Subject: Re: Meaning of "Messianic"
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 01:38:50 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
>
>From: Jana S. Erickson
>To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
>Subject: Messianic
>
>Hi,
>
>I am wondering what the exact definition of Messianic is. I have a
>friend who is not Jewish, although she observes the Feasts & basically
>everything traditionally Jewish and she now claims to be Messianic.
>Is she wrong?
>
>God Bless,
>
>Jana
>
>From Eddie:
**************
>
> In this generation, there are increasing more and more Jews who
>believe that Yeshua/Jesus is Messiah. Many of these Jewish believers
>increasing began to identify themselves as being "Messianic Jewish"
>believers rather than using the term "Christian" and began to
>affiliate themselves with Messianic Jewish organizations. There are
>two primary organizations represented by the Messianic Jewish
>movement. They are:
>
>1) MJAA - Messianic Jewish Alliance of America
>2) UMJC - Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations
>
> As a general rule, the UMJC believes in a stricter Torah
>observance and seeks to worship in a more traditional Jewish manner.
>The MJAA as a general rule is more "grace" and "evangelical" oriented
>in their worship style than the UMJC. The MJAA and the UMJC were
>divided for many years over this issue. Several years ago, they
>decided to be more united and have a greater bond of mutual respect
>for each other.
>
> In order to declare more openly and to be seen more visibly by
>the traditional Jewish community and to make a better distinction in
>the traditional Jewish community that by accepting Yeshua/Jesus as
>Messiah that you don't give up your Jewishness to become "Christian",
>Jewish believers increasingly began to call themselves Messianic Jews
>rather than "Christians".
>
> Frequently, they use the term "Messianic" for short when
>referring to Messianic Judaism.
>
> As an increasing number of non-Jewish believers began to have a
>"Jewish heart", and have a desire to keep the sabbath, Biblical
>Festivals and love and support the Jewish people and the land of
>Israel, they began to attend Messianic Synogogues/congregations
>instead of Sunday churches. In these Messianic Jewish congregations,
>they often refer to their worship style as being "Messianic" short for
>the term Messianic Judaism or the Messianic Jewish movement. As more
>and more non-Jewish believers began to identify with these practices,
>they began to refer to themselves as being "Messianic".
>
> From a word definition point of view, the term "Messianic"
>means anything pertaining or relating to the Messiah. Therefore, from
>a word definition point of view, when you accept Yeshua/Jesus as
>Messiah whether you are Baptist, Evangelical or whatever denomination,
>you are a "Messianic believer". From a word definition point of view,
>most non-Jewish believers use the term "Christian" rather than
>"Messianic believer".
>
> From the definition of the point of view of Jews who accept
>Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah who identity with the Messianic Jewish
>movement, they refer to themselves as a Messianic Jews rather than
>using the term Christian. From this point of view, "Messianic" means
>that you are Jewish, believe in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah, keep the
>sabbath, the Biblical Festivals, the Torah and have a love for the
>land of Israel. Increasingly non-Jewish believers who also identify
>with keeping the Torah, sabbath, Biblical Festivals and love the
>Jewish people and the land of Israel began to see themselves as being
>"Messianic" in trying to differentiate their identity with the
>previous mentioned beliefs from traditional Christian beliefs. For
>this reason, Jana, your non-Jewish friend referred to herself as
>"Messianic" identifying with this belief system.
>
>However, the way term today is most generally used today it
>specifically refers to Jewish believers in Messiah who use the term
>"Messianic" in short for being "Messianic Jewish" (being Jewish and
>believing that Yeshua/Jesus is Messiah). From this perspective, Jana,
>your non-Jewish friend is not "Messianic" because she is not Jewish.
>
> Biblically, all those who believe in the God of Israel are
>"Israelites". Probably a more Biblical term for non-Jewish believers
>in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah would be a "Messianic Israelite".
>
> Another term being more commonly used today for
>non-Jewish believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah who identify with the
>Torah, sabbath, Biblical Festivals and have a love for the Jewish
>people and the land of Israel are believers who embrace their Hebraic
>Roots or Jewish roots. Many non-Jewish believers who are not
>associated with a Messianic Synogogue/congregation but identify with
>these beliefs and may attend Sunday church or have their own home
>fellowship see themselves or call themselves believers who embrace
>their Hebraic Roots or Jewish roots of Christianity. Fewer in number
>actually call themselves, "Messianic Israelites".
>
> Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l is a ministry to believers
>in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah to embrace their Hebraic/Jewish roots
>regardless of where they worship or what their level of understanding
>is of their rich Hebraic/Jewish heritage in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah.
>
> I hope that this explanation of terms helps.
>
> Eddie Chumney
> Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l
>
**********************************************************************
From: Donald Levesque
To: <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject: Re: Meaning of "Messianic"
Another term being used is "Judeo-Christian, which we here at Good
News Chaple call ourselves.
D. Levesque
********************************************************************
From: Deborah Jensen
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Re: Meaning of "Messianic"
Dear Eddie,
I would like to respond to the Meaning of Messianic. I have been
in the Messianic movement for over 3 yrs now. I have learned many things
during this time. In fact, I had no clue if I had any Jewish ancestry
and asked my Mom and she didn't know either. We got a list together
of the surnames in my family and sure enough there was one there.
I was raised on and off going to the Catholic church. After I was
grown and began reading the bible for myself, I ended up in a
protostant church. I eventually got saved and heve been saved for
about 8 yrs. 3 years ago I was introduced to Messianic Judaism by a
family member. I went home and studied my Bible and read-up on the
subject and I just knew in my spirit it was right! Everything that I
had questions about was being answered by the theology of this
movement. I can say that for the past three years I have been
becoming a Messianic Believer. I am Torah observant,I keep the
Sabbath, the Festivals, Biblical Kosher eating habits and so on.
I found as I became involved in this movement that people who were
Gentiles just weren't sure what to call themselves. I believe that
those who have truley become Torah observant believers are none other
than Messianic Believers and should call themselves that. I can no
longer call myself a mainline Christian because I am not. I practice
Messianic Judaism and not mainline Christianity. I still call myself
a Gentile that was how I was raised, but I am a Messianic Gentile and
feel completely equal with any Messianic Jew and feel comfortable
saying so. Now that I have been in this movement for this long I can't
believe that there would be any doubt what to call a Torah observant
Gentile who has completely assimilated into the Messianic culture. I
have read in the Messianic Times about Messianic Gentiles, Petah
Tikvah magazine and also happened upon some articles about Messianic
Judaism that had a definition of Messianic Gentiles. We as Messianic
Believers are the ones who should define the definition of Messianic
Jew and Messianic Gentile since that is what we are!
Debi Jensen
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From: Philip Nowland
To: <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject: Re: Meaning of "Messianic"
Hello Jana
Eddie's summery of the various ways that the word Messianic is used
today is very helpful and I am sure that many have realised clarification
of this matter.
Actually, I have noticed over the years that we tend to use words that the
Bible has introduced to us in the form as a noun, while we use them as
adjectives. It is interesting to note that when we do this we usually end up
with confusion that needs to be sorted out, for in English - the way that we
employ adjectives is in a much more arbitrary fashion than we employ nouns.
For example:
We talk about an APOSTOLIC ministry - whatever that means
We recognised a PROPHETIC action - where such an adjective allows a person
to do what they want
We identify a MESSIANIC believer - and it means many different things to
many different people
In all of these cases we are using a word that originated as a noun, but we
use it as an adjective, and the result is that the word can come to mean
whatever you want it to. Eddies summery has assisted to show how the word
has come to be used by various groups today.
Messianic, obviously comes from the noun - Messiah. This of course is a
Hebrew word, and carries the basic meaning of - Anointed one. We recognise
that Yeshua is the Messiah - the Anointed One. In the Greek language of the
New Testament, the word CHRISTOS also means Anointed one, and is thus a true
Greek translation of the Hebrew for MESSIAH.
Thus we would be strictly correct, according to Biblical use, to employ the
word Messiah as interchangeable with Christ - and thus as an adjective -
Messianic as interchangeable with Christian.
It is probably in this sense that the early believers at Antioch were called
Messianic, and began to be the first believers who were ever described in
that fashion:
Acts 11:26 - And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was
that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many
people. And the disciples were first called Christians (Messianic) in
Antioch. (NKJ)
They were not called Messianic Christians - for that is like calling
somebody a - Christian Christian, or a Messianic Messianic.
They were simply called Christians - or Messianic. I believe that the word
caught on and soon most believers in Yeshua would have been described in
this fashion, for they were not being described that way for any other
reason than that they believed that Yeshua is the Messiah - or Jesus is the
Christ.
Note that at that time the word Christian (or Messianic) was not being used
with 2000 years to mis-use being applied to the title. And there is no real
evidence that it was being used in any other way at that time, than that
which is obvious.
It is interesting to note that there may have been a play on words in the
Greek language. The early believers in Yeshua - the Christians, lived an
attractive life to those around them, as their lives were changed for the
better by the influence of Yeshua in their lives - their lifestyle was
radically transformed so that they were observed as being good and lovely
people. In the Greek language there is a similar word CHRESTOS, which simply
means - lovely, and it is possible that someone could seed the word
Christian (Messianic) as so similar to Chrestian (lovely ones) that it would
have made an impact.
It is unlikely, during the 1st century, that the word Christian would have
been used in a derogatory fashion. Even though some people since have said
that it was - there is no evidence for that from the 1st century.
So it looks very much like that fact that one of the early ways that
believers in Yeshua were described was to call them Messianic (or to use the
Greek word - Christian).
This word - Christian (or Messianic) appears to have become quite common,
for when Paul preached to King Agrippa some years later - he (Agrippa) was
conversant with the term, and even used it himself:
Acts 26:28 - Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a
Christian (Messianic)." (NKJ)
Peter, writing in a letter to Hebrew believers in Yeshua, describes them
suffering persecution for their faith, and points out that they went under
the description Messianic in this, although because we have is letter in the
Greek language he used the word Christian:
1 Pet 4:16 - Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian (Messianic), let him not
be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (NKJ)
So it would appear that the early believers in Yeshua were called Messianic,
and the Greek language term Christian is simply a translation of that word.
In theory therefore, Messianic and Christian are really interchangeable
words - Although, most people today, do not use them in that fashion, as the
words appear to have taken on other meanings over the last 2000 years.
I trust that this is of assistance
Yours in Yeshua - our Messiah (Christ) and one who is willing to go under
the name of Christian (Messianic), in spite of what other people may think
that it means.
Philip Nowland - Huntingdon, England
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