Is the the Messianic Movement and Hebrew Roots dangerous?
Updated: Aug 31
Warnings to those on the path...
I'm aware that this is going to be read by both the Torah Observant, and by those who think it is a dangerous heresy. I will address both, so read to the end.
Firstly, to those who are on the path of Torah Obedience... those who believe they should obey God's commandments, and those who are beginning to search it out.
There is so much to celebrate about the lifestyle often known as "Messianic," or "Hebrew Roots", or "The Way." There is joy and freedom in seeking to follow Jesus (Yeshua) in Biblical ways, following the commandments, keeping the Sabbath and remembering and celebrating Biblical Feast Days.
However, there are some deadly distractions and deceptions that can seriously impact our relationship with God and others. Ultimately, it can affect our spiritual life and faith. These distractions and deceptions can rob us of joy and freedom in Christ and can make us unfruitful. Having experienced some of these, and hearing from others, I'd like to give you a 'heads up' about some of these pitfalls. Firstly, so you can avoid them if you haven't seen them yet, and secondly, to help wake you up if you have gotten to the edge of that pit without realising that it is a trap.
I hope these do not apply to you. However, you're not alone if these have been a temptation to you. Don't let them rob you of the joy of your salvation through Messiah mercifully saving you from sin and death by His work on the cross.
Denying the Messiah
This is the most serious one of all. Some get so caught up in doing Jewish things they choose to convert to Judaism and deny that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Messiah who came in the flesh! They have lost their way and turned away from the source of life! Do NOT let this happen to you! There are anti-missionaries out there whose aim is to drag people into Judaism and away from Yeshua.
Do NOT be fooled.
Jesus is the source of ETERNAL LIFE! There is no hope for salvation found outside of Jesus. To think that we can earn it by any other means is complete foolishness that leads to death.
I repeat: DO NOT let this apply to you!
Make sure you are spending more time in God's word and prayer than you are on social media! Read the Word, pray, and remember what God has done for you. Don't forget the magnitude of Yeshua's sacrifice for you. You absolutely cannot save yourself by good works or following commandments. Those things are the fruit of your salvation but not the root of your salvation.
Pride
Thinking you're better than other Christians because God has revealed this to you is a horrible pitfall. I sadly (ridiculously) felt this way at the beginning. Somehow I felt that the revelation that I had was better, and somehow that made me better. What nonsense! Seriously, we must remember we are saved by grace! God hasn't revealed it to you - or me - because we are particularly amazing! The fact that God saved us at all is a miracle and an act of incredible mercy. We need to be humble and grateful! I say this particularly in regard to myself as I was a terribly hypocritical sinner who thought I was a Christian when God revealed this to me. It was definitely not because I deserved to have any divine revelation. God was very merciful to me to show me how to live after he brought me to repentance and salvation through Jesus.
Going full Jewish
I love the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. They are the people God chose to bring salvation through in our Messiah, Yeshua. However, I have seen non-Jewish people think that they need to be Jewish, take Jewish names and wear clothing to look Jewish. I myself have felt that I needed to do Feast Days in a Jewish way at times.
There are some beautiful and very meaningful Jewish traditions in the Feast Days. There is nothing wrong with this per se, unless it becomes a distraction from what the Word really commands us to do, or distracts from the central message of Christ.
If its not pointing you to Christ, bringing you closer to him and resulting in good fruit... is it useful? Sometimes this kind of thing makes us look weird and kooky and does not draw others to Jesus. The exception here may be people who are doing such to intentionally reach out to Jewish people in particular.
Fussing about "The Name"
Yes, there are some who make an unnecessary fuss about THE NAME of God. Some will not even use the word 'God.' Some insist that the way they say it or spell it is the only real way and maybe you're not even saved if you don't say it right.
I don't mind how you spell it or say it. As long as I know you are talking about our Heavenly Father, the Creator of all things, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and His Son, the Saviour, our Messiah... that's all that matters to me.
If you know His name, that means you know His character. Let's focus on making sure our character is becoming more and more like His. I hope you will not be offended by my use of the word 'God,' or using the name 'Jesus' instead of 'Yeshua' or some other spelling. I love Yeshua, whether I call him by that name or some other.
Insisting on using Hebrew words for everything
Learning the Hebrew meaning of words can be very valuable. Understanding Hebrew thought and reasoning is very valuable to understanding Scripture. I highly recommend that we have a deeper understanding of this. I don't mind at all if people use Hebrew words when speaking with people who are on the same page, who understand its relevance and meaning. However, if we start using Hebrew words and names with people who do not understand, it doesn't help them to appreciate what we are saying. It is more helpful to use the language they are familiar with. Our efforts to share the depth of the wonderful revelation we have may be hindered by using Hebrew words instead of the plain English (or whatever language you normally use!)
I understand that it is necessary at times to explain what a particular word really means, but if we are speaking words they don't know, it will hinder them from understanding. And to be honest, to some, it makes us look cultish.
Becoming overly critical of the 'Church'
I've been there. You realise that not all you've been taught is true. You see the history of the church is far from perfect and in some cases, terrible. You see that there has never been a time that the church has gotten everything right. You see the pagan influence on the teachings, practices and customs of the church. You see the influence of ungodly culture on the church.
Just remember, we probably wouldn't have come to this understanding without the influence of the church in one way or another. You were probably there not that long ago and the Lord mercifully opened your eyes. Pray God does a mighty work of repentance within the church. The church is His bride after all, and He wants her without spot or wrinkle. Besides this, the church still is a means by which many find Christ, and many still aim to teach people about Him and to do good in the world. It's not perfect but none of us are.
Getting nutty about numbers
Some get a bit caught up in gematria, reading more into numbers than may be really there. The Bible has some interesting and meaningful number patterns, but I have seen people put too much focus on trying to find meaning in numbers. Same goes for Paleo Hebrew. It can be a distraction from doing what the Lord really calls us to do - to love Him and love others.
Kaballah
Just. STAY. AWAY! This is Jewish mysticism. It is NO GOOD. RUN AWAY! This has nothing to do with Christ. Leave it alone.
Crazy calendar confusion
When I first starting trying to keep the Feasts of the Lord, I had a very hard time trying to work out when I should keep them. It seemed like there were so many different calendars and I had no clue which one was right to follow.
I think it is impossible to know for 100% sure which is the 'right' calendar. Don't get hung up on it. Seek God for His wisdom. Celebrate His Feasts, and the reason for them, Jesus our Saviour. Don't get getting worried that you're not doing it at the right time.
I found it helpful to stop listening to the arguments and ideas of other people and think about it from a Biblical perspective. When does the Bible say the year starts? What does YHVH use to show the times and seasons? If you can't decide, follow a calendar that makes sense to you and celebrate with joy. At the moment we cannot celebrate them fully as Scripture describes as we have no temple. However, we can celebrate what the feasts show us about Jesus, and his plan of salvation.
Torah terrorism?
When 'Torah keepers' demand that everyone obey Torah the way that they think it should be kept in such a way that devalues others, they are sometimes described as 'Torah Terrorists'. Such people seem to damn to hell anyone who does not keep Torah the way they think it should be kept.
I don't recommend calling people 'Torah Terrorists' as terrorists are those who actually endanger other people's lives. However, in our Torah keeping we must remember that if our Torah keeping is not in love, we are not keeping Torah at all!
Don't feel condemned if others convey that you are not keeping Torah correctly, and don't do it to others. Love others and love God and you will really be keeping Torah properly.
Focus
Remember our focus is Christ, YESHUA, and the whole truth of YHVH's word. Just keep walking in gratitude for all He has done for you. Keep walking in love.
Deceptions and distractions abound...but if we keep our focus on Christ, on His Word, and on walking humbly with Him we will be less likely to fall into any pit.
Lastly....
My Response to Claims that the Hebrew Roots / Messianic Movement is Dangerous...
I have seen many articles from Christian organisations pointing out the "Dangers of the Messianic / Hebrew Roots movement." There are so many errors in their arguments that it would take so long to correct. One point I would like to make is that NO ONE and no group or organisation led me to the conclusion that we should obey God's commandments.
In fact, this is true for most people who come into the movement. No human Torah teacher, no Hebrew Roots teacher showed them. It was God's word and God's spirit that revealed it! For me, it wasn't just one scripture. It was many, many scriptures that were highlighted to me over years. Along with this came genuine repentance and salvation. And you know who brings repentance, right? The Holy Spirit, who not only leads us to repentance but also leads into all truth (John 16:13).
Jesus said, "For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:18,19.
Jesus made this statement. He's the One I want to follow. His is the voice I want to hear. He is the One I want to obey. If you're confused about what this really means, read the context of his statement. If you think this conflicts with what some others writers in the New Testament seem to say, do some more research about the context they are writing in and the audience to whom they write. Jesus' statement is unambiguous.
There are "dangers in the Hebrew Roots movement," as there are real dangers within many Christian denominations and churches. However, teaching people to obey God's commandments is NOT one of those dangers! I believe it could ultimately be more dangerous to teach people that they do not need to obey God's commandments, and I believe there will be eternal consequences (see Jesus' statement above.)
Focus
Remember our focus is Christ, YESHUA, and the whole truth of YHVH's word. Just keep walking in gratitude for all He has done for you. Keep walking in love.
Deceptions and distractions abound...but if we keep our focus on Christ, on His Word, and on walking humbly with Him we will be less likely to fall into any pit.
To the Messianic believer, I reiterate, there are dangers, as stated above, however, the real danger is taking our eyes off of Jesus.
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith," as Hebrews 12:2 instructs.
We must do this if we want to keep our feet from slipping and from wandering off the path.
I pray you are kept safely on the path of salvation!
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," Jude 1:24
Here are some useful links regarding some of the topics mentioned above.
Check out this really great link about avoiding Torah Terrorism, by Tyler Dawn Rosenquist
Tim Hegg on the Sacred Name
Torah Family responding to Living Waters discussion of the "Dangers of Torahism"
Rise on Fire Ministry about genuinely keeping Torah
Steve from Torah Family about treating everyone with the same mercy that we have received
😀