Three Prevalent Messianic Movement Heresies — Yes, I Mean Just That
9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Titus 3:9-11
Heretic:
Oxford Dictionary: A person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: Schismatic, factious, a follower of false doctrine: Titus 3:10
Here are the three areas of heresy I’m going to focus our attention on:
The Canon
The Deity of Yeshua/Christ
Salvation
I’m not on any crusade, as of yet. I haven’t appointed myself Chief Heresy Hunter. I’m just a little fed up. And as one of the great Theologians of the past put it —
"That's all I can stands, cuz I can't stands n’more!" Popeye (Link to cartoon)
The truth is, I can’t stand some of the ignorant and divisive teachings/beliefs/opinions that are so cavalierly tossed about/propagandized as truths in the “Messianic Movement” and … left unchallenged.
Or said differently:
I can’t believe how easily our “Messianic” people are duped into accepting new titillating teachings which are really just old heresies repackaged by new con artists (false teachers) masquerading as Hebrew Roots teachers.
How and why is this happening?
It’s happening, in part, because Messianics have swung the pendulum too far the other way and have made it popular to eschew our Christian roots and theology. That’s just plain ignorant.
We’ve somehow decided that Christians aren’t keeping the Torah like we are (by whose definition, may I ask?) and therefore we must castigate them and ignore anything good Christianity has done or taught over the past several hundred years.
Have we forgotten how many of these “Christians” were burned at the stake for their faith? Have we forgotten how many of these “Christians” were hunted down and slaughtered (even whole families) for their faith? Have we forgotten how many of these “Christians” spent years in prisons for their faith?
How dare we say these dear believers were/are any less than we are because they ate bacon, worshipped on Sunday, celebrated “wrong” feasts and festivals, didn’t wear long strings?
What in the world is wrong with us! How did we get our heads screwed on so backwards?
And while I’m at it, I’d like to point out that these three heresies aren’t open for debate or discussion in the world of Christianity - you know, those “other people” we used to be … our “other” brothers and sisters in Messiah.
It’s only in the Messianic/Hebraic Roots movement that these heresies have found new traction and gained a new foothold.
——————————
I want to make it crystal clear that for Luke, me and our Congregation:
The following are NOT negotiable.
Here we go …
The Canon - The Bible
It appears to be more widespread than I’d like to admit, but for some reason the Canon of Scripture is taken as a fluid apparatus amongst Messianics. It’s being questioned and debated as to whether or not the 66 books in our Bible are the only Scriptures inspired by God. In the Messianic Movement it has become trendy to take out, question or add some books. Examples of those up for debate and consideration are Hebrews, Enoch, Jubilees.
Our doctrinal statement: “All 66 book books of the Bible, the TANAK (OT) and the Apostolic Scriptures (NT), are the only inspired and inerrant word of God. The Bible alone, for all mankind, is the complete guide and rule for life. Any other writings or books are therefore not God’s word or authoritative in our lives. We do not hold that the Apocrypha is Scripture.” (See website for the verses)
The Deity of Christ - Yeshua/Jesus
For the life of me, I cannot comprehend that Messianics, claiming to be born-again, would cast any doubt upon the Deity of Yeshua. How can any blood washed believer in Yeshua ever doubt or deny that Christ/Yeshua is actually “Emmanuel, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
To what end, may I ask? What is the underlying motivation for maintaining such a belief? I believe it boarders on the nefarious.
If some Messianics want to maintain that Yeshua is not Deity who, pray tell, saved them? Why then did Yeshua die on the cross? If He’s not God, how then could His shed blood have any efficacious merit to atone for sins? Why did He bother to die? Was Yeshua that stupid?
Is Christ God or not?
Slice it anyway you want BUT, if He is not God then we have a lot of eternally serious problems. This is heresy in all caps HERESY. Those that advocate anything less than the Deity of Yeshua need to be tossed out as the Heretics that they are.
Our doctrinal statement: “Yeshua is God in the flesh. He is God the Son, the eternal Word, who took human nature to Himself. He is the promised Messiah. He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life. He was crucified, rose again and ascended into heaven unto the right hand of God. We await the in-gathering of the exiles of Israel from all four corners of the earth. When Yeshua returns to the earth, He will rule and reign as King.” (See the website for the verses)
Salvation
I’ll tell you what the issue is and then why I think it’s so.
The issue: That a person can be saved by belief in God alone without having to believe in, or accept, Yeshua as Saviour. Do we not read our Bibles? What about John 14:6 - “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Of course, I see how one can get around that statement if one doesn’t believe Yeshua is Deity.
The why: An over zealous desire and need to have a connection with, and acceptance by, greater Judaism. Why? Who cares? Greater Judaism is lost. They need to be saved. And … they reject Yeshua as Messiah.
Are Messianics actually willing to jeopardize, for their own selfish ends, the eternal destinies of lost Jewish people by proclaiming them as our brothers and sisters in the faith?
Here’s what Paul, under inspiration by God, had to say about the greater Judaism of his day. —
“Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:1-4)
Our doctrinal statement: “To be part of the kingdom of God, one must be born-again from their state of sin and separation from God. A person is saved by grace through faith and not by works. The wages of sin is death. Only God Himself redeems us from sin. He sent His Son Yeshua, who shed His sinless blood, in order to save us from death and Hell. When our old self is put to death in Yeshua, we are born-again as a child of God and as such become a true child of Abraham and a member of Israel. All those who are in Messiah Yeshua are fellow-citizens in the commonwealth of Israel. We no longer live as strangers from the covenants of promise but, being of the seed of Abraham, as full citizens. There is, and always has been, only one people of God — Israel (ie. those saved by grace through faith in the Messiah Yeshua). The remnant of Israel is all those who trust in Yeshua for salvation and keep His commandments.” (See the website for the verses)
It’s time to declare it Heresy not to believe these three bedrock doctrinal imperatives.
If in fact the Messianic movement is this blind to the machinations of Satan, then we as individuals and individual Messianic congregations need to take action:
*We have to be willing to call out our own on these issues.
*We have to be willing to separate ourselves from the greater Messianic/Hebraic Roots movement. I consider myself to be an Independent, Fundamental, Saved by the Blood of Yeshua Hebrew.
Jonah 1:8-9 — “Then said they unto him {Jonah}, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.”
*We have to examine our own hearts to see if we’re truly in the faith. And … our Messianic leaders need to take the lead in this.
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (II Corinthians 13:5)
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28-30)
Let me wrap this up.
Paul doesn’t mince words with those that mess with the eternal destiny of people. He doesn’t shy away from calling a spade a spade. And neither should we.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (II Corinthians 11)