The Hebrew Roots Movement: A critical analysis of its origins, teachings & biblical interpretations

by Rubén Gómez

(Every HRM adherent I have ever engaged with began their journey by doubting or even turning their back on the teachings of the mainstream Christian Church.)

“destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5).

We aren’t all called to express our faith in Jesus in the exact same way. There is freedom in Christ. But steps must be taken when that freedom is abused and begins encumbering fellow Christians with unbiblical burdens. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1).

putting to shame those who follow “traditional” Christianity and waving the flag of moral and spiritual superiority afford an undisputed victory. No one listens.

my Messianic Jewish friends, who are so close to my heart, are often mistakenly lumped together with the followers of Hebrew Roots. This is not only unfair but patently wrong, as we shall see.

misguided fervor and proselytism displayed by those who are convinced that they have found in the HRM the restoration of the true biblical faith and who, at the same time, are fiercely criticizing those beliefs that they once held dear as part of the Christian Church.

whether it is heretical (and some of its manifestations fall undoubtedly outside the camp of Christian orthodoxy) or it is merely another “denomination” or religious group, what cannot be ignored is the fact that we are facing a tremendously aggressive and very active movement on social media, which creates a multitude of divisions and conflicts in many evangelical congregations.[1]

Chapter 5 explains the difference between HRM and Messianic Judaism,

The tension between law and grace is not something new within Christianity.

This has resulted in different Christian denominations historically taking different positions on the spectrum ranging from pronomianism (in favor of the law) to antinomianism (against the law), that is, between those who defend that Christians must still follow the Law of the Old Testament in some way and those who maintain that it is no longer applicable as such in the lives of believers after the death of Jesus.

We could define the HRM as an attempt to recover the roots of the faith of the 1st century Church, based on the Judaism prevalent at the time, and to apply the principles of Torah[7] to all areas in the life of believers, whether they be Jews or not.[8] Thus, we find three basic premises: a) The Christian church has strayed from its original purity over the centuries because it has abandoned the cultural matrix of the first century and has been decisively influenced by the Greek language and culture. b) It is impossible to dissociate the biblical message from the language, mentality, and culture in which it was born (that is, the Hebrew/Jewish world). Every attempt to place it in a different frame of reference furthers the corruption and paganization of biblical faith. c) The Law of God (the Torah) is to be universally applied.

the NT claims that believers have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), not a Hebrew mindset.

be mindful of the linguistic and cultural context of biblical revelation (which also includes the Greco-Roman and not just the Hebrew), and quite another that its message cannot or should not be applied to a different environment. The reality is that faith and how we live it must be adapted to the culture in which it is practiced.

Secondly, biblical principles transcend their original mold. Otherwise, they would not be exportable and would remain merely a manifestation of local beliefs and way of life, anchored to a specific historical period and geographical location.

Undoubtedly, not everything in HRM is false and harmful. For something to be credible and attractive, there must always be elements of truth. The significant problem is that the exaggerated reaction to those things that are considered wrong within traditional Christianity leads, in turn, to severe errors.

when faith is mentioned in this context, it is interpreted as “walking in obedience” or “walking according to the Torah.”

This two house theology (also known as the Ephraimite movement) is essential to understanding HRM. The internal logic is clear: since all believers are ultimately Israel, they are all equally obligated to follow the same law.

The HRM rejects the notion that non-Jewish believers are Gentiles.

Even though the Lord has always wanted to preserve the distinction between Israel and the nations throughout History and that there are boundary markers that belong exclusively to the Jews and do not, therefore, concern the rest of the world (the Gentiles), the HRM teaches that, since all believers have become Israel, we are all inexcusably bound to abide by the same commandments and covenant signs.

The restoration of the holy name of YHWH, Yeshua, and other transliterated words. The use of translated or transliterated forms of divine names is considered clear evidence of paganism. Some even go so far as to claim that one can only be saved by using the correct name of the deity (the one they deem to be the right one, which every group only sometimes shares with other groups within the movement).

The rejection of any traditions coming from Babylon or Rome. By tradition, we must understand fundamentally the feasts of Passover and Christmas, which the HRM erroneously associates with paganism. Still, depending on the strand of Hebrew roots, we should include many others (in some cases, the doctrine of the Trinity itself or the canon of sixty-six books, for example).

His character and will are eternal, but the law of Moses is not eternal: it had a beginning (hundreds of years after the Lord called Abraham; cf. Gal 3:17). Not only that: parts of it were clearly for a specific period and were destined to die out in the future (e.g., the ceremonial aspects of it, when Israel found itself without a temple or a priesthood, or civil norms that only applied to a nomadic/theocratic people, when it settled in the land or, later on, when it was deprived of it and lived in exile). Jesus Christ fulfilled the Torah perfectly, and we are now subject to him, not the Mosaic law (Gal 6:2b).

to reach anti-biblical conclusions such as that the law of Moses is eternal or perfect (or that Jesus is the embodiment of Torah!).

the NT are frequently translated back from Greek into Hebrew or Aramaic in an attempt to prove that the law (in Gr., nomos) refers to the law of Moses, as do expressions such as “the commandments of God” (1 Co 7:19; Rev 12:17; 14:12), which, I repeat once again, refer to the unchangeable principles of the Lord’s will and not to the temporary provisions of it.

the law of Moses is not intended for all nations. In Ex 19:3, God tells Moses, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel.” This typical Hebrew parallelism suggests that these words and laws, in the form of stipulations given to Israel at the Sinaitic covenant, only apply to Israel as they are the chosen people, distinct from “the nations.”

The “one law for all” notion is false. The HRM makes a great deal of the position of the foreigner that dwelt among the Israelites (Ex 12:48-49),[13] but seems to conveniently forget what the NT teaches about the difference between Jews and Gentiles (e.g., Acts 15, where Gentiles are required to observe only four basic universal ethical norms, not the Torah; or Gal 5:3, where it is indicated that if a man is circumcised [by the context we know that it refers to a Gentile], he is obliged to keep the whole law; Gal 4:10, where it is considered that returning to the observance of specific dates is a step back concerning the original call to faith; or Col 2:16-17, which states that one should not judge others [again alluding to the Gentiles] for the non-observance of laws specific to Jews).

Yes, it is an obedient faith that produces works (Acts 26:20; James 2:17), although it is nowhere required to keep the law of Moses, but the commandments of Jesus (which, by the way, raise the bar of the law in all respects). Who is Israel?

The notion of identity[14] is of vital importance for HRM.

One of the first conversation starters with adherents of this movement revolves around the mist...

According to Hebrew rooters, the only solution is to identify as a genuine member of Israel, leave the Christian denominations, and practice Torah. This explains why Christians are constantly urged to leave a religious system (the Church, indistinctly called Egypt, Babylon, or Rome) they consider apostate and corrupt.

Cult or New Religious Movement? Properly speaking, we should not call the HRM a cult,

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that, in many cases, cultish attitudes[17] are the order of the day.

It is, therefore, advisable to be cautious in our language use and consider each case in particular.

the HRM exhibits specific cultic trends. Among them, we can point out the following five: Group jargon.

the use of Hebrew words interspersed when speaking or writing in English.

A feeling of exclusivity.

Concealment of certain “advanced” doctrines.

To the outside, a natural and respectable image is given (keeping the Sabbath and festivals, for example), but detailed information is reserved for the initiated,

Lack of accountability. The absence of an objective system of checks and balances.

Control over outside information. Due to the us-versus-them or siege mentality and the lack of critical thinking, people are often discouraged from seeking information or perspectives from anyone outside the group.

Warning signs[20]

Someone claims to be the sole possessor of a knowledge hidden or forgotten for much of human history.

A hypercritical spirit towards others, with no intention of correcting things or building bridges.

The central discourse revolves around how badly others are doing, and no positive proposals are made.

This looks like: flee the christian churches, take your ball and go home, there is no hope just start anew with the distinct Judaism flavor. Sounds familiar!

Apparent symptoms of isolation, while personal relationships are breaking down under the pretext of remaining faithful to certain beliefs.

The apostate and fragmented Christian church, with its thousands of denominations, has stolen our identity,

If we are to judge by the demographics of those who make up the bulk of the HRM, they would be, on the one hand, non-Jewish believers who are relatively well-educated and show much spiritual curiosity, searching for something more than they feel they have received in their previous faith communities (truth-seekers). They are nonconformist and highly motivated individuals who often come from Neo-Pentecostal or Charismatic congregations and are eager to deepen their faith and study the Bible. All this, which could initially be considered advantages, becomes a significant problem when misdirected. On the opposite side, we find many leaders and even more grassroots believers, who lack solid biblical-theological training. These have been and continue to be easy prey for this type of false teaching, as they are completely disarmed by a lot of zeal and a little knowledge that seems fascinating to them and to which they do not know how to react. There

However, the best remedy against misuse or abuse is proper use, not falling into extremes of one kind or another.

Finally, the abuses of a light version of Christianity and cheap grace have awakened in some a desire to study the Scriptures more deeply and express obedience to the Lord more tangibly through committed discipleship, something these groups take advantage of to promote a return to the Law.

The solution lies in preaching “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), living transformed lives in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Eph 5:18) and testifying, both individually and as a community, of “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Finally,