I read an interesting article on dangers of the Hebrew Roots movement -
https://answersingenesis.org/presuppositions/dangers-hebrew-roots-movement/
The article points out that followers of the Hebrew Roots movement believe that all believers in Christ are obligated to follow Jewish laws and practices from the books of Moses. In some groups, extrabiblical rabbinic teachings and traditions are elevated (if not in official doctrinal beliefs then in practice) to the same level as Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Although they often speak of
keeping the “law,” they are usually inconsistent in how this is understood and defined. For example, certain laws are either broken or neglected while
a great deal of attention is placed on keeping the Sabbath (Friday sunset through Saturday sunset) and celebrating the feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23. Hmm.. that sounds very familiar.
The article went on to say that many of the most serious errors of the Hebrew Roots movement stem from its understanding of certain biblical covenants. Chief among these understandings is the notion that “the law” was intended to be binding on all people throughout history. Part of the rationale behind this notion stems from certain statements from Jesus.
The Hebrew Roots movement makes much of the fact that Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law and that he stressed the importance of keeping commandments. In their view, this means that the law must still be in force today—even on Gentiles, although they were not under the law in Old Testament times (
Ephesians 2:11–13). That also sounds very familiar.
Somehow they seem to overlook or interpret the last part of
Matthew 5:17 in a much different way than Christians have typically done. Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. By living a sinless life (
2 Corinthians 5:21), and then dying as the ultimate sacrifice, our Passover (
1 Corinthians 5:7), Jesus Christ fulfilled the law (
Colossians 2:14). This is why the Apostle Paul confidently wrote that those who have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ are
“not under the law” (
Romans 6:14,
7:4;
Galatians 5:18).
Furthermore, it is
highly questionable to assume that Jesus had the Mosaic Law in mind when he told the disciples to keep his commandments. Earlier in the same evening,
he commanded the disciples to love one another (
John 13:34),
and he gave them several commands during his ministry that are not spelled out in the Mosaic law. It is far more likely that Christ’s words in John 14:15 referred to these instructions.
The article also goes on to say that the Gospel does not depend on the works of the Law. In
Colossians 2, Paul explained that the Colossian believers, who were of the uncircumcision (i.e., Gentiles) had been “circumcised with a circumcision made without hands” having been saved “through faith in the powerful working of God” (
Colossians 2:11–12). This circumcision made without hands refers to a circumcision of the heart, which comes through the Spirit (
Romans 2:25–29).
The previous paragraph laid the framework for what Paul told these Gentile believers next. “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (
Colossians 2:16–17). As we have already seen in Acts 15 and Galatians, the early churches often consisted of contingents of both Jews and Gentiles, and they struggled with the dynamic of Gentiles being “brought near by the blood of Christ” (
Ephesians 2:13).
Many of the Gentile believers had been told that they need to believe in Jesus and follow some or all of the Mosaic law. B
ut, as he did in Galatians, Paul rejected such a view and told these Gentiles not to let anyone judge them if they did not follow Jewish customs, such as the dietary laws, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.
Amazingly enough, Hebrew Roots movement teachers flip the meaning of
this verse on its head, claiming that Paul is telling them not to let anyone judge them for now keeping these practices.
Such an interpretation is exactly the opposite of what Paul stated. The whole thrust of the passage is that a person is saved by faith alone and not by human effort, such as legalism. Another familiar argument.
Very interesting article! The article also mentions that it is difficult to document the movement’s history because of its lack of organizational structure, but the modern Hebrew Roots movement has been influenced in some ways by
Seventh-Day Adventism and the Worldwide Church of God during the lifetime of its founder, Herbert W. Armstrong. That explains a lot!