Hebrew Roots Movement Redefining Words (Messianic Literary Corner) - Messianic Literary Corner

Go to content
The Hebrew Roots Movement and Their Redefining of Words
by Marshall Beeber & dirk Yount (2/22/2021)
Introduction:

Ever  wonder why it is so hard agreeing upon the meaning of some of the most  commonly used Biblical words like;  “grace”, or “freedom” or even  “truth” to a Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM) or Torah observant Messianic  member? It’s like the person doesn’t even speak your language! In fact, you are mostly right in that assumption.  Their  incomprehension of Biblical word meanings is due to the age old  psychological ploy of “redefining words”, or in modern jargon “flipping  words”.  This  bit of linguistic deceit has been practiced since ancient times and has  recently been successfully adopted by the “Political Left” and not so  surprisingly “religious cults”.

As an example of "redefining words in ancient times, during the Greek wars around 400 BC, Thucydides writes:  "They  even changed the agreed-upon meanings of words to the opposite of the  right ones. Rash impudence was called “courageous loyalty”; careful  deliberation, “specious cowardice”….

King  Solomon, knowing man's sinful nature and his ability to go to great  lengths to deceive his fellow man stated in Ecclesiastes 1:9 "What has been done is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun"

Just  like in ancient times and in modern "Leftist" politically correct  wordage, Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM) wordage often means the opposite of  its commonly perceived meaning.  Once  psychologically reinforced, as the HRM person reads or hears a word  that has been redefined, it's commonly perceived meaning is “flipped” in  that person's mind to be the redefined word meaning.  It's  amazing how easily a person can be deceived with just a few changes in  the meaning of language.  The motivation for redefining the meaning of  Biblical words is to nullify the gospel's "gracious freedom" so  eloquently taught in New Covenant writings, replacing it with a false  gospel based on a loosely observed Mosaic Law narrative.  Through  experience I have found that arguments based on the meaning of  particular Biblical passages are almost useless, but to intellectually  challenge them on the meaning of their "redefined" or "flipped" words  may be more successful in getting them to think about what they have  accepted as the truth.  Such arguments addressing the way they redefine  words may indeed be their "Achilles' Heel", but not necessarily for  those fully indoctrinated , but more so for those who still have a sense  of intellectual curiosity. It is often easier to be aware of deceit in  the corruption of language than to find error in a Biblical passage.  From my experience, HRM devotees will say the language was corrupted by  early Church writers and they state that they have corrected it,  but  such an argument does not hold water since they have corrupted even  those word meaning that have long been accepted by most Jewish scholars,  not just Christian ones.  You will note this evidenced in the list of  corrupted word means listed below
Redefined Words:

Below  is a list of  HRM “flipped words” that Dirk Yount helped me compile  with their corrected meaning.  Dirk is experienced in the manner which  HRM and Torah observant messianics redefine words to fit their theology.

Flip #1
False Meaning: Truth = Torah
True  Meaning: Biblical truth encompasses both the Law of Moses and New  Covenant gracious freedom, although the word flip has metaphorically  redefined the meaning of Biblical truth to only encompass the Law, thus  nullifying gracious freedom. See "Word Study" of NT use of "truth" at https://ekklesia4him.net/Truth_study.pdf

Flip #2
False Meaning: Grace = Law
True  Meaning: Grace is a pardon from the punishment of disobedience to the  Law. Grace existed thru the Sacrificial System in OT times, although  with Jesus atoning sacrifice, the requirements of the Law was fulfilled,  nullifying the need for animal sacrifice. Therefore in this current  "Age of Grace" both Jew and Gentile are justified by faith in Jesus  alone and the Law of the Spirit, not the Law of Moses. See NT "Word  Study" of "grace" at https://www.logosapostolic.org/greek-word-studies/5485-charis-grace.htm)

Flip #3
False Meaning:  Renewed Covenant redefines New Covenant (HRM teachings refutes the existence of a New Covenant)
True  Meaning: HRM falsely claims the word "New Covenant" was mistranslated  from the word "Renewed Covenant", thus asserting the Renewed Covenant to  be based on the Mosaic Law rather than gracious freedom of the New  Covenant. This of course is absurdity since both OT prophets prophesied a  New Covenant and NT books of Acts and numerous Epistle passages support  New Covenant gracious freedom.  See study on "Refuting Renewed  Covenant" at https://kjcword.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/hebrew-roots-refuted-new-covenant-or-renewed-covenant/

Flip #4
False Meaning: Freedom = Torah
True  Meaning: An obvious word flip, since the Law forbids much of the  freedom granted in the New Covenant and condemns such freedoms as  licensciousness, whereas the Pauline Epistles defends those freedoms. To  consider "freedom" and "Torah" synonymous would nullify all New  Covenant freedoms.  See NT word study on "freedom" at https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/freedom-bible-verses/

Flip #5
False Meaning:  Lawlessness = Being without the Law of Moses
True  Meaning:  The above flip implies that those under "Grace" and not under  the "Law of Moses" are lawless and subject to judgment.  Whereas the  gospel of grace and freedom clearly states those who by "faith alone in  the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua" are saved from eternal judgment.  See  study on "lawlessness" at https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/lawlessness.html

Flip #6
False Meaning: Word = Torah ("Word" as referred to in John chapter 1)
True  Meaning:  Word does not = Torah (since "Word" is referring to Yeshua  (Jesus) as being God in John chapter 1, not Torah or Five Books of  Moses. See study on the use of "Word" in John chapter 1 at https://carm.org/bible-studies/bible-study-on-gospel-of-john-chapter-1/)

Flip #7
False Meaning: Word = Tanakh ("Word" as referred to in John chapter 1)
True  Meaning: Word does not = Tanakh (since "Word" is referring to Yeshua  (Jesus) as being God in John chapter 1, not Tanakh (Tanakh = Five Books  of Moses, Psalms, Proverbs, Major and Minor Prophets. See study on the  use of "Word" in John chapter 1 at https://carm.org/bible-studies/bible-study-on-gospel-of-john-chapter-1/)

Flip #8
False Meaning: Word = Whole Bible ("Word" as referred to in John chapter 1)
True  Meaning: Word does not = Whole Bible (since "Word" is referring to  Yeshua (Jesus) as being God in John chapter 1, not the entire Bible. See  study on the use of "Word" in John chapter 1 at https://carm.org/bible-studies/bible-study-on-gospel-of-john-chapter-1/)
Summary:

To  say the least, HRM theology presents an "all out" assault on New  Covenant truths and must be opposed in a manner consistent with  Biblically motivated reason and love. Remember that your Hebrew Roots or  Torah observant Messianic person may be so thoroughly indoctrinated  with these or other “redefined words” that explaining to them how they  have been “linguistically blinded” will be a challenge. It would only be  by the power of the Holy Spirit and your prayer that they understand  the true meaning of those words and “re-flip” those word meanings back  to open their minds and hearts to understand the “Gospel of Gracious  Freedom”.


Studies Exposing HRM Word Redefination & Doctrinal Error


Hebrew Roots Movement - Redifination of Terms A-F (Joyfully Growing In Grace)

Hebrew Roots Movement - Redifination of Terms G-L (Joyfully Growing In Grace)

Hebrew Roots Movement - Redifination of Terms M-Z (Joyfully Growing In Grace)

Hebrew Roots Movement (HRM) - Spiritual Awakening or Heresy? (I Don't But He Does)

A Response to Hebrew Roots - Matthew 5:17-18 (I Don't But He Does)

The Displacement Theology of Hebrew Roots (I Don't But He Does)




Created with WebSite X5
Established 1997



Back to content