What Is Messianic Judaism? What Messianic Jews Believe

Messianic Judaism is a movement of Jewish people who believe Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah and who keep a Jewish identity and way of worship. It has no single governing body or creed. Its largest alliances, the UMJC, and two well-known ministries confess one God in three persons and the full deity of Yeshua, while they differ on how much of the Torah Jewish believers should keep.

Key Points

• The Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, founded in 1915, calls itself “the largest organization representing the Messianic Jewish community in the world today.” (2)
• Its Statement of Faith says God “exists forever in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” and “The Son is God (Deity).” (1)
• The Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations says, “There is one God, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” and calls the Torah “the constitution of the Jewish people.” (4)
• The IAMCS says Gentile believers are “grafted into” the Jewish olive tree, citing Romans 11:17–24Romans 11:17–24 · King James Version^11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; ^11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. ^11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. ^11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ^11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. ^11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. ^11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. ^11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?Romans 11:17–24 · King James VersionOpen the Source. (3)
• Jews for Jesus and Chosen People Ministries are evangelistic ministries, not congregational unions. Both confess the Trinity. (6) (7)
• Many congregations belong to none of these bodies. Their statements vary, and some avoid the word Trinity or reject it, as Do Messianic Jews Believe in the Trinity? documents.

The Main Organized Bodies

Five organizations publish the statements quoted on this page. None of them speaks for every congregation.

• Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA). An alliance of individuals and congregations. Its about page says its international alliance, founded in 1925, “supports 15 national Messianic Jewish alliances in fifteen countries, including Israel.” (2)
• International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (IAMCS). A fellowship of congregations. Its doctrine page repeats the MJAA paragraph on God. (3)
• Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC). A union of member congregations with its own Basic Statement and We Believe section. (4)
• Jews for Jesus and Chosen People Ministries. Mission agencies. Chosen People Ministries says it was founded over 132 years ago in Brooklyn by Rabbi Leopold Cohn and “serves over 20 countries.” (8)

None of the pages fetched for this article publishes a total count of congregations or members.

What They Confess About God and Yeshua

The MJAA reads the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4Deuteronomy 6:4 · King James VersionHear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:Deuteronomy 6:4 · King James VersionOpen the Source as teaching that God is “Echad … a united one, a composite unity, eternally existent in plural oneness.” (1) Jews for Jesus says the Son “was eternally pre-existent and is co-equal with God the Father.” (6) Each body’s wording, and the congregations that phrase it differently, are compared in Do Messianic Jews Believe in the Trinity?

Torah Observance

The bodies do not agree on what the Torah requires of a Jewish believer today.

• The UMJC FAQ cites Matthew 5:17–18Matthew 5:17–18 · King James Version^5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ^5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.Matthew 5:17–18 · King James VersionOpen the Source and says that in Acts 15:19–20Acts 15:19–20 · King James Version^15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: ^15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.Acts 15:19–20 · King James VersionOpen the Source the leaders “rule that the Gentiles don’t have to take on this full responsibility,” while “the Torah and its way of life remain the norm for Jewish followers of Yeshua.” (5)
• The UMJC also says its halakhah “draws upon Jewish tradition.” (4)
• The IAMCS says “works of law, or righteous acts, have never saved anyone.” (3)
• Jews for Jesus says it regards traditional Jewish literature as “in no way binding upon life or faith.” (6)

None of these statements makes Torah observance a condition of salvation.

The debate also runs between congregations. A 2022 Caspari Center survey of Israel reports that “a number of congregations view the Mosaic covenant as still valid for Jewish believers,” while the number that treat rabbinical authority “as binding to some degree – is small.” (13)

The Sabbath and the Holy Days

The IAMCS says, “We observe and celebrate the Jewish Holy Days given by God to Israel, with their fulfillment in and through the Messiah Yeshua.” (3) The UMJC grounds its practice in “Jewish life and identity rooted in Torah, expressed in tradition.” (4) Neither statement makes the Sabbath binding on Gentile believers.

Seventh-day Adventists also keep Saturday, but on a different basis. Their Fundamental Belief 20 says the Sabbath was instituted “for all people.” (9) Adventists are a separate church with a separate history, on the Seventh-day Adventist shelf. The question of the day itself is Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday?

Gentile Believers

The IAMCS says Gentiles who believe in Yeshua become “spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham” and that “now we worship the God of Israel together.” (3) The UMJC says its groups “may also include those from non-Jewish backgrounds who have a confirmed call,” and that the Torah “does not have the same role for Messianic communities from the nations.” (4) Chosen People Ministries says Gentile believers “are fellow heirs with Messianic Jewish people.” (7)

How This Site Evaluates It

Apologetics Wiki confesses one God in three persons and Jesus as God. The statements quoted above make the same confession, so this site lists Messianic Judaism with Trinitarian Christianity. The listing describes those bodies, not every congregation that uses the name. Whether a Jewish believer should keep the Torah is a question inside that shared faith. Did Jesus Abolish the Law? gives this site’s reading of Matthew 5:17Matthew 5:17 · King James VersionThink not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.Matthew 5:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Messianic Jews Christians?

The bodies quoted here confess the same Trinity and the same Messiah as Christian churches. The UMJC calls the Messianic Jewish community and the Christian Church together “the one Body of Messiah.” (4) Messianic Jews vs Christians: Are Messianic Jews Jewish? covers both sides.

What Is the Difference Between Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus?

Jews for Jesus is one evangelistic ministry. Messianic Judaism is the wider movement of congregations, alliances, and unions. (6) (1)

Do Messianic Jews Celebrate Christmas?

None of the statements quoted here mentions Christmas. They name the Jewish holy days. Practice varies by congregation. (3)

Is Messianic Judaism the Same as Hebrew Roots?

No. Messianic Judaism vs Hebrew Roots sets out the difference.

Keep Reading

• The Trinity
• Is Jesus God?
• What Is the Difference Between Judaism and Christianity?