The Unanswerable Questions

[sparkman]

Here is Eliwood's source for these questions:

The Unanswerable Questions | 119 Ministries

His questions are almost a verbatim transcript from this video.

This is a Hebrew Roots cult.

Notice that Eliwood does not quote his source, which is disingenuous as well.

Here's their belief statement.

My understanding from other sources is that they deny the Trinity and that righteousness is imputed to the believer. They believe that you must keep the whole Torah to be saved.

[h=3]We Believe:[/h]

• God is the Word and He is One
• God (Yahweh) created all things by the Word and all creation is subject to the Word.
• In the garden everything was good until man violated an instruction of Yahweh and thus sin entered the world.
• Sin is defined as breaking the law (instructions) of God.
• All Scripture (Word) is instructions in righteousness.
• All Scripture (Word) is still true and nothing has been abolished.
• God's law (Torah) is simply His instructions for all men.
• Sin infected and affected all of creation, in the sense that all of creation was introduced to the curse. That curse from sin is the punishment of death. This is also taught by Paul as the law of sin and death, the same law that believers are no longer under through grace by faith.
• Yeshua (Jesus) arrived as the Word made flesh, and perfectly practiced Yahweh's instructions (Torah).
• Yahweh (YHWH/God) is the Word and the Word became flesh as Yeshua.
• The fullness of God dwells in Yeshua.
• We believe that Yeshua was sent from the Father, and practiced the Word of God perfectly, thus being the Son of God, and same image or reflection of the Father.
• In this Yeshua satisfied two purposes of coming which was (1) to be a prophet like unto Moses and teach us (as opposed to destroying) the correct interpretation (fulfill the meaning) of Yahweh's law and (2) to qualify Himself as the perfect (sinless) sacrifice for our sins and nullify the law of sin and death, by accepting the punishment of our sin on our behalf.
• Yeshua basically means "Salvation" in Hebrew. Through transliterations from Aramaic/Hebrew to Greek to Latin to Old English to modern English, He is now often known as Jesus. Because of this, the unfortunate reality is that many do not know His name nor the meaning of His name. It is our preference to use His real name that carries its intended meaning of "Yahweh is Salvation." We are not offended at the transliterated name of Jesus. We often insert "Jesus" in parentheses to help the audience connect His real name of Yahoshua/Yeshua back to Jesus. The same applies for God (elohim). YHWH (Yahweh) is the name given to us in His Word as the name of God. It is our preference to use His name as it was also YHWH's preference to use His name in the Word of God. Depending on the audience we expect to gravitate to a particular teaching, we incorporate Hebrew to the extent that is expected to be receptive by that audience. We place much value on the Hebrew language and His name, yet also realize that many using our teachings might not be in the same place just yet.
• Yeshua's sacrifice is the only means of salvation from the law of sin and death.
• Salvation is by grace alone through faith.
• We believe the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) leads people to follow the Word.
• Faith is an inward heart (desire) transformation to commit, trust, and believe in His Word (Yahweh) and the Word made flesh (Yeshua), instead of placing our faith and trust in ourselves and the world.
• We believe that if you really believe, commit, and trust (faith) in the Word, that whatever you believe (inward) will manifest itself in your behavior (outward).
• A successful inward transformation of our heart (desire) as faith will always manifest outwardly as obedience to the Word (Yahweh). Thus we are obedient because of our faith which leads to salvation, not vice versa. We believe that faith without works is dead (faith is not real without works as our evidence of our faith). We believe His people are obedient to His Word because of salvation, not to earn salvation.
• We believe Yeshua is to be our example on how to walk the Word, as opposed to using Yeshua as an excuse for declaring some of the Word is destroyed or made void.
• In our faith we all occasionally fail (sin) in our walk however we are covered by grace in all such instances. A true believer will consistently seek and delight in obedience and avoid disobedience.
• Our obedience (not sinning) to His Law is rewarded as blessings. Our crowns and rewards at the Bema Seat Judgment will directly relate to our practice and obedience of His Word.
• Yahweh's grace is evidence of His love for us.
• We are to love God (Yahweh) with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and we do this by seeking and keeping His commandments. The Holy Spirit is deposited in believers in faith through grace to cause us to walk in obedience to the law and to teach us all things in His Word.
• Our obedience is the evidence and substance of our faith.
• We believe that a believer should indeed focus on Yahweh's love for us (grace), but that a believer (in response) should also focus on loving Yahweh back (obedience).
• Another purpose of Yeshua was to begin calling back the scattered 10 tribes of Israel that were divorced, scattered, and became Gentiles.
• Yeshua will return to reign as king for 1000 years.

 

[Jeff_56]

yahweh made all things simple; man devised many distractions (from simple truth)...

whether a man is born and raised in the rcc heresy, or a legitimate faith church: baptist, lutheran, methodist, free will, etc etc etc
he still may be saved, simply, by grace through faith in jesus......

many of the different 'groups' had their own idiosyncrasies, i.e. differences along with the basics... and some differences are reconcilable with SCRIPTURE, some are not.....

so concerning faith, GOD, GOD'S LIFE, test everything like the Berean's do: by GOD'S WORD. (and of course remain constant in prayer, always praying, always depending upon GOD through Jesus Christ)

 

[Elin]

There are TWO covenants: the OLD and the NEW (actually there are several others but tor the purpose of this discussion I choose to temporarily ignore them).
Heb 8:8-13
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. KJV

The Law is unchanged!

Both covenants still exist and are NOT in conflict with one another.

You do not think the Mosaic/Sinaitic Covenant is made palaios, palaioo--worn out, ancient, old and soon disappeared (Heb 8:13)?

 

[sparkman]

Question: "What is the Hebrew Roots movement?"

Answer: The premise of the Hebrew Roots movement is the belief that the Church has veered far from the true teachings and Hebrew concepts of the Bible. The movement maintains that Christianity has been indoctrinated with the culture and beliefs of Greek and Roman philosophy and that ultimately biblical Christianity, taught in churches today, has been corrupted with a pagan imitation of the New Testament gospels.

Those of the Hebrew Roots belief hold to the teaching that Christ's death on the cross did not end the Mosaic Covenant, but instead renewed it, expanded its message, and wrote it on the hearts of His true followers. They teach that the understanding of the New Testament can only come from a Hebrew perspective and that the teachings of the Apostle Paul are not understood clearly or taught correctly by Christian pastors today. Many affirm the existence of an original Hebrew-language New Testament and, in some cases, denigrate the existing New Testament text written in Greek. This becomes a subtle attack on the reliability of the text of our Bible. If the Greek text is unreliable and has been corrupted, as is charged by some, the Church no longer has a standard of truth.

Although there are many different and diverse Hebrew Roots assemblies with variations in their teachings, they all adhere to a common emphasis on recovering the "original" Jewishness of Christianity. Their assumption is that the Church has lost its Jewish roots and is unaware that Jesus and His disciples were Jews living in obedience to the Torah. For the most part, those involved advocate the need for every believer to walk a Torah-observant life. This means that the ordinances of the Mosaic Covenant must be a central focus in the lifestyle of believers today as it was with the Old Testament Jews of Israel. Keeping the Torah includes keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week (Saturday), celebrating the Jewish feasts and festivals, keeping the dietary laws, avoiding the "paganism" of Christianity (Christmas, Easter, etc.), and learning to understand the Scriptures from a Hebrew mindset. They teach that Gentile Christians have been grafted into Israel, and this is one reason every born-again believer in Jesus the Messiah is to participate in these observances. It is expressed that doing this is not required out of legalistic bondage, but out of a heart of love and obedience. However, they teach that to live a life that pleases God, this Torah-observant walk must be part of that life.

The Hebrew Roots assemblies are often made up of a majority of Gentiles, including Gentile rabbis. Usually they prefer to be identified as "Messianic Christians." Many have come to the conclusion that God has "called" them to be Jewish and have accepted the theological position that the Torah (Old Testament law) is equally binding on Gentiles and Jews alike. They often wear articles of traditional Jewish clothing, practice Davidic dancing, and incorporate Hebrew names and phrases into their writing and conversations. Most reject the use of the name "Jesus" in favor of Yeshua or YHWH, claiming that these are the "true" names that God desires for Himself. In most cases, they elevate the Torah as the foundational teaching for the Church, which brings about the demotion of the New Testament, causing it to become secondary in importance and only to be understood in light of the Old Testament. The idea that the New Testament is faulty and relevant only in light of the Old Testament has also brought the doctrine of the Trinity under attack by many advocates of the Hebrew Roots beliefs.

As opposed to what the Hebrew Roots movement claims, the New Testament teachings of the Apostle Paul are perfectly clear and self-explanatory. Colossians 2:16,17 says, "Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day – things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." Romans 14:5 states, "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind." Scripture clearly indicates that these issues are a matter of personal choice. These verses and many others give clear evidence that the Mosaic Covenant laws and ordinances have ended. Continuing to teach that the Old Covenant is still in effect in spite of what the New Testament teaches, or twisting the New Testament to agree with the Hebrew Roots beliefs, is false teaching.

There are aspects of the Hebrew Roots teachings that certainly can be beneficial. Seeking to explore the Jewish culture and perspective, within which most of the Bible was written, opens and enriches our understanding of the Scriptures, adding insight and depth to many of the passages, parables and idioms. There is nothing wrong with Gentiles and Jews joining together in celebrating the feasts and enjoying a Messianic style of worship. Taking part in these events and learning the way in which the Jews understood the teachings of our Lord can be a tool, giving us greater effectiveness in reaching the unbelieving Jew with the gospel. It is good for Gentiles, in the body of the Messiah, to identify in our fellowship with Israel. However, to identify with Israel is different from identifying "as" Israel.

Gentile believers are not grafted into the Judaism of the Mosaic Covenant; they are grafted into the seed and faith of Abraham, which preceded the Law and Jewish customs. They are fellow citizens with the saints (Ephesians 2:19), but they are not Jews. Paul explains this clearly when he tells those who were circumcised (the Jews) "not to seek to be uncircumcised" and those who were uncircumcised (the Gentiles) "not to become circumcised" (1 Corinthians 7:18). There is no need for either group to feel they must become what they are not. Instead, God has made Jews and Gentiles into "one new man" in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:15). This "new man" is referring to the Church, the body of Christ, which is made up of neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:27-29). It's important for Jews and Gentiles to remain authentic in their own identity. In this way a clear picture of the unity of the body of Christ can be seen as Jews and Gentiles are united by one Lord, one faith, one baptism. If Gentiles are grafted into Israel, becoming Jews, the purpose and picture of both Jew and Gentile, coming together as one new man, is lost. God never intended Gentiles to become one in Israel, but one in Christ.

The influence of this movement is working its way into our churches and seminaries. It's dangerous in its implication that keeping the Old Covenant law is walking a "higher path" and is the only way to please God and receive His blessings. Nowhere in the Bible do we find Gentile believers being instructed to follow Levitical laws or Jewish customs; in fact, the opposite is taught. Romans 7:6 says, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Christ, in keeping perfectly every ordinance of the Mosaic Law, completely fulfilled it. Just as making the final payment on a home fulfills that contract and ends one’s obligation to it, so also Christ has made the final payment and has fulfilled the law, bringing it to an end for us all.

It is God Himself who has created a world of people with different cultures, languages and traditions. God is glorified when we accept one another in love and come together in unity as "one" in Christ Jesus. It's important to understand that there is no superiority in being born Jewish or Gentile. We who are followers of Christ, comprised of many different cultures and lifestyles, are all of value and greatly loved because we've entered into the family of God.

Read more: What is the Hebrew Roots movement?

 

[Elin]

Question: "What is the Hebrew Roots movement?"

Answer: The premise of the Hebrew Roots movement is the belief that the Church has veered far from the true teachings and Hebrew concepts of the Bible. The movement maintains that Christianity has been indoctrinated with the culture and beliefs of Greek and Roman philosophy and that ultimately biblical Christianity, taught in churches today, has been corrupted with a pagan imitation of the New Testament gospels.

Those of the Hebrew Roots belief hold to the teaching that Christ's death on the cross did not end the Mosaic Covenant, but instead renewed it, expanded its message, and wrote it on the hearts of His true followers. They teach that the understanding of the New Testament can only come from a Hebrew perspective and that the teachings of the Apostle Paul are not understood clearly or taught correctly by Christian pastors today. Many affirm the existence of an original Hebrew-language New Testament and, in some cases, denigrate the existing New Testament text written in Greek. This becomes a subtle attack on the reliability of the text of our Bible. If the Greek text is unreliable and has been corrupted, as is charged by some, the Church no longer has a standard of truth.

Although there are many different and diverse Hebrew Roots assemblies with variations in their teachings, they all adhere to a common emphasis on recovering the "original" Jewishness of Christianity. Their assumption is that the Church has lost its Jewish roots and is unaware that Jesus and His disciples were Jews living in obedience to the Torah. For the most part, those involved advocate the need for every believer to walk a Torah-observant life. This means that the ordinances of the Mosaic Covenant must be a central focus in the lifestyle of believers today as it was with the Old Testament Jews of Israel. Keeping the Torah includes keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week (Saturday), celebrating the Jewish feasts and festivals, keeping the dietary laws, avoiding the "paganism" of Christianity (Christmas, Easter, etc.), and learning to understand the Scriptures from a Hebrew mindset. They teach that Gentile Christians have been grafted into Israel, and this is one reason every born-again believer in Jesus the Messiah is to participate in these observances. It is expressed that doing this is not required out of legalistic bondage, but out of a heart of love and obedience. However, they teach that to live a life that pleases God, this Torah-observant walk must be part of that life.

The Hebrew Roots assemblies are often made up of a majority of Gentiles, including Gentile rabbis. Usually they prefer to be identified as "Messianic Christians." Many have come to the conclusion that God has "called" them to be Jewish and have accepted the theological position that the Torah (Old Testament law) is equally binding on Gentiles and Jews alike. They often wear articles of traditional Jewish clothing, practice Davidic dancing, and incorporate Hebrew names and phrases into their writing and conversations. Most reject the use of the name "Jesus" in favor of Yeshua or YHWH, claiming that these are the "true" names that God desires for Himself. In most cases, they elevate the Torah as the foundational teaching for the Church, which brings about the demotion of the New Testament, causing it to become secondary in importance and only to be understood in light of the Old Testament. The idea that the New Testament is faulty and relevant only in light of the Old Testament has also brought the doctrine of the Trinity under attack by many advocates of the Hebrew Roots beliefs.

"Run, Forest, run!"

As opposed to what the Hebrew Roots movement claims, the New Testament teachings of the Apostle Paul are perfectly clear and self-explanatory.Colossians 2:16,17 says, "Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day – things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." Romans 14:5 states, "One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind." Scripture clearly indicates that these issues are a matter of personal choice. These verses and many others give clear evidence that the Mosaic Covenant laws and ordinances have ended. Continuing to teach that the Old Covenant is still in effect in spite of what the New Testament teaches, or twisting the New Testament to agree with the Hebrew Roots beliefs, is false teaching.

There are aspects of the Hebrew Roots teachings that certainly can be beneficial. Seeking to explore the Jewish culture and perspective, within which most of the Bible was written, opens and enriches our understanding of the Scriptures, adding insight and depth to many of the passages, parables and idioms. There is nothing wrong with Gentiles and Jews joining together in celebrating the feasts and enjoying a Messianic style of worship.

Taking part in these events and learning the way in which the Jews understood the teachings of our Lord can be a tool

There is a lot wrong with introducing ordinances into NT worship which are not authorized by the NT (1Co 4:6).

Let's not make Uzzah's mistake of presuming God will be pleased with what seems good to us
(2Sa 6:6-7). We must inquire of God in his word how he would have us worship him (1Chr 15:13).
And God in his NT word does not authorize "a Messianic style of worship."
It is not for us to improve on God's NT ordinances--baptism, the Lord's Supper, anointing with oil (Mk 6:13; Jas 5:14) and laying on of hands (A 6:6, 8;18, 13:3; 1Ti 4:14; 2Ti 1:6; Heb 6:2).

God's NT ordinances are not ineffectual types and shadows as were the OT ordinances.
Rather, they are participation (1Co 10:16) in the effectual benefits of the NT realities themselves (Col 2:17: Heb 10:1).

We must not return to the dead, miserable (Gal 4:9), worldly (Gal 4:3; Col 2:8, 20) forms of religion (Gal 4:9) which do not come from the new creation. That is "will worship" (Col 2:22-23), devising our own way or worshipping God instead of only in the way he has prescribed. All forms of worship outside the NT are worldly because they are authorized by man, not by God.

giving us greater effectiveness in reaching the unbelieving Jew with the gospel.

Moses' striking the rock twice was also effective, but it was disobedience because it was not authorized... and it barred him from entrance into the promised land.

It is good for Gentiles, in the body of the Messiah, to identify in our fellowship with Israel. However, to identify with Israel is different from identifying "as" Israel.

It is good to identify with believing Israel, which is not identifying "as" Israel.

Gentile believers are not grafted into the Judaism of the Mosaic Covenant; they are grafted into the seed and faith of Abraham, which preceded the Law and Jewish customs. They are fellow citizens with the saints (Ephesians 2:19), but they are not Jews. Paul explains this clearly when he tells those who were circumcised (the Jews) "not to seek to be uncircumcised" and those who were uncircumcised (the Gentiles) "not to become circumcised" (1 Corinthians 7:18). There is no need for either group to feel they must become what they are not. Instead, God has made Jews and Gentiles into "one new man" in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:15). This "new man" is referring to the Church, the body of Christ, which is made up of neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:27-29). It's important for Jews and Gentiles to remain authentic in their own identity. In this way a clear picture of the unity of the body of Christ can be seen as Jews and Gentiles are united by one Lord, one faith, one baptism. If Gentiles are grafted into Israel, becoming Jews, the purpose and picture of both Jew and Gentile, coming together as one new man, is lost. God never intended Gentiles to become one in Israel, but one in Christ.

The influence of this movement is working its way into our churches and seminaries. It's dangerous in its implication that keeping the Old Covenant law is walking a "higher path" and is the only way to please God and receive His blessings. Nowhere in the Bible do we find Gentile believers being instructed to follow Levitical laws or Jewish customs; in fact, the opposite is taught. Romans 7:6 says, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Christ, in keeping perfectly every ordinance of the Mosaic Law, completely fulfilled it. Just as making the final payment on a home fulfills that contract and ends one’s obligation to it, so also Christ has made the final payment and has fulfilled the law, bringing it to an end for us all.

It is God Himself who has created a world of people with different cultures, languages and traditions. God is glorified when we accept one another in love and come together in unity as "one" in Christ Jesus. It's important to understand that there is no superiority in being born Jewish or Gentile. We who are followers of Christ, comprised of many different cultures and lifestyles, are all of value and greatly loved because we've entered into the family of God.

Read more: What is the Hebrew Roots movement?

Thanks. . .

I'm thinking I like the Internal Revenue Service approach. . .where they don't teach revenuers to recognize counterfeit bills, but rather have them become so familiar with genuine bills that the counterfeit bills are easy to spot. . .like the HRM stuff.

 

[MarcR]

You do not think the Mosaic/Sinaitic Covenant is made palaios, palaioo--worn out, ancient, old and soon disappeared (Heb 8:13)?

Elin,

I crrtainly do think that! However I interpret soon to mean the same thing here that it does in reference to Jesus' return. It is indeed worn out now; and will indeed disappear when the events predicted in Zec 12:10-13:2 come to pass.

 

[Elin]

Both covenants still exist and are NOT in conflict with one another.

You do not think the Mosaic/Sinaitic Covenant is made palaios, palaioo--worn out, ancient, old and soon disappeared (Heb 8:13)?

Elin,

I crrtainly do think that! However I interpret soon to mean the same thing here that it does in reference to Jesus' return. It is indeed worn out now; and will indeed disappear when the events predicted in Zec 12:10-13:2 come to pass.

Okay. . .

You can NOT be under both covenants at the same time.

So when you state this are you saying

both the old and the new covenants are now operative. . .or

because you are under the new, shows the old is worn out and inoperative

. . .or?

 

[sparkman]

I answered all of EliWood's "Unanswerable Questions" on a second thread where he posted basically the same questions with a few others.

If anyone wants to read them, here's the link:

http://christianchat.com/bible-disc...werable-questions-extended-2.html#post2097872


As I said above, his questions come from a Hebrew Roots website called 119ministries. I can't tell for sure but it seems like they deny the Trinity. He basically transcribed a video of theirs where they asked these questions. Eliwood did not identify his sources.

By the way he comes in the chat room sometimes to stir up arguments so I have dealt with him in a very direct way here. I do not enjoy doing that, but with some people they don't get the point if you treat them quietly. I was affected by some of the same sorts of teachers he's been studying and I know their contemptuous, prideful approach. I hope the young man gets past this and onto productive ministry of some sort.