Some time ago I was challenged with the simple, yet mind-babbling question that many kodesh people are faced with. I was asked, "Are you a Christian?". As simple as this question may be, many people (even such as myself) struggle to find an accurate answer for it. A simple "yes" may imply things that may not necessarily be true - as kodesh people are not really Christians - but a "no" may do even worse, as we represent what Christians profess to be. To solve this problem, many came up with mid-terms such as "Judeo-Christians" or "Hebraic-Believers". Others opted to retain common names from the first century such as Ha'Derek (The Way), Nazarene or simply Disciples of Yahshua. Still the question remains; 'Who are we, Messianic Jews or Gentile Christians?'
Who Are Jews?
The classification of a Jew has been a longstanding issue for quite some time now. Jews are normally thought of to be a religious sect that abides by the Law of Moses. There are however, Jews (physical descendants of Abraham) who are not at all religious. On the other hand, there are people who neither have lineage with Abraham nor the tribe of Judah, but are considered Jews through religious practices. What, then, defines a Jew, religious practices or physical descent? In the secular world that will remain a mystery until Yahshua comes, but as far as the Scripture is concerned, one is considered a Jew through obedience to Yahweh (Rom.2:29).
Who Are Christians?
The modern definition of the word "Christian" teaches that a Christian is one who follows the religion of the Messiah (Christ). The only issue with that definition is that the Messiah did not establish a religion (Jn.7:16). Whatsoever he did and taught were based on a foundation that was already established. This would explain his statement in Matthew 5:17. The etymology of the word "Christian" reveals a nature that may very well be surprising to many. The English "Christian" derived from the Greek "Χριστιανός" (kristianos), which was a word imposed on the believers by "outsiders" of the faith (pagans). The believers in the first century regarded this as a derogatory term for one reason or another, and refused to accept it or identify themselves with it.
Whether or not one chooses to accept this FACT, Christianity today is owned and authorized by the Roman Catholic Church. It comprises of beliefs and practices that are contrary to what the Messiah taught (see article: Three Fundamentals Beliefs of Christianity that Do Not Make Sense). Most of what Christians have come to know and accepted are traditions which were given by the Roman Catholic Church. They openly admitted to this in the 1892 publication of D.B Ray's, The Papal Controversy (pg. 179). Christians, therefore, are those who have submitted to the authority of the Roman Catholic Church (Walter Drum, Catholic priest, Ecclesiastical Review, February 1914).
Who Are We Called To Be?
The apostle Paul gave a beautiful description of who/what we are called to be in his analogy of the olive tree in Romans 11:16-18. The original branches were broken off, according to Paul, and wild branches were grafted in. He went on to say that "it is the root that supports you". That is to say these "new branches" will receive the same nourishment and produce the same fruit -olives! In reality Paul is saying that the physical descendants of Abraham were broken off, and we, the spiritual descendants were grafted in. Yahshua the Messiah is our root, and he is a Jew! We are supported by Jewish foundation and fed on Jewish principles. We will inherit the Jewish promise through a Jew (Gal.3:14). John, in Revelation 21:12, saw the kodesh city with twelve gates - each having the name of a tribe of Israel. Which gate is for us? The gate with the name JUDAH!
We, the called out people, are called to be a part of Yahshua's Kingdom, and to share in his inheritance (Rom.8:17). Not only are we brothers and co-heir with Yahshua, but also children of Abraham as well (Gal.3:29). If then, we share in the inheritance of the Jews, worship the El of the Jews, follow a Jewish Messiah and are children of Abraham (Jewish father), we are in every right a Jew! We are not Jews by physical descent or traditional practices, we are Jews through our relationship with Yahshua Ha'Mashiah, and hence we are Messianic Jews!
The Voice of Yahweh has spoken .... He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches
