- Hebrew Roots Movement, Pt. 1
- Hebrew Roots, Pt. 3 – Sabbath
- Hebrew Roots Movement, Pt. 2 – The Law
- Hebrew Roots, Pt. 4, Sabbath & Sacred Name
- Hebrew Roots, Pt.5 – Two House or Ephraimite Doctrine
HRM completely twist Colossians 2:16 in order to prove their doctrine. If we are confused about a text or Bible verse, we should read 20 verses before and 20 verses after in order to read in context (20/20). If we are still confused, then we read the chapter before and the chapter after. In a video of a popular HRM ministry interpreting Col. 2:16 they jump back to verse 8 alone to explain vs.16, skipping the real context, unfortunately some people will accept it without checking. But there is not any prove that Gnostics were pressing Christians not to keep the Mosaic law, as HRM teaches.
Gnostics mainly attacked the Divinity of Jesus Christ & they still do today. Many founders of gnostic schools were identified as Jewish Christians by early Church Fathers. Gnostics of today that are involved in Judaism & Kabbalah still keep the Sabbath & the dietary laws, feast, etc, this is not against their teachings & it never was. Some scholars, including some Jewish scholars have postulated that there was originally a Jewish gnosticism, which influenced the early origins of gnosticism & that it was known by ‘Talmudic’ Rabbis. Also the Jewish Encyclopedia states: “There is no doubt that a Jewish gnosticism existed before a Christian or a Judeo-Christian gnosticism“
The Ebionites were gnostic Jew believers in Jesus as Messiah, but they were a cult of Judaizers who enforced circumcision, rejected Apostle Paul’s teachings, denied Jesus’ virgin birth and his Deity. So they were not against the sabbath & feast but in favor of keeping the Mosaic law. The earliest reference to a group that might fit the description of the later Ebionites appears in Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho (AD. 140).
The context in Colossians is about the old law vs the new, now with a circumcision (of the heart) made without hands, how through Jesus our trespasses have been forgiven and He blotted our the ordinances that were handwritten by God in Sinai. They were against us because the law couldn’t save us but just accuse us of sin. For this reason ‘therefore’ nobody should judge us believers in respect of meat or drink or in observing sabbath, new moon (months) or feasts, because these are all shadows of things that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Col. 2:10-17, ‘And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. . . .Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday (G1859= feasts), or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ.
HRM do emphasis in the word ‘to come’ because they interpreted to be only in the future, but Jesus already fulfilled many but others are still to be fulfilled, like the feast of Tabernacles, the important thing here is they all point to Christ.
Scripture declares that to keep all the commandments of the law, and yet fail to keep one, is to break all. If Christians are bound by the Torah, all the Old Testament law should be obeyed, which includes the animal sacrifices, and all 7 feasts, the three yearly visits to Jerusalem etc. “ For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all”. (James 2:10)
Those who teach observance of the Sabbath is for today, are also based on the use of the Hebrew word ‘Olam Olam’. Which is translated to ‘everlasting, & perpetual ‘ but this word also means for a long time, For example in Isaiah 42:14 “I have for a long time (H5769= olam) held My peace; I have been still and refrained Myself. Now I will cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.” Psalm 143:3 he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long H5769 dead”
Also the following Scriptures use the word Olam (H5769= olam) but they are now fulfilled in Jesus Christ, so they can be perpetual, in other words they are not to be physically practiced as perpetual in their original form but instead as through the fulfillment of Jesus Christ our Lord :
Exodus 31:16-17 -Sabbath as sign between God & Israel = Jesus is our Sabbath rest, Matthew 11:28, 12:8 & Hebrew 4
Genesis 17:13 -Circumcision of the flesh = Circumcision of the heart Romans 2, circumcision of Christ Col. 2:10-17,
Leviticus 24:5-8 -Showbread = Jesus is the bread of life John 6:35
Exodus 29:9 -Priests office = Jesus is our eternal High Priest Hebrew 4:14-10:18
Exodus 12:14 -Feasts = They all are a shadow of Christ Col. 2:10-17,
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:5-8
But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months (G3376=New Moon) and seasons (G2540= kairos, appointed times, feasts) and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Gal.4:9-11, compare with Col. 2: 16-17,
Note: The Septuagint translation uses the Greek word kairos (G2540) as the equivalent for Hebrew word ‘mo’ed’ -feast or appointed times. So it is clear that we don’t need to observe them.
Hebrew Roots teachers dislike the books of Galatians, Hebrews, Romans & other Pauline epistles because they contradict their teachings. To prove their points they use corrupted bible translations like NIV, ESV, etc. (That use Westcott & Hort Greek Text based in the Alexandrian Text & not the Majority/Received Text). Some Christians don’t know that there are 2 completely different families of manuscripts the Minority Text or Alexandrian Text (Alexandria Egypt, were many gnostics & philosophers used to gather) & the Majority Text or Textus Received Text (The Aramaic Peshitta also uses this text). More information here, (We are not King James only, but Received or Majority Text only). More on Westcott & Hort here, & (1), (2).
God does not want an outward appearance of holiness, the Pharisees kept the law, but the Lord called them whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27). God wants something much deeper, He wants purity of our hearts, that will undoubtedly be reflected in our words and actions. This is not achieved by observing the Mosaic law, or keeping the Sabbath, nor by our own efforts; but denying ourselves daily, and letting ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit of God. We are a new creation (Gal.6: 14-15, 2 Corinthians 5: 17) in Christ.
For more information on sabbath you can check:
Sabbath – (Moving past the shadow of the Sabbath to enter into the abundance of God’s appointed rest.)
Saturday (Sabbath) or First Day of the Week
Only 9 of the 10 Commandments are repeated in the NT
119 Ministries Errors – And how questions are used as tactics.
Myth- The Book of Hebrews is Full of Errors
Sacred Name
Not all of Hebrew Roots agree with the Sacred name doctrine. Many of them say ‘Jesus’ is a pagan name that has been derived from the Greek god Zeus, but they have no etymology or historical references to support this supposition .
Where this doctrine came from? Around the 1930’s some sabbath keepers started the ‘Sacred Name’ movement, but more specifically emerged from an elder named Clarence Orvil Dodd from the Church of God Sabbatarian church known as Church of God (Seventh Day). In 1937, Dodd advocated not only use of the Sacred name, but also keeping of the feasts of Lev. 23. & made it public through a magazine called “The Faith”. Also helped in advancing the movement a disciple of Dodd named Angelo Traina. Sacred namers like Church of God 7th day & Jehovah’s Witnesses were started by William Miller’s followers. They claim that Christians because of their Greek pagan influences use the wrong name of God, which some claim is Yahweh, Yahwah, Yawveh, others say is Jehovah, Yehuwah, Yahuweh, etc. The main problem they encounter is that nobody knows for sure what the pronunciation of the sacred name was YHWH because Hebrew didn’t have the bowels at that time, neither among the Jewish people which for reverence & to avoid use it in blasphemous ways stop using His name and their common acceptance is to say “Adonai” Lord.
HR argues that the Hebrew words ‘Baal’ and ‘Adonai’ means ‘Lord‘ which are also Phoenician pagan gods, because of that to use the word “Lord’ in reference to God is blasphemy. But that word Lord is used all over the Scriptures, Old & New Testaments. Are the Scriptures full of blasphemy? of course not they are Holy Scriptures! Besides if that logic was correct then we couldn’t use the word ‘God‘, because it’s used also for false ‘gods’, or the word ‘King‘ in reference to God because Molech means ‘king’ and is the pagan god of the Moabites, or we couldn’t use the word ‘divine‘ in reference to God because Diana the pagan goddess means “divine or heavenly’, etc.
The Sacred Name Movement teaches that only “Yahweh” (or Jehovah, etc.) is to be used as the name for God and Yahushuah, Yehoshua, Yashua etc. is to be used as the name for Jesus if any other name is used then they consider it blasphemy or without power to save, answer prayers or deliver. This have serious implication & consequences since there is power & authority in the name of Jesus not only for salvation but it is also the mightiest weapons that we believers have to combat the powers of darkness. But an important part to consider is who is behind that name. We need to be saved & follow Jesus in order to have authority in His name to deliver from demonic bondage, we don’t have the power or authority over darkness on our own, He does. The name in its own doesn’t have magical powers & we cannot appropriate Jesus’ power and authority merely by invoking His name in a certain mystical way, the person of Jesus Christ the son of God is the only one who has authority over all in heavens & earth (Matt.28:18). The sons of a Jewish High Priest used Jesus name (or Yeshua according to HR) to exorcise “We command you to come out in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” the demons didn’t submit but attacked them (Acts 19:13-16).
He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God, to those who believed in His name,
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. Mark 1617
be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:10-12
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. John 5:23
The name of Jesus used in the Greek New Testament is “IESOUS” were the name of Jesus in English & every other language comes from. There is nothing wrong to use Jesus name in our own languages. We Christians have experienced salvation, deliverance, miracles, etc. in Jesus’ name. If someone wants to use His Hebrew name ‘Yeshua’ is ok, (Most Christians and Hebrew scholars agree that Jesus’ Hebrew name was Yeshua, which is a masculine noun that means “He saves” or “He is salvation” ) but this doesn’t mean because they use it, now all of the sudden they also have sound doctrine, or they are superior or that they should put the other believers down.
When HRM disputes that we need to have a Hebrew Mindset to understand the New Testament, this mindset is really just an imitation of Judaism. Sadly by following Judaism, we are really following those who deny Jesus as the Messiah, and not only that but we are following also their unbiblical sources of doctrine like Talmud, Midrash & Kabbalah (Zohar) that modern Judaism rely on.
They also claim the original Scriptures of the New Testament were not written in Greek but Hebrew, many HR say in Aramaic (as Talmud & Kabbalah) but they have not even one proof of this. The testimony of the Ante-Nicean Fathers (written way before the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church) was that the majority of the New Testament was written in Greek. In the time of Jesus was normal to speak more than one language, 3 common languages used were Greek, a form of Hebrew and Latin, the title Pilate put on the cross were in these 3 languages & said “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS ” (John 19:20).
HR teach that the translations of the Scripture were unreliable due to their lack of understanding of the Hebrew culture and language, so they have several translations of their own. By doing this they take the authority of the Scriptures away from us, like pulling the rug under our feet but before falling & hitting the floor they will catch us with their man made doctrines. All sects have their own bible translation, so this should be a red flag to you.
As we can see in this post and the next post, most of the Hebrew Roots movement doctrines come from the Church of God (Seventh Day). To be more specific their main doctrines come directly from an ordained minister of the Oregon Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day), Herbert W. Armstrong, who founded the ‘Radio Church of God’ and later after severing ties with leaders of his church he founded the sect of ‘Worldwide Church of God’.
Related Articles:
Claim – Jesus is just the pagan god Zeus
Jesus, the name above all Names
The Dangers of HRM/Sacred Name Movement