Our Beliefs

Joshua Perez is the founder of Branch of Messiah, an organization launched to aid in the mission of theologically reconciling the religions of Judaism and Christianity. Having grown up in a multi-faith household (Christian and New Age), he spent his childhood and teenage years searching for the one true G-d, often having more questions than answers. At just fourteen years old, he was moved to put his faith in the Master and the God of Israel. He became instantly convicted of the importance of the Torah and the ongoing validity it has in the life of a disciple of Yeshua. This set him on a lifelong journey in pursuit of understanding and interpreting the Bible through the Hebraic lens through which they were written. Joshua is a staff writer for AltarnateMedia and has published numerous articles aimed at achieving this goal, currently set to continue his academic journey by receiving a formal education pertaining to Biblical studies.

13 Principles of the Jewish Faith:

1. Belief in the existence of the Creator, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists.

2. The belief in G‑d's absolute and unparalleled unity.

3. The belief in G‑d's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, rest, or dwelling.

4. The belief in G‑d's eternity.

5. The imperative to worship G‑d exclusively and not foreign false gods.

6. The belief that G‑d communicates with man through prophecy.

7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses, our teacher.

8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.

9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.

10. The belief in G‑d's omniscience and providence.

11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.

12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.

13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.

Messianic Principles:

1. Belief in that the Messiah is an agent (sent one) of G-d, but not G-d Himself.

2. Belief that the Messiah is a biological paternal son of David, as promised.

3. The belief that the Messiah was and will be in alignment with the Halachah of Rabbinic Judaism.

4. Belief that Jesus came to fulfill the role of the Messiah, but only fulfilled the role of Messiah of Joseph. He called everyone to repent, and Israel (collectively) did not, resulting in the destruction of the 2nd temple due to baseless hatred.

5. Jesus' death and resurrection are the primary reasons the nations turned away from polytheism and circulated Torah in all languages around the globe (albeit without the full understanding yet - as his role is to pave the way for the Messiah of David, not complete it). This started a global process of teshuvah (repentance) and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

6. We believe Jesus lived as a living example of the Word (the Torah), as should be the goal of every Jew.

7. We believe the Torah is the divine revelation of G-d, His righteousness, and the description of the Holy (separate from the world) lifestyle for His people and the community of believers.

8. We believe in the validity of the oral traditions and rabbinic authorities - and they do not contradict the teachings of Yeshua as established Halacha.

9. We believe in the Biblical canon of the Tanakh as scripture and the writings of Jesus' apostles as a combination of historical documentation and instructional guidelines for the communities to which they were written.

10. We believe that all non-Jewish followers of Yeshua are “grafted” into Israel. While this does not make a person legally Jewish, they are equal participants in the covenant promises.

Additional Clarifications

1. We hold to a literal and physical Kingdom of G-d and the future Messianic Era, in which the Messiah Son of David (Moshiach ben David) will rebuild the Temple, rule from the Throne of David in Jerusalem, and be indisputably recognized by the Jewish people. We believe this role will be fulfilled by Yeshua, but cannot know until G-d brings it to pass as He so chooses.

2. We believe that justification is a gracious gift of G-d that cannot be earned, but is accepted by faith(fulness) and, “faith without works is dead.”

3. We believe that the death of righteous Yeshua is an atonement for sins (in a similar manner found in Moed Katan 28a, Yoma 87a, Shemot Rabbah 44:5, & Midash Tanchuma Vayera 23), especially enabling the Lost Ten Tribes and the Gentiles to join in unity with the eternal covenant made with the Jewish people.

4. We believe Jesus' resurrection is the first fruits (and foreshadowing) of the resurrection which is to come at the end of days.

5. We believe G-d’s Holy Name (the Tetragrammatan) should remain unpronounced, and that all titles of G-d should be treated with reverence.

6. We believe in the validity of using the relevant historical and cultural/political contexts as important for proper interpretation of the biblical texts. Including in this is the fact that early followers of Yeshua were in alignment with Rabbinic Judaism. As Paul said after all his journeys, “I am a Pharisee” (not, “was”; Acts 23:6). However, while the early followers brought the light of Yeshua to the world, it quickly was distorted by the nations and lost its Judaism. It immediately became the unacceptable darkness of horrific persecution, Crusades, inquisition, and pogroms against the Jews.

7. We believe in the covenants G-d made with the Jewish people to be continuous eternal promises, and the Jewish people cannot be replaced.

Missionary / Anti-Missionary Principles:

1. No one should promote conversion out of Judaism.

2. No one should insist that Gentiles must convert to Judaism.

3. Jews and Gentiles have separate roles and functions within G-d's plan, and each is to be respected as a valuable part. Each is to respect their own boundaries.

4. No one should turn away Jew or Gentile on the basis of belief or disbelief in a Messiah of past, present, or future in accordance with the Messianic Principles. Including but not limited to attendance, mikveh, & conversion. 

5. One must not cause another to stumble in sin. There are some things permitted to Gentiles which are forbidden to Jews, and some things permitted to Jews and forbidden to Gentiles. Thus, you must forbid that which is forbidden and do not persuade against that which is commanded respectively.