force me to subsume (to place under a greater or more powerful group or purpose) my loyalty to the One who lives forever.

Under that pledge, what is the purpose of my mission?
My duties and responsibilities are to provide a witness in the world as I strive, in the spirit of holiness, to demonstrate my love for all mankind through service and sacrifice. The Father of all mankind has removed from my neck the yoke of slavery to man’s cruel and capricious demands, and in its place I have voluntarily submitted to the yoke of Jesus Christ, which is not restrictive or burdensome.  Plainly, I am instructed by God’s revelation to be willingly subject to all the necessary and appropriate laws of the society in which I live – which are not in violation of, and do not contradict, the supreme commandments, statutes, and ordinances established immutably in the beginning by the eternal Godhead.

Therefore, what jurisdictional authority am I under?
My commission comes from my Lord, and above Him, from His LORD who sits on the throne of the whole creation.  As the apostle Peter declared to the Jewish leaders of his day: “We must obey God rather than man.” Therefore, my commission is to be a model citizen with regards to those laws of man that do not infringe upon my obedience to the original Lawgiver.  When the laws established by men contravene the holy, righteous, and perfect laws of God, I must respectfully, yet firmly, decline to submit to such an imposition of the will of men upon my life. As the three “children” of Judah stated: “We do not know if our God will save our lives from the fiery furnace . . . but, we will not bow down to your image.”  Naturally, I must accept whatever consequence might be imposed upon me by the authority of mankind, and as allowed by the gracious and merciful Lord who Himself suffered abuse at the hands of His creation in order to redeem my life from death and record my name in His book of life.

How are decisions made that direct the course of my life?
I trust completely in the promises given to God’s created family, beginning with the assurance that in the one Seed, Jesus, all nations of the earth will be surely blessed.  I believe in the truth of God’s word that all things will work for the good in the lives of those who love God and are called according to His great purpose.  Therefore, the course of my life is unerringly directed towards that revealed destination, and this necessarily affects all my decisions in life as they will either keep me on the correct pathway in life, or lead me astray.  The scriptures plainly reveal that many are following the way that leads to death because it is broad and wide, but only a relative few find the straight and narrow way that leads to life. I know that if any person lacks the wisdom needed to successfully navigate the God-appointed course for their life, the Wonderful Counselor through the eternal Spirit will respond to a simple childlike request for the “wisdom from above” to lead them ahead safely. My Lord and Savior has given me His faith to believe that He has redeemed me from death and is guiding me daily in the way to unending life.

I, to the best of my knowledge and belief, declare and affirm the foregoing to be true, correct and certain, relevant to my current faith and identity in my Lord, Jesus the Christ, biblically Yeshua Messiah.