Messianic Misconception #1: Apostasy!

One of the chief and most common objections to the "Messianic Movement" or "Hebrew Roots Movement" is that we are in apostasy. This means, put simply, that we have moved out of the realm of the teachings of Christianity and into something foreign and WRONG! This is backed up with other objections, which will be discussed in more detail in later postings. For now, we'll just cover apostasy by itself.

Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Regardless of the reasoning behind it, if this accusation is true, it is to be taken very seriously. To move outside of the teachings of scripture and apart from what YHVH (God) has commanded or taught us is to move outside of our faith altogether and to separate ourselves from YHVH. In this life, this leads to bad doctrine (of varying degrees), sometimes even as far as cultic practices and behaviors. Worse, all the while believers usually have a false sense of security about where they stand. (Matt 7:21-27) Still worse, we will spend eternity without YHVH. Many times, those raising this accusation against us are simply trying to protect those they love, as they should!

So, is this movement apostate??? I certainly don't believe so. Here's why....

Firstly, we are not moving away from scripture. It is a major part of the Hebrew Roots movement to dig into scripture as much as possible - especially the original language. Because of this digging, we have a new understanding and appreciation of the Word of YHVH. We have, however, found the teachings of scripture to differ from what is widely taught today, and this is where some of the confusion may be setting in. (More about that in a moment.) Also, we do not have "other scriptures" as many apostate groups have. We do not claim special revelation, we're not following a prophet, we are not restricted to what books we can/can not read, and we interpret scripture with scripture - not with other "writings". Some of these issues will be covered in future posts as well. It is common within the movement to hear other sources quoted (such as The Book of Jasher and the Book of Enoch), but these are not held in the esteem of scripture. We consider these to be historical sources (much like Josephus), and we consider them to be trustworthy because they themselves are referenced in the Bible!

www.dictionary.com

Secondly, we are not leaving our faith. On the contrary, we are growing in our faith! Because of what we've learned in scripture we choose to practice Christianity differently than most, but we are in no way abandoning Christianity! This, I believe, may also be a confusion as a result of many "messianics" leaving their churches. Here is where we need to begin defining our terms! For the purposes of this article, I chose to use the biblical definition of a Christian - one who is following Christ. (I believe this is the only true definition! If we define Christian as someone belonging to the Christian church, then the disciples and other 1st century believers weren't Christians!) We still follow Christ, and we try to follow Him as closely as we can. Therefore, we are still Christians! We simply see and practice the faith from a different perspective. It is common for messianics to leave their churches, however, which often causes controversy and misunderstanding. We often find it difficult to remain in churches because of our differences in doctrine and practice (holidays and such). It becomes uncomfortable, and many seek out messianic congregations with whom they have more in common. Leaving an organization, however, is not the same as leaving the faith, something we have no intention of doing. In fact, leaving the church is often difficult for messianics because of the relationships we have built there!

My third and final argument against an accusation of apostasy is this...We are held to a standard of right/wrong (be it in doctrine or action) by scripture itself. While a relatively young movement and its people are bound to make mistakes, we seek to be true to scripture and no other standard. Whether we adopt or reject any teaching or practice, the decision is made on scripture; and if we later discover any mistakes, we seek to rectify those. Are we perfect? Of course not. Do we always get it spot-on? No. Are our hearts in the right place? Yes! My point is simply that we are not "governed" by people, groups, weird experiences, other writings or anything else. We hold ourselves to the best of our knowledge and ability to scripture - the same Bible used by the church!

This just scratches the surface of what will be addressed as these posts continue. There are certainly other defenses of our faith for you to find, and many may go into more detail. I hope, however, that I have given you enough for you to begin accurately assessing the Hebrew Roots movement. If you weigh the arguments, and you still think we are apostate, then by all means you must reject our teachings and defend your own faith. If you find, however, that we are teaching truth, embrace it! Yeshua (Jesus) taught that the truth would set us free (John 8:32), but He also said that truth would come from following Him and living in His Word (John 8:31)! We must be careful to make sure we find the right truth!

In future posts, I will address other concerns about this movement. If you have specific concerns you would like to see addressed, please comment here, on the post "Messianic Misconceptions - Intro", or leave us a message on our Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you! Be blessed.