True Roots in Calvary, Not Sinai: Refuting the Hebrew Roots Movement

⚖️✝️Law Without Christ Article 4 of The Counterfit Kingdoms

The Hebrew Roots Movement and the Return to Shadows

> “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

— Acts 15:11

> “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

— Colossians 2:16–17

> “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

— Hebrews 8:13

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Back to the Shadows

“They wear tzitzit and quote Paul—but forget Paul’s warning against returning to the shadows.”

The Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM) presents itself as a deeper, more authentic way of following Jesus. Its teachers call Christians back to the Torah—urging them to observe the feasts, keep dietary laws, and honor the Sabbath as binding requirements for true obedience. The appeal is strong: who doesn’t want to walk in the “original faith” of Jesus and the apostles? Who doesn’t long for rootedness, authenticity, and continuity with God’s ancient people?

But sincerity does not sanctify error. The movement may promise light, but it leads believers back into shadows. What the Law foreshadowed, Christ has fulfilled. To return to the ceremonies of Sinai is not to find deeper roots—it is to forsake the finished work of Calvary.

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The Rise of Hebrew Roots

The HRM is a relatively recent phenomenon, gaining traction in the late 20th century. Emerging out of the orbit of Messianic Judaism, the HRM spread rapidly through books, conferences, and eventually online communities.

Unlike Messianic congregations—which often embrace Jewish identity alongside belief in Jesus—the HRM targets Gentile Christians, insisting that the Church has neglected Torah and must return to its obligations.

Social media has amplified its message. YouTube teachers, Facebook groups, and online ministries encourage believers to observe:

Feast Days like Passover, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles, as ongoing covenant requirements.

Dietary Restrictions, especially kosher food laws.

Sabbath Observance framed as binding law.

For many, the draw is the sense of recovering “lost” truth, gaining insider knowledge, and living a more “authentic” Christianity.

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The Gospel Settled This Already

The problem is not new. The very first great church council—the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15—faced this exact issue. Some insisted Gentiles could not be saved unless they kept the Law of Moses. The apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, declared otherwise:

Gentiles are saved by grace alone, not by Torah observance.

The ceremonial law was never meant to bind the new covenant people of God.

To demand otherwise was to “put God to the test” (Acts 15:10).

Paul’s letters echo this truth with striking clarity:

Colossians 2:16–17 calls feasts and Sabbaths “shadows” whose substance is Christ.

Hebrews 8:13 declares the old covenant obsolete in the light of the new.

The shadow has done its work—it pointed us to the Lamb of God. To insist that Christians remain in the shadow is to deny the sunrise.

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The Danger of Legalism

The HRM thrives because it speaks to real desires: authenticity, roots, depth, and seriousness about obedience. But beneath its promises lies the trap of legalism.

Legalism masquerades as maturity. It presents stricter rules as deeper faith, but in reality, it undermines grace.

Legalism divides the body. HRM teachers often accuse mainstream Christians of compromise, creating suspicion and elitism.

Legalism distracts from mission. Instead of advancing the gospel, energy is consumed by calendar-keeping and dietary disputes.

The irony is that those who return to the shadows often lose sight of the very Christ those shadows once proclaimed.

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Not All Talk of Law Is the Same: Theonomy vs. Hebrew Roots

At this point, some may wonder: Doesn’t the Reformed tradition also talk about God’s law? Doesn’t Reconstruction Theonomy also call Christians to obey the law of God in all of life? It’s crucial to make the distinction.

Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM): Re-binds believers to the ceremonial and civil shadows of the Mosaic covenant (feasts, food laws, ritual Sabbaths). It treats these temporary signs as though they were still binding, which undermines Christ’s finished work.

Reconstruction Theonomy: Upholds the abiding moral law of God, summarized in the Ten Commandments, and applies the civil principles of God’s justice (in general equity) under the lordship of Christ. It does not drag Christians back under obsolete shadows, but presses us forward to Spirit-empowered obedience in Christ’s Kingdom today.

In short:

HRM says, “Go back to Sinai.”

Theonomy says, “Christ has fulfilled Sinai—now obey Him as King.”

The difference is decisive. HRM burdens consciences with shadows. Theonomy magnifies Christ as the one who fulfilled the law and now rules the nations in righteousness.

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Christ: The True Substance

Beloved, the answer is not to despise the Old Testament. The Law is holy and good. The feasts, Sabbaths, and ceremonies were rich pictures of Christ’s work. But their purpose was always temporary.

Christ is the true Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), sacrificed once for all.

Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8), who gives rest to the weary.

Christ is the fulfillment of the Law (Matt. 5:17), not a return ticket to Sinai.

Law without Christ is death. But law fulfilled in Christ is life.

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A Pastoral Plea

To the Christian tempted by Hebrew Roots: you don’t need to reach back to Sinai to find depth. You need to look to Calvary and the empty tomb.

Delight in the freedom of the new covenant, where obedience flows from Spirit-filled hearts, not ceremonial codes.

Embrace the unity of the Church, not division over feast days and diets.

Pursue the mission of Christ, not the distractions of shadow-laws.

True roots are found not in re-binding the Church to Sinai, but in being grafted into Christ, the Root of Jesse, who brings life to Jew and Gentile alike.

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Closing Vision

The Hebrew Roots Movement promises depth—but it only leads back into shadows. True roots are found not in Sinai, but in Calvary.

✒️ The Pilgrim’s Post