Seeing All as Potential Brothers and Sisters in Faith

Why Love Must Come Before Labels

Years ago, when I first came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus), I wasn’t raised in a religious home. My life reflected the world more than the Word. I was broken, seeking something real. And even with all my flaws and ignorance, Yeshua met me in that place of need. I admitted I was lost. I knew I needed Him.

And He received me.

Not because I had perfect theology. Not because I lived righteously. But because I believed. I cried out—and He answered.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12, ESV

That moment began a decades-long journey. I would later fall away from the faith, wounded by judgmental Christians. I wandered, even dabbling in the occult, trying to find what no church could give me: peace, identity, truth.

But Yeshua never stopped pursuing me.

A Label Cannot Replace a Life

Today, I look around and see how easily we divide the Body with labels:

"They don’t keep Torah."

"They don’t believe in Messiah."

"They’re too liberal."

"They’re too legalistic."

Each label becomes a justification to love less.

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” James 2:8, ESV

But when we use theology to draw lines between “us” and “them,” we begin to see people as categories, not creations of God. We forget that until a person’s final breath, they have the God-given opportunity to come into full faith—to receive Yeshua fully, and walk in His truth completely.

And that includes those who:

Know Torah but haven’t yet seen Messiah.

Know Messiah but haven’t yet embraced Torah.

Are still searching, still stumbling, still growing.

All are potential brothers and sisters.

Who are we to cut them off prematurely? Who are we to decide who is in or out based on where they are today?

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” Romans 14:1, ESV

We All Begin Somewhere

I was a spiritual infant when I began. A baby believer. But I was still a child of God.

We forget that being “in the faith” doesn’t require full maturity—it begins the moment someone believes, and continues as they grow. And that growth takes time.

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2, ESV

The journey may look different for each of us, but we all started with a step—a flicker of belief, a cry for truth, a whisper of surrender.

From One Extreme to Another—and Back Again

After years of wandering, I eventually discovered the beauty of the Torah through a small home fellowship. Scripture began to come alive in new ways. The commandments made sense. I understood the rhythm of the biblical feasts, the dietary instructions, the Sabbath.

But I swung hard to the other extreme.

I became a “Torah Terrorist”—zealous for truth, but short on grace. I rejected anyone who didn’t walk like I walked. I judged Christians for not keeping the commandments. My heart became cold. My walk became rigid.

I said I believed in Yeshua, but I wasn’t living like He did. I was so focused on being right that I forgot how to love.

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” 1 Corinthians 8:1b, ESV

And I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t joyful. I was self-righteous, isolated, and spiritually dry.

The Refining Fire....

But YHWH is faithful.

Through pain, loss, and wilderness seasons, He refined me. He didn’t abandon me in my pride—He walked me through the furnace of humility.

And in that fire, I learned to embrace balance.

I came to the middle: a place where Yeshua and Torah are no longer in competition, but in harmony. A place where I can welcome others where they are, remembering how far He has brought me.

“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Hebrews 12:6, ESV

Everyone Has the Opportunity...

Now, when I meet someone who only sees part of the truth, I no longer panic. I no longer feel the need to “correct” them instantly. Instead, I trust the Spirit of God to lead them, just as He led me.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9, ESV

Until their final breath, anyone can accept Yeshua—not just as Savior, but as King. Not just in word, but in full surrender. That includes your pastor, your unbelieving friend, your Torah-keeping cousin, your Sunday Christian coworker, your atheist neighbor.

Labels may close doors, but love opens them.

Our Calling: Light, Not Labels

If we are called to be the light of the world, why do we spend so much time dividing the Body?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14, ESV

Yeshua didn’t say, “You are the judge of the world.” That’s not our job.

He said to love.

To witness.

To welcome.

To shine.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35, ESV

Have I limited my love because someone doesn’t walk exactly like me?

Do I see every person as someone Yeshua longs to redeem fully?

Am I willing to welcome spiritual infants, wanderers, and seekers?

Have I let labels become a substitute for compassion?

May we become people who welcome others with truth and grace—because we serve a God who does the same.

I’ll be sharing a teaching on the 4 Stages of Spiritual Growth, to help identify where we are in the walk—and how to meet others with mercy, wherever they are.

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