Shadow or substance?
Messianic Judaism, like all movements, is diverse. But it has two major problematic characteristics that are common throughout the movement. The first is the “recovery” of the Name of God that supposedly leads to proper worship by removing an alleged pagan linguistic influence. Secondly, there is a desire to return to the authority of Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy).
The recovery of the Name of God
The alleged restoration of the sacred Name is emphasized in the terms Yahweh (Lord in English bibles), Elohim (God), and Yeshua (Jesus). Lord, God, and Jesus are considered pagan forms. (Interestingly, for a movement emphasizing the restoration of the Name, there is doubt as to which terms to use: whether Jehovah, Yahweh, Yahuweh, etc.). Even the Bible book names are replaced with their Hebrew names.
On the surface, this may seem enlightened or reverent. But is it? If doubt is created about the validity of the terms Lord, God, and Jesus, then the saint is left confused and troubled when reading his Bible. Is God only honored when the Hebrew forms of language are used? Is everyone else out of touch and dishonoring God? The linguistic emphasis moves Messianic Judaism toward a position where Hebrew is the ultimate language of prayer and religious practice, which means that a non-Hebrew-speaking person may feel, or be perceived, as less spiritual.
At least some of the attraction of Messianic Judaism is that it provides a hope of something more meaningful to those who are weary of the emptiness of traditional religion or the more charismatic flavors of today. The use of terms like Y’shua, Hashem, l’Azazel, etc., seems to put the speaker on a higher spiritual plane. Learning to say prayers in Hebrew, speaking the “right” name for Jesus, etc. provide something distinct, something that seems more historical and spiritual.
Torah-observant lifestyle
Messianic Judaism also focuses on a Torah-observant lifestyle, as opposed to walking in the Spirit. It often sees Torah as a whole unit and refuses to distinguish the Law of Moses as something distinct within that Torah.
A follower of Messianic Judaism sees Torah as God’s primary revelation and the basis for daily living. One such young man said to me, “Certain commands, like Deuteronomy 13, force us to look at everything else through the eyes of Torah.” It may involve the wearing of distinctive clothing, along with the observance of the Law’s feasts, Sabbath days, and diet.
The Gentile church may be considered a different entity than the Jewish church, and the expectations for each group may differ. Messianic Judaism will generally place the yoke of Torah-observance upon those with Jewish roots. One young man eagerly scanned his genealogy to find an apparent Jewish surname and rejoiced that he should now be Torah-observant! In Christ Jesus, there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal. 3:28), yet, in Messianic Judaism, the division re-emerges.
If Torah is supreme, yet the New Testament says the believer is not under Law, a conflict arises. If one is supposed to observe Old Testament holidays and feasts, Paul must be jettisoned. One shockingly said, “I believe in the apostolic Scriptures only as far as they agree with the Torah and Prophets.”
When confronted with passages about not living under Law, Messianic Judaism may claim that the passages are referring to something other than the Law of Moses. So the Law that the believer has died to in Romans 7:4 becomes the corrupted practices of the Pharisees or edicts not from Torah that were pressed upon the people. Yet when we read passages like Galatians 3 and Romans 7, we can see clearly that the Law of Moses is in view.
In conclusion, although Messianic Judaism rightly agrees that the Law cannot make a person righteous before God, it wrongly teaches that the Law provides the path and power for the Christian life. It forgets that the purpose of the Law was to point us to Christ and His finished work (Gal. 3:24).