Biblical Heritage vs Religion: The Need To Understand Biblically

 

There are few misconceptions in the church today like the one concerning what makes up the content of the Bible; that is, it is mainly a religious book. The Bible however is primarily focused on a special and sacred heritage, covenant, and identity that was only given to one race (Psalm 147:19-20, Psalm 78:5). This race is the Israelites who are so-called black people who descend from the transatlantic slave trade and colonisation. 

Without making the distinction between heritage and religion, there will be confusion, a loss of meaning, and a perversion of the message.

In order to correctly interpret the Bible, we need to realize the difference.

The Bible Tells the Story of a People Group

From Genesis onward, the Bible tells the story of a very specific people group. From the beginning it traces their ancestry (who the people were), their inheritance (the land), their promises, their responsibilities, and so forth handed down from generation to generation. This is not how religions work. Religions are built around beliefs. Biblical heritage is built around bloodlines.

The covenant that was made with Abraham was not an open-ended invitation to enter a religious organization. Rather it was a hereditary agreement to pass down to his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. The laws, customs, blessings, and correction in scripture that were given to the nation of Israel were given to a specific people group, not to the world at large.

Understanding this framework changes how one reads and applies scripture.

Heritage is Inherited

A person can adopt a religion. A person inherits their heritage. The way that God related to Israel was not based upon them choosing Him first. He chose them (Deuteronomy 7:6, Psalm 135:4). They had a relationship with Him prior to any denominational structures, churches, or belief systems that would come along in the future.

This distinction is important because many have attempted to apply scripture solely through the lens of conversion without considering their family tree, their responsibility, or their covenant obligations. While believing is important, applying scripture without the heritage context is to misapply scripture.

Heritage helps explain why certain commands were issued, why the nation experienced national discipline, and why the restoration of the nation is a collective process.

Religion Has Been Used to Replace Heritage Throughout History

During the dispersion of the Israelites during times of conquest, exile, and slavery, the heritage of the Israelites was intentionally hidden. Instead, religious systems were introduced which separated the people from their identity and selectively used portions of scripture that were removed from their original cultural and historical contexts.

For the true bloodliine Israelites who were forcibly removed from north eastern Africa and dispersed throughout the globe, religion has been a replacement for lost heritage. Although faith has provided many with sustenance during their time of oppression, it was never intended to supplant identity.

Religion without heritage creates a false doctrine that does not match up to future prophcy. 

Responsibility Follows Covenant

Biblical heritage is not only about the benefits of being a member of the covenant community. There are also responsibilities associated with being a member of the covenant race. Israel is held accountable in different ways than other nations because they are in a covenant relationship. Non Israelites are not in  a covenant with the God of the Israelites. Indeed, the New Covenant will only be made onced again with true Israel (Hebrews 8:8)

Most religious systems focus on individual salvation or personal morality. Biblical heritage emphasizes the nation of Israel's behavior, the establishment of justice, the implementation of law, and the nation's collective obedience to God. Therefore, when the Israelite prophets spoke to their nation, they spoke to the nation as a whole and not to the individual members of that nation.

Without heritage, there is no accountability.

Why This Distinction is Important Today

Because the Bible is sometimes interpreted in such a way that it appears to be inconsistent, many people struggle with interpreting the Bible. When the Bible is read as a religious document, it raises questions that the writers were not trying to address. When read as a record of heritage, the structure of the Bible is much clearer.

For us true bloodline Israelites, discovering our ancestral lineage means separating heritage from religion, and it is liberating. Reading scripture and seeing our people's experience in it The story of our ancestors, how it provides answers to big life questions that we always had and never had answers to. 

Separating Heritage from Religion Does Not Mean Abandoning Faith

Separating heritage from religion means to establish faith in a new foundation of truth. Beliefs grounded in heritage are stronger, more accountable, and more consistent with scripture than those that are not.

The Most High never asked us Israelites to create a religion. Instead, He told us to live as a "set apart" people, governed by law, justice, and remembrance. 

By us returning to heritage, clarity is regained.

Restoring Heritage Provides Context and Dignity

Once heritage is restored, scripture makes sense. The laws fit within the larger scope of scripture. The promises are not vague or general. The identity of our  people is reaffirmed. The dignity of a people whose history has been distorted is restored.

The Bible is not a religious manual. The Bible is teh family book of the race of Israel. Making the distinction between heritage and religion is necessary to properly interpret the Bible.

And restoration begins with remembering who the story is about. Us, our God, and our Saviour, Christ. 

But Jesus answered and said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  -  Matthew 15:24, Acts 13:23)

Judith Asher, Author of The True Hebrews Book series