I am growing increasingly concerned about the repeated comments on the Telegram channel of Amir Tsarfati from him regarding who is saved and who is not saved. Amir believes and forcefully pushes a narrative that anyone who does not love Israel is not saved. Note the following comments:

The spirit of the God of Israel can never lead anyone to hate the people of Israel whom He loves and protects even in their state of disbelief. Thus, anyone who claims to have the Spirit in Him and yet still harbors hatred for the Jews is NOT saved! Antisemites can’t be born-again, Spirit-filled Christians. You can be either or!

24 Aug 24

Antisemites aren’t saved!

9 Aug 24

IF YOU HATE THE NATION OF ISRAEL YOU CAN’T HAVE IN YOU THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, THUS YOU AREN’T SAVED AT ALL!  REAL FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST LOVE HIS EARTHLY BRETHREN!

29 Mar 24

First of all, I appreciate Amir and his ministry. I support Connect, the media ministry he recently stood up in Israel. I also understand in a very small way the constant pressure Israel and all of its citizens have endured since 7 Oct 23. I stand with the people of Israel in several financial provisions as well as prayerfully each day for the victory of the IDF, the deliverance of the hostages, and the protection of Israel.

But my love for Israel was not instantaneous when I was saved. I didn’t know anything about what the Bible says about Israel prophetically. I was ignorant. And yet I was saved. Not because I loved Israel but because I repented and believed the gospel. Nobody ever told me that love for Israel was a requirement for salvation.

Transformation that comes through a renewing of the mind is a lifelong process that comes by the Holy Spirit and learning the Word of God. It takes time. My love for Israel is something that developed over time.

My point is this: nobody except God the Holy Spirit knows the heart and status of a person before God. None of us are qualified to say whether or not someone is saved. Not even Amir Tsarfati. We must be very careful to leave such matters of this kind of judgement in God’s hands. The gospel is the gospel and has not been amended to include a requirement that we repent, believe, and also to love Israel. That is another gospel.

Should true believers love Israel? Yes. But that is a matter of correct biblical instruction that addresses issues built up in a person’s mind when they were an unbeliever. There are many such issues new believers must deal with as the spirit of God works through the Word. Learning to love God and his messiah is also a life long process. We should allow the grace of God to change people rather than supplanting that grace with our own condemnation.

Again, we are not qualified to judge the heart and declare to someone they are not saved because they don’t live up to our expectations. That is right back to performance based salvation.

The role of people in high positions such as has been given to Amir Tsarfati is to teach and exhort and to encourage people in the faith, not to condemn them by laying on additional requirements for salvation.

Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The rest is a life long process of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. That is also by grace. Let’s not rob believers of the grace of God but let us instead train people in righteousness. Then a love for God’s people will indeed result.