Scriptural Refutation of the Hebrew Roots Movement

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Christians have been persecuted since the first century by countless sects.  At times this persecution has come from other believers in Jesus. Such is the case with a rather new movement known as the Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM). This “movement” is quickly becoming popular among those who reject denominationalism or traditional Christianity. For those who are unfamiliar with this belief system, Hebrew Rooters believe that the traditional teachings of Christianity are misinterpretations which came to us from what they label as “the pagan Greeks” of the Early Church. Hebrew Rooters believer that one should keep the Law of Moses, specifically things such as the Biblical Feasts, observing the Saturday Sabbath, refraining from eating unclean meats, and using a Hebrew or Aramaic name for Jesus.  This “movement” is nothing more than an offshoot of already misguided sects such as the United Church of God and Seventh Day Adventist. However, since the HRM does not have a strict rule of belief (many pick and choose laws), it is more of a cult, so to speak, for those who are willing to jump on the bandwagon. Below are a few verses from the Bible that refute the beliefs of the HRM:

The Law of Moses

Followers of the HRM believe that the New Testament does not teach that the Law of Moses was fulfilled or bondage. Instead,  they believe that the Law is required to define sin and keep us on the path of righteousness. There are several problems with this idea; the first being that if the Law could keep us on the path of righteousness, Jesus would not have needed to come to Earth. As far as the Law not being bondage, the the New Testament, is very clear on this:

Galatians 4:21-26:
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman. 23 The son of the slave woman was born naturally, the son of the freeborn through a promise. 24 Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. 25 Hagar represents Sinai, a mountain in Arabia; it corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery along with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.

The Apostle Paul was very straight forward on his view of the Law. In Galatians 4, we see that Paul does in fact compare the Old Covenant to slavery or bondage. If the Law is not bondage, why does Paul use this example? Often I have found that the followers of the HRM confuse the Law of the Spirit (Christ Law) and God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) with the Law of Moses. However, it is clear from the Prophets of the Old Testament that God’s Laws were only the Ten Commandments and are separate from the Law of Moses. The Law of Christ sums up the Ten Commandments; loving others as yourself and loving God with all your heart. To prove that the Law of Moses and God’s Law are two different things, we can see in Deuteronomy that God’s Laws were written with his own finger and did not add anything further reqirements:

Deuteronomy 5:22:
These words the Lord spoke to all the assembly of you in the mountain out of the midst of the fire – [there was] darkness, blackness, storm, a loud voice – and he added no more, and he wrote them on two tables of stone, and he gave them to me. (Brenton’s LXXE)

The Mosaic Law is consistently called the “Law of Moses” or things “commanded by Moses” throughout the Bible, whereas God’s Laws are not labeled as such. We know from the Old Testament that the Israelites wished to turn back to Egypt. Due to their hard hearts, they made for themselves a golden calf while Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God, indicating their wish to be returned to slavery, along with their previous verbal complaints expressing this wish. As a result, the Law of Moses was then given to them as a “schoolmaster,” or harsh trainer (pedagogue) (Gal. 3:24) to train them. It can be seen as a type of bondage that was chosen by them. Man desired the physical observances and items (such as the Golden Calf) as this was what they were accustomed to in Egypt. Instead of sending them back to Egypt, God gave the Law to train the Israelites in the true worship he desired.. He placed the yoke of constant observances, rituals, etc on them to keep their minds on Him and to show them their their way, the old ways they had learned in Egypt, would never bring about their salvation or make them righteous. This idea can be found in the ancient writings of Judaism and early Christianity.

The HRM will often refute this idea claiming that it does not make sense that God brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and placed them back in bondage, however in Ezekiel 20:25 God says that he gave them Laws by which they could not live or could not “find life”.  Thus the Law of Moses had no purpose other than to restrain the ways in which the Israelites worshiped, to teach them about God and to wean them from idolatry. Most importantly it was a shadow of what was to come.

Furthermore, the definition of what is Law comes from man made ideas. Many in the HRM believe that the Law is only the first five books of the Bible as defined by Judaism. Protestants tend to define the Law in the same way. However, in the New Testament we find that there are many “Laws”. There is the Law of the Spirit or the Royal Law, the Law of Sin and Death, The Law of Moses with it’s ritual actions. And finally at times we simply read the words “the Law” which carries different meanings depending on the subject. If there were no other Laws aside from the Law of Moses, we would know that the word “law” always meant the Law of Moses. Yet, in the Gospel of John, we see that the Law of Moses is contrasted, as it is consistently called “their law” and “your law,”. In John 10:34, Jesus quotes from Psalm 82, saying, “Isn’t it written in your law that I said you are gods”.  Psalm 82 is not considered part of the “Torah” or book of the Law or Law of Moses.

Either way,  the Old Law is contrasted by Jesus’ commandments or the Law of the Spirit spoken of by the New Testament authors. The worship Jesus and the NT authors wrote about is the worship God required from the start. It was worship based on love:

John 13:34:I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

Galatians 5:22-23:
22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Ephesians 3:17:
17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love.

Jesus plainly tells us that love is the greatest of all commandments in the Bible. He says that we must love God with all of our hearts and love others as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39). If we love God, we love Jesus, and we love others as ourselves, then we cannot possibly intentionally sin and in turn break the “royal Law”.  Adultery is not committed out of love for your spouse. Neither is stealing from others or murder. If you love your parents you will not disrespect them or take them for granted. Love is the greatest of all commands, because actions that are sinful to God are impossible if we are truly loving towards him and others. Whereas the Law is based on ritual observances, that were to teach and train against idolatry, yet could not affect a real change in people as the Holy Spirit can.,

We know from the Old Testament that Israel backslide often. If they truly had love for God they would not have done this. Just as we can not truly follow and love God without the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul tells us that the Law cannot produce in us what the Law of the Spirit can:

Romans 8:2-5:2 For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit.

Philippians 3:5-9:
5 Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, 6 in zeal I persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless. 7 [But] whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God,depending on faith

Hebrews 7:11-22:
11 If, then, perfection came through the levitical priesthood, on the basis of which the people received the law, what need would there still have been for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not reckoned according to the order of Aaron? 12 When there is a change of priesthood, there is necessarily a change of law as well. 13 Now he of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, of which no member ever officiated at the altar. 14 It is clear that our Lord arose from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 For it is testified: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 18 On the one hand, a former commandment is annulled because of its weakness and uselessness, 19 for the law brought nothing to perfection; on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. 20 And to the degree that this happened not without the taking of an oath—for others became priests without an oath, 21 but he with an oath, through the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: “You are a priest forever'”—22 to that same degree has Jesus [also] become the guarantee of an [even] better covenant..

We can see from the Book of Hebrews that the Law was far from perfect and could not save,  nor make anyone righteous. On the other hand,  the Law of the Spirit is able to make us righteous in God’s eyes;  while enableing us to continue to live in righteousness and put of sins. Likewise,  Jesus  tells us that He is the only way to His Father. How then,  can we believe that we must practice something that the Bible distinctly says was lacking? Something that the Bible calls the “tutor”?

Paul clearly says that the Law was conceived of the flesh or by human means. As mentioned above, the Law of Moses was given after the creation of the Golden Calf. The Law then was given to be administered by humans for humans. The Law was a form of slavery. Paul says in Philippians that to him, the Law is useless when compared to knowing Jesus. What he learned as a Pharisee was nothing to him any longer; it was “dung.” It didn’t teach him love or to bear fruit for God, which is what Jesus taught. Clearly anyone attempting to become righteous by observing the Law will fail, as it does not have the same effect on our heart as knowing the Spirit. You spend your time following rituals and condemning others who do not, however how much time is spent caring for others and loving them? I have heard followers of the HRM say that this is love, that they want to teach people how to worship God through the Law. but in the process they call Christians ignorant, pagans, lead by the wrong spirit, etc. Are these words of love? They also condemn tithing among Christians since they claim that tithing is in the Old Law. Hypocitical isn’t it?  Paul takes up collect in the New Testament. The Early Church took money to care for orphans, the poor, widows. According to Time magazine, Christians give more to charity than any other group on the planet. How can anyone condemn something that is done out of love?

Christians do this because Jesus was charitable. If we follow Jesus, we do not need a Law to define sin for us nor do we need a Law to produce love within us. It is already there. We are to be led by the Spirit, not by the Law. They cannot go together, as one is by human means (human effort/ways of the flesh) and the other relies solely on the Spirit (Law of the Spirit/Way of Jesus). If we truly have faith in Jesus, we will produce the kind of fruit that God desires—the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit does take effort on our part, as it is produced from love, not from a ritual Law; this effort is what God seeks from us. He wants us to continually grow in learning to love. Jesus sparks love in your heart which produces a renewing change inside, something that cannot possibly happen through rituals.

The Abolishment of the Law of Moses

Another false teaching of the HRM is that Jesus did not see himself as abolishing the Law of Moses, but upholding it. They often cite Matthew 5:17-18 in an attempt to prove that Jesus did not abolish the law:

Matthew 5:17-18:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

The followers of the HRM stress the last part of verse 18. In their minds, since the earth still exists, then the Law of Moses stands. But what did Jesus really mean by this statement? He says he did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. We find in the Gospels that Jesus and the authors of the Gospels use the word “fulfill” very frequently, and it is mostly pointing to prophecies that Jesus “fulfilled.” What He obviously meant was, until everything in the Law (the first five books of Moses) and the prophets that point to Him has been fulfilled, Heaven and Earth will not pass away:

Luke 24:44:44 He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”

Jesus says He came to fulfill the law and the prophets, rather than destroy them, because He is asserting that they point to Him; He is the One spoken of to come. With His coming and life, they are one-by-one fulfilled. Pastors are correct in teaching that some things remain unfulfilled. There are still prophecies which haven’t been fulfilled and won’t be until Jesus’ second coming; thus the reason He says “until Heaven and Earth pass away.” This statement in Matthew has nothing to do with the ritual and sacrificial portions of the Law, but rather the prophecies within the Law, from Genesis forward. Jesus never once said that we need to keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved, In fact, He often corrected the Law of Moses:

Matthew 5:21-22:
21 “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

Matthew 5:27-28:
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:38-39:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.

Jesus corrects several other teachings, throughout the NT, found in the Law of Moses. Some will argue that He was not correcting what is actually written in the Old Testament, but rather correcting the Pharisee and Sadducee oral law. Two of the above examples, however, are part of the Ten Commandments, which were written by God, but had been misinterpreted by the Jews. The final example is written in the Old Testament:

Deuteronomy 19:21:
21 Thine eye shall not spare him: [thou shalt exact] life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Moses was a human mediator. It is within Jesus’ power, as the Son of God, to supersede or annul the commands of a human mediator, since He is our ultimate, divine mediator. However you view the Law of Moses, one thing we know for sure is if you are going to keep the Law you are bound to keep all of it, not only portions by picking and choosing as the HRM do:

Galatians 3:10:
10 For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law.”

The Book of Hebrews tells us that when there is a change in Priesthood there must be a change in the Law. However, if you are “Torah Observant” you must deny this statement, since the Law of Moses says that all Priest must come from the tribe of Levi. Therefore, Jesus cannot be the Priest/Mediator of anyone who is Torah Observant. It does not make sense to follow the Torah with that one exception for we know that if you follow the Law, you must follow the whole law.

What about Biblical Feasts?

When it comes to Biblical feasts, we know from the NT that Jesus only kept three; these three are found in Deuteronomy: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost. Jesus not only kept these three feast, but His death and resurrection completely changed how they were kept.

Many people do not know that the Jews kept Pentecost in honor of the day that the Law (Old Covenant) was given on Mt. Sinai. In the Book of Acts we are told that the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus on Pentecost. Therefore, the written law that was given on Mt. Sinai and was replaced by the “Helper” that Jesus promised that would write the law on our hearts on the same day.

Other traditions. such as Observing New Moons, comes from Babylon. The Hebrew word for New Moon in the Old Testament is Chodesh. This word actually means New Month. Abib 1 marked the New Year in the Hebrew version or in the more accurate Septuagint it is simply called “New Grain”. Later Babylonian names were adopted for the Jewish Calendar along with New Moon observances. Either way, New Grain was at one point the beginning of the first month of God’s calendar. Lunar months are only 29 1/2 days in length. In the Bible New Months would change by 30 day segments, not by Lunar intervals. We know this because the timeline of Noah’s flood is marked by 30 day intervals. The OT then uses a Solar Calendar and the Spring Equinox marked the beginning of the New Year or New Grain. Therefore it is obvious that God’s calendar was changed in favor of a pagan moon calendar. The Book of Jubilees mentions Lunar observances as an abomination to God:

Jubilees 6:34-38:
And all the children of Israel will forget and will not find the path of the years, and will forget the Months, and Seasons, and Sabbaths and they will go wrong as to all the order of the years. For I know and from henceforth will I declare it unto thee, and it is not of my own devising; for the book (lies) written before me, and on the heavenly tablets the division of days is ordained, lest they forget the feasts of the covenant and walk according to the feasts of the Gentiles after their error and after their ignorance. For there will be those who will assuredly “MAKE OBSERVATIONS OF THE MOON −how (it) DISTURBS THE SEASONS and comes in from year to year ten days too soon.For this reason the years will come upon them when they will Disturb (the order), and make an Abominable (Day) the Day of Testimony, and an Unclean Day a Feast Day, and they will confound all the days, the holy with the unclean, and the unclean day with the holy; for THEY WILL GO WRONG AS TO THE MONTHS AND SABBATHS AND FEASTS AND JUBILEES. For this reason I command and testify to thee that thou mayst testify to them; for after thy death thy children will disturb (them), so that they will not make the year Three Hundred and Sixty−Four Days Only, and for this reason they will go Wrong as to the Months and Seasons and Sabbaths and Festivals, and they will eat all kinds of blood with all kinds of flesh.

New Moons were used to calculate feast days by different sects including the Pharisees. We are taught in the Bible that God was burdened by these feast:

Isaiah 1:13-14:
13 Though ye bring fine flour, [it is] vain; incense is an abomination to me; I cannot bear your new moons, and your sabbaths, and the great day; 14 [your] fasting, and rest from work, your new moons also, and your feasts my soul hates: ye have become loathsome to me; I will no more pardon your sins.
Colossians 2:16:
16 Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or sabbath.

In the NT we read that the only feast the Disciples taught Christians to keep was Passover and Pentecost. However, in keeping these festival’s it is apparent that they only kept it for the resurrection and for the reception of the Holy Spirit or New Covenant. It appears that Hebraism of the Israelites had been abandoned and mixed into Babylonian practices which resulted in Judaism.

Christianity is Pagan

The followers of the HRM do not call themselves Christians. They teach that Christians are pagans, and Christianity is the product of pagan Greeks. The word “Christian” to them is comparable to a curse word. By calling yourself a Christian, you are considered ignorant and not a true follower of the Messiah.
The fact is, the word “Christian” is in the Bible (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16). It is also a historical fact that the followers of Jesus were called “Christians.” After all, the word Christian means “follower of Christ.” Along with the name Christians, they were also called “Nazarenes,” “followers,” or “followers of the Way;” all of these terms can be found in the Bible. Some claim that the NT must have been originally written in Hebrew, therefore the word “Christian” was likely inserted at a later time. However, the Greek texts we have today are quite old; some fragments date to within 20 years of Jesus’ death. There have never been any early manuscripts, or fragments, found written in Hebrew; as all are written in Greek. It is apparent that God chose to use the universal language of the Roman Empire to spread the Gospel.

To say that the word “Christian” is the product of paganism is to deny the Person that this word points to. If you are ashamed of calling yourself such, then you are ashamed of the Messiah. Likewise, if you deny the Early Church and label it pagan, then you are condemning and denying the device that God used to spread the Gospel all over the earth. Had it not been for the tireless hard work of the Apostle Paul, Peter, and the Early Church fathers, the Gospel would not have spread outside of Israel. However, because these mean fearlessly defended and taught about Jesus, even during severe persecution, how can anyone say they were pagans and the Church they built is not of God?

We know from history that during the first century Jesus’ followers were both Jews and Gentiles. As time went on, history also shows that many Jews began to deny Jesus; the Gentiles became the majority of the body of Christ. In the Bible, God says plainly that a New Covenant would be made with the Gentiles. The Bible also says that in Jesus’ name, the Gentiles shall trust. It is apparent that both of these prophecies were fulfilled in the Gentile followers of Jesus. The bottom line is God chose to extend His covenant to the Gentiles, which fulfilled the promise that was made to Abraham. God tells Abraham that He will make his decedents a great “nation.” The word for “nation” (Greek ethnos) in the Bible, is the same word translated “Gentiles.” As such, calling yourself a Christian is not the product of the pagan Church, it is the product of the fulfilled prophecy of God.

Jesus destroyed the law and the rituals observed by it. When the New Covenant was initiated it included Jews and Gentiles. The disagreements that erupted in the Early Church were over observances of Judaism. The requirements of becoming a follower involved Baptism, making a lifelong commitment, refraining from sin, and loving others. The Apostle Paul is clear that we do not have to become Jewish in order to follow Jesus. He actually insisted that we avoid following the customs of the Jews.

Sunday Worship

Sunday has been labeled as pagan sun worship by not only followers of the HRM, but by Atheists and Jews as well. The truth is, Sunday worship is in the Bible. However, teaching that a person must worship on a Saturday is not. The fact is, the Saturday Sabbath is not in the Bible. God called for day of rest on the Seventh Day. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Seventh day was Saturday. Based on verses in the Old Testament it appears that God’s rest was every Seventh Day counting from the first day of each month, not every Saturday. This would place God’s Seventh Day rest on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th of each month. Furthermore, the Early Church worshiped on Sunday—considered the Lord’s Day—from the start.
In the Bible we read that Jesus and His disciples taught at the synagogues on the Jewish Sabbath. However, in Jesus’ case, He did so in order to teach against what was being taught at the Temple. The Bible actually says that Jesus came to the Temple and taught every day, not just the Sabbath. In the Disciples case, they did so in order to teach about Jesus, as the synagogue is where a large crowd of people would be each week.

As for their practices when worshiping God, Jesus honored God continually, every second of every day, as did the authors of the NT. This would be what Justin Martyr referred to as Christians keeping a “perpetual Sabbath.”

Another point is that Jesus went over all of the commandments of God except for keeping the Sabbath. If the Sabbath were something that we can be condemned for not keeping, then why didn’t the one person, whom our salvation depends on, instruct us to keep this day? When speaking to the Pharisees about the Sabbath, Jesus said that He is Lord of the Sabbath. He also says that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. It was originally instituted for the hard-hearted Hebrews after they were taken out of Egypt. Had God not commanded them to observe the Sabbath, they would have never taken a day to worship God.
We know from history that the Early Church considered Sunday to be the Lord’s Day. Even in the Bible, the first day of the week is called the Lord’s Day. Therefore, if Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath and Sunday is the Lord’s Day, we know that Jesus’ death and resurrection initiated not only a change in Law, but also a change in the Sabbath. This brings us back to the Noahide Laws, which cover everything in the Ten Commandments except for keeping the Sabbath. In the Bible Paul says not to judge one person over the next on the days they choose to honor God, whether it is one day specifically or every day:

Romans 14:4-6:
4 Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 [For] one person considers one day more important than another, while another person considers all days alike. Let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the Lord. Also whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while whoever abstains, abstains for the Lord and gives thanks to God.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, His followers began keeping Sunday in His honor. They would get together and celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday morning. We find evidence for this in the Bible:

Acts 20:7:
7 On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread, Paul spoke to them because he was going to leave on the next day, and he kept on speaking until midnight.

It is argued that this verse is not referring to the Christian practice of celebrating the Eucharist on Sunday. However,  in the Early Church, “breaking bread” was the Eucharist.

Lastly, if Sunday worship is of pagan origin, the Saturday Sabbath would be also. Many Jewish Scholars admit that their calendar is off; therefore, they are uncertain of what day the Sabbath originally fell on. Some believe it was Wednesday, while others say Friday or Sunday. In Ancient times, Saturday was honored by many pagan cults for the planet Saturn. Thus, if someone wishes to claim that Sunday is pagan because ancient pagans worshiped the sun on this day, they need to understand that Saturday worship is stemmed from paganism and Saturn worship, condemning it as well.
(For more on Sunday Worship see Is it wrong to Worship on Sunday?)

Jesus’ name

Another major problem with this teaching is the names HRM adherents insist upon using are not in the Bible. Many of these names come from ancient pagan deities (see). For example, the name Yah (often used for God by HRM adherents) is an ancient Egyptian god of the new moon. Others such as Yahshua, as a replacement for Jesus, aren’t found anywhere in history. This name is based on nothing but an attempt to tie the name, Yah with a name for Jesus. Most “Torah Observers” cannot agree among themselves which name to use; those who claim to be prophets of the HRM come out with different names all the time. This is why so many different versions of what they believe Jesus’ name to be, can be found among them. Jesus’ Hebrew name was Yeshua, not Yahshua, Yahushua, or any other new name. If you wish to call Him by His Hebrew name, Yeshua would be the name you should use.

The name Jesus, however, is also correct, since it is His name in English. Despite the myths, this name is simply a transliterated form of Yeshua. If someone attempts to convince you that Jesus is a form of Zeus or any other pagan name, investigate this claim before believing them. You will easily find that this is nothing more than a lie with zero historical evidence to back it up. Followers of the HRM will sometimes use the argument that since the letter “J” did not exist until about 500 years ago, this makes name Jesus incorrect. The problem with this argument is that those who are against the name Jesus (based on a letter), do not have any problem with other words that are not spelled with the letter “J,” such as “Jewish” or “Judaism.” It seems that if the letter “J” is wrong, then calling someone “Jewish” or calling yourself a “follower of Judaism” or “Messianic Judaism” would likewise be wrong. If the followers of the HRM wish to prove that the name Jesus is wrong based on a letter, then they should use the proper Hebrew terms for Jews, Judaism, and Jewish themselves, however most do not.

The bottom line is that the HRM teaches people to deny the name that God has spread all over the world. Depending upon which country you are from, the name Jesus will be pronounced almost the same according to your language, meaning that God spread this name with reason. Hence the reason this name is hated and persecuted by Satanist, Jews, and Atheist. Why should we follow suit and deny the name that is known throughout the world? Remember, God said He and His Son would be known by everyone on Earth. If no one has known or used Jesus’ correct name in over 1900 years, then what was prophesied did not occur, and God’s purpose failed. It seems that the followers of the HRM base almost all of their doctrines on the premise that God failed. Even if they do not word it in this way, it is basically what they are saying in the end. Further, the Bible tells us that by belief in his name we will be saved:

Matthew 10:22:
22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.

John 3:18:
18 Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Romans 10:10-12:
10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 For the scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.

From the writings of the Early Church fathers, we find that they did not make a fuss over names:

Christians in prayer do not even use the precise names that divine Scripture applies to God. Rather, the Greeks use Greek names. The Romans use Latin names. And everyone prays and sings praises to God as best he can in his mother tongue. For the Lord of all the languages of the earth hears those who pray to Him in each different languages. Origen (A.D. 240) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.4 pg. 653 (for more on God or Jesus’ name in the Early Church see God’s Name)

If Jesus is the wrong name, how many people have not been saved because they called upon the wrong name? Likewise if there is no difference between Greek or Jew, then there is no difference in what name you call Jesus in your language or culture. Therefore,  we do not have to say His name in Hebrew. We are all the same, His followers. The name you choose to use still points to the same Messiah of the Bible. It is the Person that matters, the life He lived, the teachings He taught us to follow, the death mankind subjected Him to, and belief in His resurrection that count. Preference of one name over another is nothing more than petty. As long as the name you choose leads back to Him and it is not any form of a false deity’s name, then it is fine.

The HRM can be likened to the “Synagogue of Satan” in the Book of Revelation. They are promoting denial of the name of God’s Son. They claim they are Jews, however, most are “Gentiles.” We read in Revelation about men who were calling themselves Jews and persecuting the Church at Philadelphia:

Revelation 3:8-9:
8 “I know your works (behold, I have left an open door before you, which no one can close). You have limited strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the assembly of Satan who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying, behold I will make them come and fall prostrate at your feet, and they will realize that I love you, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

We understand from this verse that the Church at Philadelphia did not deny Jesus’ name, however they were being persecuted by those who claimed to be “Jews.” Jesus says He will show them that He has loved this Church. Philadelphia in the Early Church was one of the Early Catholic Churches. During Constantine’s time it became one of the centers of Christianity. Therefore, this Church was a Gentile/Greek Church. We know that followers of the HRM persecute Christians, bash the name Jesus, plus they condemn the Early Greek Church. Since we also know that followers of the HRM cannot agree upon a name anyhow, their claims about the name Jesus is hypocritical. Again, they are basically saying that God failed. If the name that is known throughout the world as the son of God is wrong, then God’s purpose in sending Him failed.

Conclusion

The bottom line is the HRM is not Biblically based in any New Testament teachings. The most hardcore adherents of the HRM are nothing more than legalistic cults rather than spiritual followers. The beliefs and doctrines of these typically consist of persecution of Christians, manipulation, and misrepresentation of the Bible. These tend to insist that Jesus’ followers must follow specific laws of the Old Testament. This is what the Apostle Paul called Judaizing, where salvation depends on ritual actions of the flesh rather than spiritual actions of the heart. Like Atheist, they seek to destroy the name Jesus and the Church He built. “Torah Observers” normally cannot answer questions; instead they prefer to speak. If you wish to speak or question them too much they become easily agitated. This is not being said to sound harsh, it is simply the truth. This is another reason why they are similar to Atheist. They typically won’t tolerate you for long if they realize that you are not buying into their doctrines. Once you pose serious questions towards them and present evidence against their belief they normally cut you off or resort to pitying you or insulting your intelligence. They also seek out and prey upon those who are currently lost or those who are disappointed in their Church or in Protestant Christianity. There are many people out there who believe every myth they hear about Christians or Christianity, leading them to feel betrayed or confused. These are the people the HRM adherents prey upon. They teach people that they have the key to finding God without all of the “Christian lies” and “Pagan practices.” The fact is they are not following God; they are denying every device God used to build the Church. They misinterpret the Bible in favor of what they want to believe, which makes them feel superior to others. Jesus taught us that to be saved we must believe in Him, love God with all our hearts, and love others as ourselves. Experience with these groups will quickly reveal that most do not adhere to these commandments; instead they prefer Moses over Jesus. They have felt the hurt and confusion created by denominationalism and they fully believe that they have found the Early Church. However in believing in this way they end up persecuting and denying the Early Church in favor of conspiracy theories and myths of some form of Jewish Church of the 1st century that did not exist.