That danger is falling for the lies of the Hebrew Roots cult.
Sadly, I see this all the time on social media—and, I know how simple it is to make this huge error, because when the Holy Spirit was leading me out of christianity and its false teachings, I was drawn to a movement that recognizes the errors that comprise christianity’s foundations; but instead of seeking truth, they remain in the realm of the flesh, and misunderstand how the physical and spiritual are correlated.
Instead of understanding that the physical is a foreshadow of the spiritual, and that what is presented in the Old Testament scriptures are merely physical representations (shadows) of future-revealed spiritual real substances found in the New Testament, many folks simply jump from the cult of christianity to the hebrew roots cult.
The truths of the Holy Spirit lie in a very narrow path between christianity and hebrew roots, and if one strays too far to either side, he will be in the complete error of another gospel.
Yes, the hebrew roots cult recognizes that christianity, the counterfeit of the true faith, is a syncretistic mixture of pagan sun worship with some scriptural truth (which makes it just another false pagan religion), but the hebrew roots cult seeks to place people under the law of Moses, not recognizing what the physical law of Moses represents spiritually, and that NOBODY is under the law of Moses (the ordinances contained in the law of Moses were nailed to the tree).
Now, the hebrew roots cult does recognize the Sabbaths (which are the true ordained days of the Father), but they do so in a physical sense, just as many lost physical Jews do, thinking that merely observing the Sabbaths physically is what is at the heart of the sign given to Yah’s true children. They are actually observing something that was never even given to them—they are identifying with a family to which they do not even belong.
A primary focus of those who are lost in the hebrew roots cult is the sinfulness of others. Many in the cult who post on social media spend most of their time addressing how spiritually unlawful everybody else is, not understanding that unlawfulness is the same thing as unrighteousness, and those who do not have the Holy Spirit (i.e., those in the hebrew roots cult) are unrighteous, and can do no righteousness.
Pointing to the unrighteousness of others will not make you righteous in the least.
Just like many christians who falsely believe that unconfessed sins of the flesh will keep someone from heaven, the Pharisees in the hebrew roots cult believe that obeying the law of Moses (the ordinances that were nailed to the tree) is necessary for righteousness, but righteousness has NEVER come by works of the law.
In many flavors of christianity, it is taught, falsely, that when a person says a prayer, or repents of “sins,” the Holy Spirit immediately enters him. But, with the hebrew roots cult, it is claimed that only those who are already without sin will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit—and, many of them ignorantly count themselves as those who are without sin.
Both camps are the awful products of carnal false teachings. Again, I know the allure of joining with folks who openly reject the false holydays of christianity, but jumping from one cult to another is not the answer. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit warned us pretty early on when we first started dabbling in the hebrew roots cult. He showed us that the cult is nothing but the ancient sect of Judaizers that Paul warned about.
And, sadly, most in both false camps don’t know the difference between physical Jews and true Jews—those who are made Jews spiritually by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Romans 2:29). That is who comprises Y’isra-el (Romans 11, Galatians 3:28-29). Any physical Jew who does not believe in Messiah Yahoshua, and does not endure in that belief until he receives the spiritual covenant, is not a part of true Y’isra-el, which is spiritual. Those in the hebrew roots cult strive to be physical Jews, which has nothing to do with eternal life.
So, if you are seeking the truths of the Holy Spirit, and you are realizing that christianity is a counterfeit of the true Gospel of Yahoshua—pay very close attention to whom you listen for spiritual truth. If what someone is peddling focuses on “torah obedience” or the “lawlessness” of others, run!
If abstaining from certain foods is a tenet of the group, reject it, and avoid it altogether. The dietary laws of Leviticus 11 were nailed to the tree with the rest of law of Moses. The clean vs. unclean laws were to keep physical Jews and Gentiles separate as a physical foreshadow of Messiah’s bride being separate from the world. There is no longer a spiritual distinction between physical Jews and Gentiles. Those who preach the law of Moses preach condemnation upon themselves—and that includes any dietary laws.
Even if a hebrew roots group presents a truth, don’t share it under their name, for you might be responsible for leading others astray (all religions contain grains of truth—that’s how Satan uses them to deceive).
Groups like 119 Ministries, Jim Staley’s “Passion for Truth Ministries,” or any of the other “torah-obedient” groups are spiritually dangerous, and lead only to the lake of fire, not to eternal life, for they preach the foreshadow AS the real substance—and do not have the spiritual understanding even to understand what that means. They are the blind leading the blind—and many puff themselves up in their own false righteousness, hypocritically claiming obedience to the laws they pick and choose for themselves.
There is a reason that Messiah Yahoshua said of life in Him, “ . . . and few there be who find it.” Only those who have the Holy Spirit are His. Those who do not have the Holy Spirit are NOT His—Romans 8:9. Those who teach obedience to the law of Moses DO NOT have the Spirit of truth. Do NOT follow them in any way!
For more information: Why Not Hebraic Roots?