I am sure many are rejoicing with great glee at this news, but for those of us who have been down this path, it’s heartbreaking to hear. The CEO of World Net Daily has come out as a stated follower of the Hebrew Roots Movement, calling one of its most prominent teachers his “pastor”, and selling the movement’s books in the online store.
As I listened to Joseph Farah begin the description of his journey in a recent interview, I heard him explain the very same quandary my husband and I were in nearly two decades ago. We could not reconcile the the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments given to Israel with traditional Christianity. We asked God some questions, and we proceeded forward on His answers. Yes, Saturday is the Sabbath! Then we discovered the other 603 commands. What we didn’t do was ask the right questions. He didn’t give us answers to questions we didn’t yet know how to ask, but allowed us to learn as we walked. For many years we believed we were in the truth and those who had “just Jesus”, but not the right Law, were lesser Christians. Many speculated that if you had the correct Jesus (who never went by that name incidentally) you would observe the Torah. It gradually became a definition of a real Christian for us (but we didn’t claim to be Christians anymore either)… demanding different fruit than the Holy Spirit gives. And the genuine fruit of the love of Christ in our lives, sadly lacking as well.
God finally and dramatically revealed to us what the Sabbath and the Law meant, and our relationship to it. He had let us experience the alternative with full force, but when we were finally able to listen, we found humility, grief, and shock that we had missed what was so simply in front of our eyes. But only He was able to show us.
The real root of the HRM is not about being like Jesus, but is rather a misunderstanding of the role of Law for those in Christ (we are dead to it, and alive to the Law of the Spirit in Jesus – a higher law… see Romans 6-8) and the misunderstanding of Gentile believers becoming part of Israel instead of “in Christ” as the One New Man, together with our Israelite brothers and sisters. See this article about who we are really grafted into. The paradigm and premise drawn by the HRM is at complete odds with the true witness of Christ (when He is allowed to speak for Himself) and the entire New Testament. This explains why so many take the logical step and just convert to Judaism. As one Jewish believer in Jesus stated…
It is my observation that among those adapting Jewish customs Christians who leave Jesus far outnumber Jews who turn to Him.
He blessed us with an interview for the post End Time Judaizers and his story is also shared here (Jewish Believer’s Testimony) with a free download!
Farah sounds so sincerely convinced. I know he is because I’ve been there. But I also know without a shadow of a doubt that he is knocking on a door with death on the other side. It breaks my heart to see anyone falling into this, let alone someone who has influence over so many other sincere, God-loving people.
Friends, we must be like those on the mountain with Jesus when He revealed His glory. . Moses and Elijah disappear, and we see JESUS ONLY. “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him!” This is the voice of the Father. He does not point us to Moses, but to Christ.
I plead with the readers of World Net Daily to see our testimony, and the in-depth research of the others on my Resource Page above. But most of all, I pray you see Jesus only, not the counterfeit that seeks to bring all people under an obsolete covenant that had a distinct beginning, and found its end in Jesus. (Galatians means exactly what it sounds like it means!) I am one voice, rescued from a ship destined to sink, begging you not to board. If you do, I pray that it will only serve to later enable you to see Jesus like you have never seen Him before. I am so thankful this was true for us.
Coming soon!
I will post the testimony of my 18 year old son who “grew up” in the Sabbatarian/Hebrew Roots atmosphere. He has only recently begun to share with me the reality he lived in, and it grieved me greatly to learn what I put my kids through without realizing it. I am so thankful for his love for Christ in spite of what we put him through. God is merciful!!! Stay tuned!
8thDay4Life 
I know what you mean. I never got that deep into the actual practice but it took over my mind. It grieves me deeply.
You said: “Farah sounds so sincerely convinced. I know he is because I’ve been there. But I also know without a shadow of a doubt that he is knocking on a door with death on the other side. ”
So obeying God brings death?
That’s not what my Bible says. My Bible says DISobeying God brings death; otherwise known as “sin”.
Are you really pleading with people to sin by willfully breaking God’s commandments?
2 Cor 3. Thanks for reading!! 🙂
I don’t see how 2 Corinthians proves your point about obeying God bringing death or explains why you’re pleading with people to disobey God’s Law. Scripture says that obeying God brings LIFE, not death. You are contradicting Scripture with your rhetoric.
Why are you pleading with people to disobey God?
But, dear friends, the “law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” does not break the Law. It writes it on our heart! The rituals that He fulfilled and that foreshadowed Him, don’t have to be practiced anymore. But, when one is truly in love with Jesus, the thought of hurting Him hurts us more than ever. So, rather than disobedience to God, it is obeying Him from the depths of a heart of love.
2 Cor. 3, 4, and 5 had the same impact on me. “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ.” Is that awesome!! Since Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God and the One He sent, Paul’s verses in 2 Cor., are saying we can know our wonderful God by getting so close to Jesus we see His face. No wonder His commands are not grievous!
I would so earnestly plead with any who read this post, to read 8thday4life’s other posts. They are life changing. Freedom and life! A believer’s focus changes from keeping rules to following our “Well Beloved.”
JeanBob.. my answer is brief because engaging in debate here never gets anywhere. The answer to your question, including what defines obedience to God for those who are in Christ (not the temporary contract given to one nation) is fully explained throughout this blog, and also at Joyfully Growing in Grace. The law IS the “ministry of death”. That was its purpose. Never to give life.
Additionally, (in another sense) so many I have known who have fallen into Judaism from this position and have found death. Separation from Christ. This is the door that placing the Law as equal to, or above Christ leads to for so many. I myself found an agonizing spiritual desert.. that felt like death. When I cried out to God, even though I thought I was TOTALLY RIGHT in my beliefs, He delivered me. Blessings!
Gal 2:18,19 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
Focusing our faith on the law is definitely disobeying the Father, after He gave us Jesus.
So what was once obedience is now disobedience? Right is now wrong? Good is now evil?
Sounds like a lie from the enemy himself. They have a word for it now; it’s called “relativism”.
Unless you stone Sabbath breakers and children who curse their parents, or fail to go to Jerusalem to sacrifice in a temple that no longer exists, you also must develop your own form of relativism. Unless you look to Christ alone you will never understand the difference between the Law of Moess and the Law of Christ. I know it makes no sense at all if the law is the hub your entire belief system turns on.
But the desire to obey… if it comes from your love for Him is a good thing. I pray He shows you that he wants more from you than observances. To love your enemy, to love each other as He loved us – to show mercy as He showed mercy, these are things we cannot obey if all we have is the Old Covenant Law. Jesus brought something so much more demanding that we could never deceive ourselves into thinking we could “keep these from our youth” as one person Jesus met claimed. When we see Him, and what He asks, we cry, “Be merciful to me.. a sinner.” And we have to rest in the promise that for those who believed on His Name… rivers of living water would flow from us to others. The obedience to His level of love can only come from Him flowing through us… and we could never boast of this obedience.
So in other words, you’re telling me that your Scripture contradicts my Scripture, and you’re okay with that. Sorry, but I’m not. The hub my belief system turns on is the principle of NON-contradiction and the test of a false prophet given in Deuteronomy 13. Most pastors and teachers in today church fail the Deut 13 test miserably.
I cannot accept any theological paradigm that contradicts Deut 13 or violates the principle of non-contradiction. Sorry.
There is no contradiction, but as you wish. In order for you to maintain your position there must be a contradiction. If someone gave your great grandmother an automatic washing machine do you think she would insist on keeping the tub and washboard? No. She would gladly take the machine that would do what she was trying to do already without all the work. Would she declare that the new one was a contradiction to her old one? :). You seem to be stuck on reiterating your point without really hearing mine. And this is my last response. You may have the last word if you wish.
All the major prophets (and many of the minor ones as well) prophesied that one day the Old Covenant would be replaced. Jeremiah’s (Ch 31) “behold the days are coming…” are the most thrilling words we could hear!! Isaiah said the Servant would Himself be the New Covenant, and that Gentiles would come to His light! Ezekiel said the new covenant would be everlasting.
So sorry if I sound argumentative. I know, JeanBob, that you are zealous for God and His word. But Jesus is the Word!! He doesn’t contradict. He fulfills! Just keep looking at Him, and He will bless your earnestness.
Jesus is the answer. He is the Grace that fulfills the law.
Thanks for your blog. JeanBob is reiterating all the arguments that got me (and many others) into Torah Observance, but I praise the Father for leading me out of it, as He has led you. At the time I was blown away by the thought that all I had been taught was wrong. I was determined to follow the Torah because I thought that was what I had to do to show God I loved Him. I was desperate to find the truth. The light turned on when I realised that Truth is a Person – if we follow Him and abide in Him, He will teach us and show us the right way. I read Romans again and understood that in Christ I have DIED to the law. I also saw the fruit of Torah observance in the lives of others; what was most disturbing was how some people rejoiced when disasters occurred or even prayed for the Creator to bring judgment on others. The love of the Messiah was not evident. The message of Galatians is obvious, especially when read as a whole.
A little point that I’ve noticed – why did Paul stay away from Jerusalem for so long after he had the vision on the road to Damascus? If he was completely Torah observant after his conversion (as some claim) he would have made sure he was at the Temple at the right times every year.
Am looking forward to your son’s post.
YES! Truth is a Person! (have you seen the movie Furious Love?) It is not a weapon… it is a person. I also used those same arguments, and no believer anywhere told me the things that the Spirit later showed us. It alarms me that so few Christians understand the place of the Law, and the covenants. The 10C have been elevated in Christian thinking to a place that leaves them very vulnerable to those who would correctly bring attention to the fact that traditional Christianity does not keep the 4th commandment. What never seems to enter people’s minds is that it was never commanded to in the first place. From there… people decide just how much law they want to keep, but it’s interesting no one can really keep it all. They start to argue about what, how, when, and where, and all have their reasonings around the parts they can’t do. But in the end, the Law is what cannot bend.. even if it has to reinvent Jesus and discredit the entire New Testament. When the Law becomes god… you lose Jesus. He is first ignored and becomes more uninteresting, then non-essential for teaching except for Matt. 5:11, then no longer God, then not even the Messiah. My husband nearly went all the way down that road. The fruits you mention – yes. We had become hard and condemning too. I tried near the end to bring in the witness of the persecuted church and I heard the most bigoted remarks. Torah was the answer for everything… and if they were keeping the Law… maybe they wouldn’t be suffering so much. People who are dying, and watching their own children die, for Jesus. If I needed any more convincing at that point (which I did not)… that would have been the last straw. Thank you for your comments and fellowship in the Truth!!
(And yes I believe you are onto something there with Paul and his not going up to worship. He stayed away for years at a time when his ministry to Gentiles began I believe. We made so much out of the fact that He was trying to get to Jerusalem at one point for a feast. But Paul didn’t make a big deal out of it to anyone.. and I can think of several reasons why he would go, that do not include an obligatory observance.)
“when the law becomes god… You lose Jesus?”
Sorry I’m struggling with all this recently – isn’t Jesus the Word become flesh? If I want to know how I should behave once saved, shouldn’t I look at the embodiment of the law, Jesus Himself? The thing is that I WANT to imitate Jesus as much as I can, but find fences placed around certain elements of his lifestyle that I’m not allowed to imitate at the risk of losing my salvation. Very confusing. Particularly when I consider the possibility of teaching in the future… If I teach people to relax or break the commandments because they don’t apply, would I be obeying Jesus, who I love, or twisting his words? I seriously worry about this. Why would he say that?
The other thing I worry about is the “temporary covenant”. Why would God call the commands perpetual or eternal in the first place? I understand the concept of dying with Christ, but I’m still left with my desire to go on imitating him.
Last thing, but related – Can we use Galatians 1 to refute Mormon additions to the gospel, and not expect Jewish people to refute changes to definitions of righteousness when they were told the commands were eternal and to watch for anyone who came and told them otherwise? I know these would be things you’ve thought about and resolved so I’m eager for your response – even if you have a link to a good article.
Hi Daniel,
You seem to have the honest heart of a seeker of truth. I completely understand your desire to imitate Christ. This was also our initial motivation, in the beginning.. (have you read our testimony yet?) If this is your sincere desire, you will find the answers.
* How did it come to be that people believe Jesus is equal to and synonymous with Torah? Is this the witness of Jesus and the apostles? The verse in John about “the Word” is greatly misapplied.
* I do not mean to say that it is forbidden for you to practice Torah observance, if this makes you happy (I really loved it, but like I said, totally lost sight of the heart of what Christ taught and His mission and HIS commands)… Paul allows for both observance and NON-observance.. in the Jewish sense. The part the HRM will not accept is the freedom to not observe which is what distinguishes it as the same falsehood Paul was trying to address in Galatians.
* God’s foundational principles are eternal… the Sinai covenant with one nation.. was temporary. This is the clear teaching of Hebrews and Galatians, if we in fact accept them as scriptural authority. Many I know have decided they are not scriptural, Hebrews was not supposed to be in the cannon, and Paul a false teacher. I do not subscribe to this, but see the Holy Spirit in these teachings continuing to elaborate on the meaning of what Jesus did. Jesus Himself said in John, “There are many more things that I wish to tell you but you cannot bear them now but when the Spirit of truth comes…” Do we trust the Spirit or the Sinai revelation only? Our “New Covenant Position Letter” on a page above goes into greater detail.
* Galatians was not written for Mormons (altho still applicable in a way). It was written for a church experiencing the same attacks on the simplicity of the Gospel as we are now seeing again, 2000 years later. The teachings, claims, and witness of Christ, as well as the tension He created around observances… were obstacles to Jewish belief when He was here, in spite of the amazing miracles He performed. We cannot expect Him to be any less offensive to this mindset now as it was then. I will not compromise who Jesus was to make Him more appealing to anyone. Our imitation of Judaism only serves to offend and insult Jews, not draw them to Jesus. For those who can really see the heart of God through the Old Covenant, they WILL recognize their Messiah.
* Although I have responded, I don’t expect you to believe me.. and I urge you to put down the articles and books, and earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to know as you immerse yourself in the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles. Ask yourself… What did these writers show was the most important truths based on their focus? What what the heart of Jesus really concerned for? What things did He speak against? Who and what did He rebuke? What was the focus and teaching of His followers after He left? Keep seeking…. to learn, not to prove, and you may be surprised. I absolutely have no ability in my words to prove or show these things to anyone. Blessings as you continue to seek Him! He will never disappoint.
Johanna, you say I am reiterating all the same arguments you used to use, but you haven’t refuted them, nor has anyone else. I have yet to see anyone explain why it’s ok to ignore the Deuteronomy 13 test.
I apologize for editing this comment, but I do not allow anyone to post links to any HRM teachers or teachings on this blog. I did not even name the teacher in this post. All ideas and comments and opinions are welcome however. Thanks!
JeanBob… (sorry if you feel your question was ignored.) if Deut 13 is your test, are you saying Jesus is not the Son of God, the Messiah? This chapter is a warning to not follow other gods.. so if I am pleading with people to come to Jesus, and am accused of failing Deut. 13 test.. then I guess that means you don’t believe in Him? Is this the case? I can understand the obstacle there. I would refer rather to Deut. 18 and the prophecy of the coming One whose words must be heard. Stephen referred to this, as did Peter. If Jesus is the fulfillment of this, then we are breaking Torah by not hearing Him. If He is not, then He was a madman or from the devil. Jesus tests of discernment for the masses (who at the time probably didn’t have a Scripture of their own to refer to) was “by their fruits you will know them.” – (the false prophets)… and the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentless, self-control.. (Gal 5)… so even if someone can’t understand all the debates that go back and forth, these things are very simply evident for all to see.
Of course you don’t. Why would you let someone expose your readers to the truth?
Oh that must be why even my comments are often not approved on HRM sites!! Ha. Just not giving free advertising. If people want to find it they have a friend in Google. I made one exception on one post and was reluctant to do so.
@ Daniel: You will never get your questions resolved in a logical, non contradictory manner by those who reject Torah. Those questions you have just posed are the very reason why I left traditional denominational Christianity, because no one could or would answer them without contradicting mountains of Scripture. You are absolutely correct to be struggling with the law abolishing paradigm; how can obeying the same commandments Jesus obeyed make you lose your salvation? It has no Scriptural backing, and makes no logical sense whatsoever.
Go read Psalm 119. If God’s Law has been abolished or made to be no longer true, then that chapter is the biggest joke in all of Scripture.
I don’t believe someone who truly is born again will follow this path to Judaism and be lost to Christ. He definitely pulled us out before we took that step. However, this movement does not present Christ as the way of salvation. It’s rarely ever talked about. Someone can come into this movement and enjoy the cerebral gymnastics, get prideful over being right, argue with each other about which calendar to use, or exactly how to keep the Sabbath, but the cross is just “understood”. No need to bring that up. I met SO many who secretly or openly denied He was God. My own kids thought they were going to hell because all the entire community (and I am speaking of several HRM groups… not just one) focused solely on the demands of Law. So… if someone comes into this who is not born again, there is very little hope that they ever will hear a salvational message. We had no idea what John 3 even meant! If their faith revolves around head knowledge alone, reason will tell them… if the Law is the highest revelation of God which all other things must bend to satisfy (to avoid contradiction) then the New Testament is eventually seen as a false document altogether. EXACTLY as the Jewish leaders responded the living Jesus in front of them. He is the line in the sand by which we are saved or lost.
I will recommend one excellent book: Christ on the Jewish Road by Richard Wurmbrand. He was tortured in a communist prison for 14 years after his dramatic conversion from atheism. I believe his testimony and his incredible intellect and gift of spiritual wisdom are of immense value to this discussion.
And I believe Psalm 119 is prophetic of the sinless life of Christ. I don’t know of any human (including David) who could have spoken those words in honesty. It being in the center of the Bible to me is like seeing Jesus at the center… still. David praised God for His covenant when he brought the Ark to Jerusalem. (I Chronicles) and which one? The Covenant of Promise.. the one to Abraham. David understood the heart of God was about justice and mercy, not the shadows that pointed to Him. Lucky for ya’ll…. I got stuff to go do now so I leave you to carry on!! Ha. Don’t worry, my friends all agree I talk too much. Even when I say I’m going to shut up. Blessings in Christ to all!! ❤